Gifted Dyslexic offers cutting edge personal intervention for correcting learning difficulties and innovative training for teachers in order to accelerate literacy for all learners, while preventing learning difficulties from arising in the first place.
This is a slightly modified advert from Apple which was called "Think Different"
"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward.While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."...And most of them are Gifted Dyslexics!Sir Ken Robinson: ‘Changing Education Paradigms'In this beautiful video, the internationally acclaimed educationalist Sir Ken Robinson illustrates his vision for a new paradigm in education. This is exactly why Gifted Dyslexic exists; we share his vision and are convinced that the Davis methods provide a way to achieve Sir Ken's dream.
Learning can be easy - and in fact it should
I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Confucius wrote these words about 2500 years ago in China and various leading human development and educational thinkers have essentially said the same since - though often using different words. We at Gifted Dyslexic talk about facilitating mastery, rather than teaching. Mastery goes beyond what schools normally think of as learning. Whatever you master, stays with you for the rest of your life - much like learning to ride a bicycle. You may get a bit rusty if you do not use your mastered skill for years, but you will not lose that skill - and you can brush it up without much effort. This is exactly what all learners need to achieve when learning the letters of the Alphabet - and in fact also when learning the most common words in the language. Only about 200 words make up over 50% of all we read - no matter what we are reading. Once these basic building blocks of literacy are fully mastered, literacy becomes easy.
"Each time one prematurely teaches a child something he could have discovered for himself, that child is kept from inventing it and consequently from understanding it completely."
Swiss psychologist, author of theory of cognitive development
"We never understand a thing so well, and make it our own, as when we have discovered it for ourselves."
French mathematician, philosopher, "Father of Modern Philosophy"
The dyslexic paradox
Some studies show that as much as 80% of inmates in correctional facilities have dyslexia, AD/HD or ADD. Other studies show that 30-40% of successful entrepreneurs (self made millionaires) have dyslexia, ADD or AD/HD. When you begin to understand the root of these conditions through the Davis approach, this is not surprising at all.
A real long-term solution
The aspect of the Davis approach which I personally find most exciting, is that we can now equip pre-primary and primary school teachers with the Davis tools to use in their general teaching practise with all children. We call this Davis Learning Strategies or Teaching made Easy. A study published in 2001 shows that special needs referrals were eliminated and the number of gifted learners were quadrupled in classes using our methods. We now have a simple strategy tool-kit for teachers which will reduce pressure on the teacher immensely, while improving literacy and motivation of learners, and at the same time putting a stop to the waste of talent in potentially dyslexic children.
The labelling conundrum You may be looking for help in dealing with a specific condition, or you may not have a "label" for your condition. We do not really need a label for working with you, as we are dealing with the root cause of all the various labels. It is also important to remember that there is often an overlap between the various labels. Here is a short list of some symptoms/labels we deal with successfully.
- Dyslexia (literacy issues - often labelled as phonological processing problems)
- Dyspraxia (co-ordination problems - mainly physical, but recently often used for problems with organisation of thought - then called mental dyspraxia)
- Dyscalculia (maths and numeracy problems)
- ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder - problems with sustaining attention)
- AD/HD (hyperactivity - often with a number of behavioural issues)
- Asperger's syndrome (mild autism)
Various options for you
There are a number of options available to you, depending on the level of involvement you are prepared to take on, and what you can afford.
We like to think that the Davis programme is actually available to practically anyone, as you are not really restricted by finances. All you need is the book, some plasticine, time and patience. Alternatively, you can sign up for a workshop to give you more confidence in applying the procedures in the book, or book in a professional one-to-one intervention.GD pricing optionsGD pricing options
Here are some useful links to Davis sites:
The UK Gift of Dyslexia tour in October 2010:
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