Davis Dyslexia -- Still Evidence - Free, Still Fleecing Parents

John Wills Lloyd pointed to Ron Davis's promotional tour at the beginning of the month. Just now a press release came across my desk: Discover the Answer to Dyslexia, in which the writer claims:

Breakthrough research by Ronald D. Davis, author of the internationally acclaimed book, The Gift of Dyslexia, indicates that dyslexia is not a malfunction of the brain, eyes, or ears - it is a compound of simple factors which can be dealt with step by step.

What a load of hooey.  No serious dyslexia researcher claims that dyslexia is a malfunction of sight or hearing.  To simplify: the neurological understanding of reading is that reading is a complex symphony of brain subsystems.  Problems arise when the precise harmony among the subsystems breaks down.

In his post, Lloyd reviews the weak evidence to date for the Davis method, and writes,

I hope that people will ask questions:

• What is the scientific basis for the assertion that individuals with dyslexia think in pictures, that “dyslexia is a result of perceptual talent” (Davis, 1997, p. 6)?
• What scientifically rigorous evidence do you have that there is a higher incidence of giftedness among individuals with dyslexia than among the general popultion? How is the relative degree of giftedness determined in your view?
• What plans do you have to subject your methods to rigorous field trials of their effects on student’s reading, spelling, and writing outcomes? Would you be willing to provide free materials and training for scores of randomly selected teachers in a comparison with two or three compehensive reading instructional programs?

Parents, you might go for an evidence-based approach.

Comments

[J. Gubbins]

My son was professionally diagnosed with dyslexia by a neuro-psychologist at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital.

He had been under the treatment of two Speech-Language Therapists, our university's Reading Clinic, and other "research-based" remeditation efforts from various special education and reading experts. Ultimately, nothing else made such an immediate and significant difference than did the one week he spent in the Davis program. As crazy as it sounds... he walked out of that session a different kid.

The biggest difference was in his ability to cope. He was no longer ashamed, he talked openly about dyslexia and what it meant he could do better than others, he learned to be his own advocate, he learned to somewhat control the disorientation that often resulted from reading, and his self-esteem has soared. While we used to have nightly melt-downs over homework, those events are now few and far between. Is he "cured"? No. But there is huge improvement. His reading level, test scores, and grades went up significantly in the last year. His SPLA re-eval scores went up so much that he was released from treatment 4 months after completing the Davis program.

Research isn't everything - seeing it with your own eyes is. Research is often debunked with follow-up research years later. In this debate over the Davis program - read the response comments - there are some posts from Abigail that explain some of the reasons for the lack of research. There are also detractors and vehement supporters who have replied, as well: http://gimpyblog.wordpress.com/2007/10/04/the-learning-people-think-dyslexia-is-a-gift-i-think-they-are-idiots/

[Juliette White]

HI My daughter is 8yrs old, she has Dyslexia. We spent 3 years trying to help her. NO proffessionals with degrees could help her. I also have dyslexic tendincies and ADHD. I have seen about 20 doctors in my life time, and no-one could help me.
My daughter completed the Ron Davies program in 10 days. I saw changes instantly. Her teachers couldn't help, her speach patholigist can't help as quickly as Ron Davis methods did. When she went to see a Facilitator she could barely read or write, or speak, or clean her room, express herself, sleep. She was terribly shy and just wanted to to disappear. She was depressed and not her whole self. No-one could do anything for her in her 3 years at school, and all the people we saw and all the money we spent and she attends a private school and everything. None of her teachers understand her, or what she needs to learn.
I was amazed and Rons methods were answers to desperate prayers, for a frustrated family and daughter and mother, trying to help her daughter be her very best self. It is not a load of hooey at all. I haven't done the course but just reading his books have changed my life, forever. My daughter and I are so happy to be who we are, we can be everything we were born to be everything we want to be now, we are free to choose.
When my daughter finished the program she said to me "my brain and my heart are free" I have read 20 million books it feels like and Rons is the only methods that have helped us, saved us.
If you knew how we felt, if you could feel our frustration, our confusion, how hard life feels for us every single day, if you could be in our bodies for just one day you would know, and you would change your mind.
All visual spatial thinkers get it, its the verbal thinkers that don't get it, or understand so therefore its stupid??? No.
What people like me and my daughter want is understanding, acceptance, support and help.
I am currently working with an entire grade 2 students, they are almost finsished the programm, it has taken almost 6months. The results are amazing, their parents are just so excited and happy. Many of them don't have Dyslexia, but many have had learning difficulties, its helped them too.
It is an amazing phenominal program.
in 2 months I will be starting my training as a facilitator in New Zealand I love it so much and I can't wait.
Many students at my daughters school about 10 in fact from Jnr school, and 3 in high school have completed the program and their results were amazing and their parents thought it was worth every single penny. Even though their parents didn't "get it" their kids did and thats all that matters.

I am so sorry you feel the way that you do about the program, its a real shame. because it the only thing that works and we have tried absolutely everything.

[Vespa]

My daughter has very deep dyslexia and attended the Davis programme, it did not help.

[Darren Thomas]

I completed three days of the programme six months ago.I have adult ADHD and have suffered a lot in my life.the outcome was rather disappointing.it has made some difference but not that which I had hoped for.a very fun loving intelligent and caring facillitator,I enjoyed the three days.some benefits attained,but limited,definately.I guess it can't do big things for everyone.worth a try though.

[Leo]

I spent $6,500 on Davis, and it was totally useless for my 19 year old. When I contacted the Davis organization about this and asked why they have not subjected their methods to vigorous research, I was told my daughter did not have good results because she did not do her exercises long enough nor often enough after the week of training. So, it was my daughter's fault, the Davis folks said, indicating her lack of motivation. Motivation is key, and my daughter did not have enough motivation.

Actually, she was highly motivated until she realized that the exercises were not working, not improving her literacy skills. So, gradually she did lose motivation to throw kush balls, make clay figures, when she did not see improvement. She'd have to be a little nuts to keep this up when it seemed useless.

[Todd Millions]

I've read gift of dyslexia-and concur with the basic premise and treatment.Though this may indeed be a moving target.When my parents were called in to discuss my retardation-it took me a while too realize that the teacher and principal were going on about my reversal of letters.The school staff never realized that I never reversed the direction of lower case b&d's or p&q's-the only 4 letters whose direction actually matter.When I realized this-I wondered why these dumb asses were teaching me.I still do.
My discalcula-a seperate form of dyslexia,that I did have a bout of,was solved by me(despite any after the fact teacher clains)in a manner not disimaler to R Davis's technique.While I understood the math ops and numbers fine,the actual caculations were impossible as I saw the numbers as shifting in place value.I finally stopped this by drawing place colums between the numbers I was working on thus fixing them in my mind's eye.My hearing was and remained exellent at this time.