Dyslexia – what is it?

The Macquarie Dictionary defines dyslexia as 'an impairment in reading ability, often associated with other disorders especially in writing and co-ordination.'

The Oxford English Dictionary defines dyslexia as 'a disorder involving difficulty in learning to read words, letters and other symbols.'

Dyslexia explained

We use the term Dyslexia as an umbrella term for all of the following conditions or labels.

 Dyslexia - reading and spelling problems
 Dysgraphia - handwriting problems
 Dyscalculia - math problems
 Dyspraxia - balance and co-ordination problems
 ADD/ADHD - Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

According to program creator Ron Davis, picture thinking is the cause for all of the above learning difficulties, and is also the basis for success using the Davis methods to deal with all these terms.

Picture thinking is the human mind's primary thinking process. It is the thinking mode we all used until we learnt to speak. It is a faster and more detailed way of thinking, and therefore forms a foundation for excellence in various areas, when it remains the preferred mode of thinking. Because the ‘picture thinker’ needs any new learning to be built on their own experience in order to retain it, the result is often above average general knowledge.

Dyslexia varies greatly from individual to individual.  Problems with reading and spelling are the most common signs, but will usually be accompanied by other problems as well as special abilities. Dyslexics usually excel in some areas while being deficient in others. Most of these strengths and weaknesses originate from the same cause - disorientation.

Dysgraphia

This is a learning disability showing up as difficulty in writing and graphing. It generally refers to extremely poor handwriting.

People with dysgraphia may display the following signs:

	May exhibit strong verbal but particularly poor writing skills
	Random (or non-existent) punctuation
	Generally illegible writing, despite appropriate time and attention given the task
	Inconsistencies: mixtures of print and cursive, upper and lower case
	Irregular sizes, shapes or slant of letters
	Unfinished words or letters, omitted words
	Inconsistent position on page with respect to lines and margins and inconsistent spaces between words and letters
	Cramped or unusual grip, especially holding the writing instrument very close to the paper, or holding thumb over two fingers and writing from the wrist
	Talking to self while writing, or carefully watching the hand that is writing
	Slow or laboured copying or writing - even if it is neat and legible

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is when there are problems with maths - counting, adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, not to mention more complex mathematical functions.

The following are some of the common characteristics of people with dyscalculia:

	Difficulty with the abstract concepts of time and direction.
	Difficulty with time management, schedules, and sequences of past or future events.
	Unable to keep track of time. May be chronically late.
	Inconsistent results in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
	Poor mental math ability.
	Poor with money and credit. May have fear of money and cash transactions.

When writing, reading and recalling numbers, these common mistakes are made:

	Number additions, substitutions, transpositions, omissions, and reversals.
	Inability to grasp and remember math concepts, rules, formulas, and sequence.
	Gets lost or disoriented easily. May have a poor sense of direction, lose things often, and seem absent minded.
	May have difficulty grasping concepts of formal music education.
	Difficulty remembering dance step sequences, rules for playing sports.
	Difficulty keeping score during games, or difficulty remembering how to keep score in games, like bowling, etc.

Solution: Davis Math MasterySM Program

Dyspraxia

A dyspraxic person has balance and co-ordination problems. They will show several of the symptoms below:

	Shows up as "clumsiness" caused by motor difficulties caused by perceptual problems, especially visual-motor and kinesthetic-motor difficulties
	Prone to accidents, may fall a lot, bump into furniture
	Poor hand-eye, foot-eye coordination
	Slow and poor at dressing, unable to tie shoelaces, do up buttons etc
	Speech and language difficulties
	Difficulty in holding a pen properly
	Poor writing and drawing abilities
	Reading and spelling difficulties
	Walk awkwardly
	Confused about which hand to use
	Difficulties throwing or catching a ball
	Poor short term memory, they often forget tasks learned the previous day
	Reading and writing difficulties
	Cannot hold a pen or pencil properly
	Cannot hop, skip or ride a bike
	Cannot answer simple questions even though they know the answers
	Speech problems, slow to learn to speak or speech may be incoherent

Solution: Davis Dyslexia Correction® Program

ADD/ADHD

People with ADD/ADHD display problems with hyperactivity, hypoactivity, inability to focus, difficulty staying on task, and inappropriate social behaviours.

ADHD usually persists through a person’s lifetime unless it is corrected – for example with the Davis methods.

Approximately one-half to two-thirds of children with ADD will continue to have significant problems with ADD symptoms and behaviours as adults, which impacts their lives on the job, within the family, and in social relationships.

The most common features include:

	Hyperactivity (excessive activity and physical restlessness)
	Distractibility (poor sustained attention to tasks)
	Impulsivity (impaired impulse control and delay of gratification)

In order to meet diagnostic criteria, these behaviours must be excessive, long term and pervasive. The behaviours must appear before the age 7, and continue for at least six months. A crucial consideration is that the behaviours must create a real handicap in at least two areas of a persons life, such as school, home, work or social settings.

These criteria set ADHD apart from the “normal” distractibility and impulsive behaviour of childhood, or the effects of the hectic and overstressed lifestyle prevalent in our society.

What is different about the drug free Davis approach to ADD/ADHD?

The Davis approach goes to the root causes of why some people have problems controlling their attention, energy level, and social interaction, and resolves them. 

These root causes are:

	They experience the passage of time inconsistently
	They think in images rather than in words
	They are highly imaginative
	They have little or no concept of self as separate from and/or in relation to others
	They have little or no concept of time, sequence, order, cause, effect, or consequence.

These characteristics are part of a unique thinking style shared by 15-20% of the population.  This thinking style is often associated with the labels, ADD or ADHD.