How A Madrid Mother Turned Dyslexia & ADHD On Its Head
“Bewilderment, helplessness and even desperation are just some of the emotions experienced by parents of bright but struggling children who may have learning difficulties such as Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and ADHD.”
Dolores Gage, an Anglo-Spanish educator with a Master’s degree in International Education & Bilingualism resident in Madrid, experienced them first-hand with her son, who was later diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD. In her search for answers, she also learned that Dyslexia is hereditary and affects 20% of the population, according to the global NGO @MadeByDyslexia.
After doing the rounds of numerous schools and psychologists, Dolores discovered the Davis® ‘world’ whose methods help people of all ages understand and overcome their learning difficulties by taking advantage of the strengths, which are many, of dyslexic thinking. The methods and their impact impressed her so much that she decided to train as a Davis® Facilitator.
“The Davis® Mastery Programs were created by Ron Davis, an autistic and dyslexic American genius. Analysing his difficulties ‘from the inside’, his methods are based on personal insights that enabled him to understand the root cause of his difficulties, and develop strategies that allowed him to learn (at 38 years old) to read for pleasure, which is an incredible achievement for a person with severe dyslexia.”
Since 1982, Davis® has been offering a strength-based approach to understanding and overcoming the symptoms of Dyslexia. With a 97% success rate, the Davis® Dyslexia Correction Programme has been translated into 30 languages, is now available in 40 countries, and has been adapted to support people with mathematics (Dyscalculia) and handwriting (Dysgraphia) difficulties, as well as offering a medication-free solution to people with attention problems (ADD/ADHD).
One of three licensed Davis® Facilitators in all of Spain, Dolores offers Davis’ 30 hour one-to-one Mastery Programmes for children and adults, in English and Spanish, at their home, at her premises in north Madrid, and online.
She also runs ‘Why Tyrannosaurus but not if?’ (WhyTy), a six-week online course specially designed to support parents. In this course, she helps parents understand the root cause of Dyslexia and provides them with insights, strategies and support, empowering them to be the best helpers they can be to their struggling children.
Parents looking for ongoing information and support can go to @ThrivingwithD on Facebook, a Page created by Dolores to share her positive insights into these learning difficulties, as well as Autism spectrum disorders. The Facebook group with the same name (accessible via the Page) provides a safe forum to ask questions and seek help, and was set up specifically for English-speaking parents who might be struggling to help their children in a country whose language is not their own.
Primary teachers and schools can also benefit from Davis® methods in the form of Davis® Learning Strategies (DLS). Research and experience indicate that when fully implemented in the classroom, DLS enables ALL students to learn to read and write, significantly reducing the development of learning difficulties (around 88% drop), and more than doubling the percentage of Gifted & Talented students in the classroom. In other words, out of every 100 students, around 20 will develop difficulties learning to read and write using traditional methods, but if they are taught using Davis® methods, this number is reduced to 2!
“Dyslexics are among some of the brightest people around, and yet they are often labelled as ‘stupid’ or ‘lazy’. By internalising these inaccurate and destructive views, the emotional cost of these learning difficulties becomes huge, debilitating, and can undermine them for life”, reflects Dolores. “Davis® opened our eyes to a much more positive understanding of what our son was experiencing and gave him, and us, the insights and tools to manage his difficulties and protect his self-esteem. In my view, that is definitely a message worth spreading!”
For more information:
- Davis® programmes, or to join the waiting list for the next WhyTy Course for Parents, please contact Dolores at: thrivingwithdd@gmail.com / +34 637 522 698
- Davis® Methods to master difficulties in reading, handwriting, mathematics and attention: dyslexia.com
- Davis® Learning Strategies to implement Davis® Methods in the classroom: davislearn.com
The next online Davis® Learning Strategies workshop will take place in four three-hour sessions on Sat 21st, Sun 22nd, Sat 28th and Sun 29th May 2022. Primary teachers interested in attending this workshop can find more information on the DLS website and book their place via the Davis Learning Foundation.
For ‘Early bird’ price, book your place before 21st April 2022.
For an additional 5% discount for Thriving with D clients, please use code: THRIVINGWITHD
Photo Credits
Title: Elisa Tcach / Article: Gerd Altmann
