When the idea of Parker having Dyslexia first came to mind, I viewed Dyslexia with having reading, spelling, and writing problems and reversing letters. Yes, these problems do exist along with others, but I have also learned that individuals that are Dyslexic also have abilities that many other individuals do not experience.
These are the abilities that Ronald Davis has listed in The Gift of Dyslexia.
1. They can utilize the brain's ability to alter and create perceptions.
2. They are highly aware of the environment.
3. They are more curious than average.
4. They think mainly in pictures instead of words.
5. They are highly intuitive and insightful.
6. They think and perceive multi-dimensionally (using all senses).
7. They can experience thought as reality.
8. They have a vivid imagination.
These are abilities that I see in Parker. It is exciting to know that there are gifts that Parker possesses due to how he perceives things, but with those gifts come some obstacles.
There are two kinds of thought verbal conceptualization (thinking with the sounds of words) and nonverbal conceptualization (thinking with mental pictures of concepts or ideas). Most people think using verbal conceptualization. About 20% think using nonverbal conceptualization. Our education system primarily centers around verbal conceptualization. That leaves 20% of our kiddos trying to learn in away that is not aligned with their way of thinking.
(Sorry if the above was a bit mind numbing, but I want to explain a little bit about Dyslexia. There is certainly more to it, but I'm hoping that this will help as I share about Parker's experience in the Davis program.)
After Cyndi identified areas that were of concern to Parker and me, she began with Parker identifying his "mind's eye". The mind's eye is what views a person's mental images or is what looks at our imagination. (This is somewhat involved and I won't go into detail but is explained thoroughly in The Gift of Dyslexia.) Parker was able to do this with ease:)
There is a great deal filtering through my mind that I want to share. Unfortunately, I am somewhat slow at expressing my thoughts through writing. More to come tomorrow!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Parker is a day and a half into the Davis Dyslexia Program and I am so excited about all that he has learned! I felt a huge pull toward the Davis Program, but I have to admit there was a small part of me that was a bit skeptical. We live in a society that wants or maybe even expects a quick fix, but many times the quick fix is a band-aid that covers the wound but doesn't correct it. So when I met with Cyndi (the Davis Facilitator) and she mentioned that Parker would experience significant improvement in a week's time, I certainly had some doubts. Those doubts and skepticism no longer exist!
Monday morning started out with Parker rating himself on a scale of 1-5 on several different categories- reading, writing, spelling, math, sports, interests, relationships, writing, communication. It was eye-opening to hear where he saw himself. This is something that I would love to try individually with students. Later I filled out the same questionnaire about Parker from my perspective. This information allowed Cyndi to have a clear understanding of possible triggers that Parker may experience. A trigger is anything that causes disorientation. Disorientation is the loss of one's position or direction in relation to other things; a state of mind in which mental perceptions do not agree with the true facts and conditions of the environment.
Monday morning started out with Parker rating himself on a scale of 1-5 on several different categories- reading, writing, spelling, math, sports, interests, relationships, writing, communication. It was eye-opening to hear where he saw himself. This is something that I would love to try individually with students. Later I filled out the same questionnaire about Parker from my perspective. This information allowed Cyndi to have a clear understanding of possible triggers that Parker may experience. A trigger is anything that causes disorientation. Disorientation is the loss of one's position or direction in relation to other things; a state of mind in which mental perceptions do not agree with the true facts and conditions of the environment.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Before sharing more of our twists and turns, I want to express how much I appreciate all the wonderful people that have crossed our paths during Parker’s school years. We have continually been blessed with an incredible group of teachers, friends, and staff at our school! I couldn’t ask for better people to be surrounding us.
So where does a person go when they are looking for answers? There's nowhere better than the world wide web! I was lucky to stumble across a site that talked about the 37 characteristics of Dyslexia. http://www.dyslexia.com/library/symptoms.htm As I read through them, I was amazed at how many traits and behaviors I saw in Parker, 27 out of the 37. At this point, I was determined to learn as much as I could about Dyslexia.
My next question was, "Where can I get help?" I kept coming back to the same site listed above. There is a book on the site, The Gift of Dyslexia, by Ronald Davis. Once I had my hands on the book, I had it read in a couple of days. I then contacted, Cyndi Deneson.,a Certified Facilitator and Supervisor-Specialist licensed with the Davis program, located in Edina.
Parker and I met with Cyndi. She did a couple of assessments with Parker, which confirmed the possibility of Parker struggling with Dyslexia. The next step was for Parker’s dad to meet with Cyndi and me to go over the assessments and to explain the program. Much to my surprise, Parker’s dad was on board. He felt that he could relate to much of Parker’s struggles because he too struggled with many of the same things as a child. There was no question in our minds that the Davis program would be beneficial for Parker.
I feel considerably lucky that I stumbled upon the Davis Program, but with my excitement, there have been some detours along the way, many feeling like roadblocks.
One detour that has presented itself is getting a diagnosis and the need for a diagnosis. This has been more difficult than I ever anticipated. The primary reason for wanting a diagnosis is so that Parker would be eligible to receive accommodations at school after completing the program.
About 4 weeks ago we met with our pediatrician, I explained the struggles that Parker was experiencing and asked if she could give us a diagnosis. (During our appointment with her she brought up the possibility of ADD. I mention this now because I plan on sharing more of my thoughts and feelings about ADD at another time.) She was unable to help us and referred us to a Child’s Psychiatrist. Yesterday, Parker had an appointment with a Child Psychiatrist. The psychiatrist asked what our goal of meeting with her was. I expressed to her that our need of a diagnosis was to receive accommodations at school that would support the Davis Program. She said that it is very difficult to diagnosis Dyslexia and that she would have to refer us to a specialist. (She too brought up testing for ADD.) She proceeded to tell me that the waiting list to see a specialist was out at least 6 months. I told her that I needed something by next week because Parker is scheduled to start the Davis program then. She thought with the information that she had gathered from us that she could come up with some diagnosis possibly of depression and/or anxiety due to learning difficulties and that this would at least open things up at school for the possibility of some help.
Having experience in the education field, I knew there would be some hoops we would need to jump through, but certainly didn’t anticipate it to be quite like this. I have a different appreciation for all the parents out there who are strong advocates for their children!
Next Monday, Parker starts the Davis Program. YEAH!!! My goal is to keep a daily blog of our journey about our week at the Davis Program and explain more about the program.
So where does a person go when they are looking for answers? There's nowhere better than the world wide web! I was lucky to stumble across a site that talked about the 37 characteristics of Dyslexia. http://www.dyslexia.com/library/symptoms.htm As I read through them, I was amazed at how many traits and behaviors I saw in Parker, 27 out of the 37. At this point, I was determined to learn as much as I could about Dyslexia.
My next question was, "Where can I get help?" I kept coming back to the same site listed above. There is a book on the site, The Gift of Dyslexia, by Ronald Davis. Once I had my hands on the book, I had it read in a couple of days. I then contacted, Cyndi Deneson.,a Certified Facilitator and Supervisor-Specialist licensed with the Davis program, located in Edina.
Parker and I met with Cyndi. She did a couple of assessments with Parker, which confirmed the possibility of Parker struggling with Dyslexia. The next step was for Parker’s dad to meet with Cyndi and me to go over the assessments and to explain the program. Much to my surprise, Parker’s dad was on board. He felt that he could relate to much of Parker’s struggles because he too struggled with many of the same things as a child. There was no question in our minds that the Davis program would be beneficial for Parker.
I feel considerably lucky that I stumbled upon the Davis Program, but with my excitement, there have been some detours along the way, many feeling like roadblocks.
One detour that has presented itself is getting a diagnosis and the need for a diagnosis. This has been more difficult than I ever anticipated. The primary reason for wanting a diagnosis is so that Parker would be eligible to receive accommodations at school after completing the program.
About 4 weeks ago we met with our pediatrician, I explained the struggles that Parker was experiencing and asked if she could give us a diagnosis. (During our appointment with her she brought up the possibility of ADD. I mention this now because I plan on sharing more of my thoughts and feelings about ADD at another time.) She was unable to help us and referred us to a Child’s Psychiatrist. Yesterday, Parker had an appointment with a Child Psychiatrist. The psychiatrist asked what our goal of meeting with her was. I expressed to her that our need of a diagnosis was to receive accommodations at school that would support the Davis Program. She said that it is very difficult to diagnosis Dyslexia and that she would have to refer us to a specialist. (She too brought up testing for ADD.) She proceeded to tell me that the waiting list to see a specialist was out at least 6 months. I told her that I needed something by next week because Parker is scheduled to start the Davis program then. She thought with the information that she had gathered from us that she could come up with some diagnosis possibly of depression and/or anxiety due to learning difficulties and that this would at least open things up at school for the possibility of some help.
Having experience in the education field, I knew there would be some hoops we would need to jump through, but certainly didn’t anticipate it to be quite like this. I have a different appreciation for all the parents out there who are strong advocates for their children!
Next Monday, Parker starts the Davis Program. YEAH!!! My goal is to keep a daily blog of our journey about our week at the Davis Program and explain more about the program.
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