Awards:

Alberta Literacy Award of Merit

Finalist for Canadian Postal Literacy Award

Member of:

Better Business Bureau of Southern Alberta

Common Struggles

Here are some common struggles linked to the dyslexic mind:

Dyslexia

(Problems with reading)

Symptoms:  Slow reading, substituting words, rearranging letters and words, headaches from reading, guessing at words, rereading over and over, extreme concentration, sounding out each word, memorizing rather than understanding and avoiding reading.

Caused by:

1. A dyslexic comprehends by picturing the meanings of each word read.  Words such as: the, as, by, was, etc., aren't pictured and result in confusion.

2. Words with no "pictures" also disorient the dyslexic.  Disorientation causes the dyslexic to see and hear things differently than they actually are.  This creates mistakes.

3. Phonetic programs do nothing to resolve these blank pictures and prove to be unsuccessful learning tools for the dyslexic.

Corrected by:

1. Dyslexics will make pictures for the confusing words using clay models which they will create.

2. Dyslexics will be able to recognize when they are disoriented and will learn how to orient themselves.

3. We show the dyslexic how to train their eyes to move from left to right allowing their brain to see the words in their proper order.

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Dysgraphia

(Problems with writing)

Symptoms:  Messy printing or writing, hand gets tired or sore quickly, avoiding writing, reversing of letters and numbers, writing words backwards, writing letters out of order, writing is slow and laborious.

Caused by:

1. The dyslexic may have been disoriented when being taught how to form the letters or write the words.

2. So much instruction has been given that the dyslexic has multiple mental images of letters and words superimposed upon each other.

3. Inability to make certain lines such as diagonals and curves.

4. Mistakes and uncertainty cause stress leading to sore hands or arms.

Corrected by:

1. Dyslexics will be able to recognize when they are disoriented and will learn how to orient themselves.

2. Neural pathways will be opened and strengthened to perceive lines accurately.

3. Multiple images of superimposed letters will be replaced by one standard alphabet.

4. The dyslexic will be shown how to release stress in his/her pencil grip.

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Spelling

Symptoms:  Reversing letters, inconsistent spelling, mixing up "c" and "k"; "b", "p", "d" and "q"; "w" and "m"; "ph" and "f", etc.

Caused by:  

1. When disorientation occurs dyslexics can see the letters three-dimensionally as if they were free-floating in space.

2. Because of disorientations the dyslexic often doesn't see consistent spellings of the same word.

3. Although the dyslexic may know the spelling rules, one out of six words is phonetically irregular.

Corrected by:

1. Dyslexics will be able to recognize when they are disoriented and will learn how to orient themselves.

2. We show the dyslexic how to train their eyes to move from left to right familiarizing their brain with the letters of each word in their proper order.

3. Dyslexics will make the written word along with the clay picture they create.

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ADD

(Attention Deficit Disorder)

Symptoms:  Lack of concentration, tired in school or while reading, curious, easily distracted, impulsive, disorganized, often late, inconsistent (one day they can do something - the next day they can't), problems following instructions, don't plan ahead, unable to wait their turn, has difficulty forming/keeping relationships with others and they seem to not listen.*

* people with ADD do not show all of these symptoms, and may not show them consistently.

Caused by:

1. It is easy to "pay attention", but very difficult to "concentrate".  When people are paying attention, they are very aware of their entire surrounding environment.  When people are concentrating, all of their attention is fixed on one thing in their environment.  Heavy concentration produces rote learning and over-tiredness.

2. When those with ADD are disoriented their internal clock may speed up.  (This means that for every minute of actual time, they endure what seems like two minutes.)  It may also slow down, often making them late, as time seems to "fly by".

3. Boredom plays a large role because a dyslexic/ADD mind thinks in pictures (200 to 2,000 times faster than "verbal" thinking).  When bored one of two things will happen: 

   1. Disorient into creative imagination (daydreaming)

   2. Shift attention to something that is more interesting (distractibility or inattention)

4. Disorientation plays a large role in impulsivity, inconsistencies and disorganization.

Corrected by:

1. ADD clients will be able to recognize when they are disoriented and will learn how to orient themselves.

2. ADD clients will be able to control their natural distortion of time.

3. ADD clients will be shown how to use their gift to learn - making school more interesting and meaningful.

4. ADD clients will work through the meanings of order, time, and other relevant concepts in clay.

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ADHD

(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

Symptoms:  frequent inability to sit still, see also ADD symptoms above.

Caused by:

1. Their sense of balance and movement are distorted.  If they are sitting still when disorientation begins, they will have the sense of moving and imbalance.  If the student sits still long enough, motion sickness will set in.  If they start to move, the sensations reverse and they will feel as if they are sitting still.  Therefore, telling them to sit still brings about more motion. (This may explain why Ritalin^® and other stimulants work in reverse and seem to slow a person down.)

2. See also ADD symptoms

Corrected by:

1. Rocky Point Academy^® does not use drugs, or herbs, but rather gives the client control over disorientations and time sense. 

2. See also ADD symptoms

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Dyscalculia

(Problems with math)

Caused by:

1. Disorientation causes the dyscalculic to experience time inconsistently.  Without a sense of time, the understanding of sequence and order cannot be mastered.  These are the building blocks upon which all math is based.

2. If numbers and formulas are simply symbols, rather than real concepts, the math can only be learned through memorization - not understanding.

Corrected by:

1. Mastering the numerals in clay.

2. Mastering the concepts of time, sequence and order.

3. Understanding of mathematical functions will be achieved through hands-on activities.

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Dyspraxia

(Problems with coordination)

Caused by:

1. Disorientation - coordination is lost when triggered by immediate environment or symbols.

2. Inaccurate perception - coordination is generally off.

Corrected by:

1. Dyspraxics will be able to recognize when they are disoriented and will learn how to orient themselves to accurately perceive their environment.

2. Fine tuning: the dyspraxic will find their optimum orientation point so that perception will be accurate.

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Hearing

(sometimes called Auditory Processing Disorders)

(Problems with understanding verbal communication)

Caused by:

1. Disorientation can cause distorted volume or location of sound.

2. Words and sounds can be heard wrong when disoriented making it difficult to follow directions or accurately reproduce sounds.

Corrected by:

1. Dyslexics will be able to recognize when they are disoriented and will learn how to orient themselves to accurately perceive their environment.

2. Fine tuning: Auditory fine tuning will ensure the best possible neural-pathways will be used for listening.

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"DysMAPia"

(Problems with direction)

Symptoms:  Easily lost, left-right confusion, difficulty reading maps or finding places,  North-south-east-west confusions.

Caused by:

1. A dyslexic comprehends by picturing the meanings of words.  Words such as: left, right, up, down, north, south, etc.  aren't pictured and result in confusion.

2. When disoriented reading maps is very difficult.  It is also hard to orient oneself to "North", etc. 

Corrected by:

1. Dyslexics will make pictures for the confusing words using clay models which they will create.

2. Dyslexics will be able to recognize when they are disoriented and will learn how to orient themselves.

3. They will use clay to master the concept of direction.

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Nocturnal Enuresis

(Problems with bedwetting)

Symptoms:  Wetting the bed frequently after the age of 5, "dreams" they went to the bathroom and wakes up in a wet bed.

Caused by:

1. When a dyslexic disorients they perceive their imagination (dreams) as reality.  When they dream they have gone to the bathroom, they believe they actually are there.

Corrected by:

1. Dyslexics will be taught how to determine if they are dreaming or actually in the bathroom.

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We gladly accept:

Professional services described as Davis^®, Davis Dyslexia Correction^®, including Davis Symbol Mastery^®, Davis Orientation Counseling^®, and Davis Learning Strategies™ services may only be provided by persons who are trained and licensed through Davis Dyslexia Association International^®.