In 2003 Axel Gudmundsson, the founder of Gifted Dyslexic introduced the Davis methods in his native Iceland. Since then, over two hundred Icelandic people have been corrected and recently an informal survey showed some very satisfying results. Every single one of the clients that participated in the survey felt the programme delivered as promised, and they would not hesitate recommending the Davis programme to others.
88% had been diagnosed with dyslexia prior to a programme.
75% had tried other treatments before the Davis programme.
100% considered Davis programmes living up to expectations.
100% were happy with their decision to do a Davis programme.
80% reached all their stated goals for the programme – the remaining 20% had not completed the follow-up work at home.
100% experienced a positive change from the programme.
100% would recommend the programme to a third party.
In 2004 a couple of students in the Faculty of Education at the University of Akureyri in Iceland did a study of the effectiveness of the Davis methods, as their final dissertation for their B.Ed-diploma. Below is an abstract from that study:
Abstract
This piece of writing is composed as final dissertation for the degree of B.Ed. from the Faculty of Education at the University of Akureyri. The aim of the work is to seek theoretical knowledge on dyslexia as well as focusing particularly on the theories and methods of Ronald D. Davis. The work also includes details of a research project carried out by the authors with regard to the effect of Davis’s method when applied in the classroom.
Dyslexia has been a prominent topic of discussion in recent years, having stimulated debate among the public as well as among teachers with regard to the impact it may have on individuals. Many theories as to the causes of dyslexia have seen the light of day; scientists, however, have found it hard to agree on its definition, a problem which still remains to be solved. Some think dyslexia is caused by damage to the brain or its abnormal operation, while others, including Davis, maintain that dyslexics think differently, i.e. in pictorial images. He prefers to regard such thought as a special ability which, at the same time, causes problems to the dyslexic with regard to reading and writing. Davis’s methodology differs from previous explanations and this attracted the authors’ attention. For this reason, it was regarded as a matter of special interest to study the methodology in more detail and the dissertation contains the results of this study. The theories of a few other scientists are also outlined.
The outcome of the authors’ own research project is also presented. The project was conducted among teachers who have been trained in Davis’s method and have used it in the classroom. It was discovered that the teachers have a positive attitude towards the method, believing it to have a beneficial effect on the students’ concentration, classroom discipline and success in studies. As the sample was but a small one, however, and the method is quite new in Iceland, the conclusions of the project should be taken with a grain of salt and preferably regarded as indications that may give occasion to further research.