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Davis® Dyslexia Correction- Research Overview
The Davis Dyslexia Correction program was developed by Ronald Dell Davis from independent experimentation and research, beginning in the early 1980's. Davis, who was himself severely dyslexic, had discovered a simple mental technique that radically improved his ability to focus on print. Through clinical experience working with dyslexic adults and children, Davis and his colleagues improved and refined the methods over time. In 1994, after working with more than 1,000 clients, Davis published the first edition of The Gift of Dyslexia, detailing his methods and the theory behind them. Since that time, hundreds of professionals have received advanced training in Davis methods, and licensed Davis Facilitators have collectively worked with more than 20,000 clients.
The results of a long term study called "The Effect of the Davis Learning Strategies on First Grade Word Recognition and Subsequent Special Education Referrals" coauthored by T.F. McLaughlin, Ph.D. (Gonzaga University), was published in the journal "Reading Improvement" in August, 2001. An abstract and links to the full text article is available here:
Researchers at AI-zahra University in Iran compared the progress of two randomly selected fourth grade students from a learning disabilities center with two matched controls, who continued to receive the standard instruction at the center. The students received instruction for three months, using Davis Orientation Counseling and Davis Symbol Mastery as described in The Gift of Dyslexia. Testing showed signnificant improvement in reading skills of students receiving the Davis-based instruction. A report was published in Spring, 2005, in the Iranian journal, "New Thoughts on Education." An abstract is available here:
South African educator René Engelbrecht worked with a group of 20 Afrikaans-speaking pupils in grade 5-7 from a school for learners with special needs, to study the impact of the Davis program in a controlled setting. Her report, "The effect of the Ron Davis programme on the reading ability and psychological functioning of children", is available on her web site:
Jennifer Poole, Ph.D, conducted a comprehensive study of 14 different methods for dyslexia, including Davis methods, and published her results in the book, "Decoding Dyslexia" ( Matador, 2008; ISBN 978-1906510510). She concluded that the key element for a successful approach to dyslexia was to resolve disorientation. She noted that the Davis method was the only approach that used the "orientation" terminology and was expressly based on recognizing and addressing disorientation.
Maria Serrano, Ph.D, determined that a clay modeling approach adapted from Davis Symbol Mastery was more effective than other study methods among college students for learning words representing new concepts in a foreign language. The study, completed in 2003, was entitled 3-D Clay Modeling Instruction: A Pathway to Spatial Concept Formation in Second Language Learners. This work is also discussed in the chapter, "Materializing linguistic concepts through 3-D clay modeling" in the book Sociocultural Theory and the Teaching of Second Languages, by James P. Lantolf and Matthew E. Poehner. [Equinox 2008; ISBN 978-1845532505]
There are several case studies about Davis methods, conducted under the auspices of the UK Department of Education and Skills, along with a descriptive overview:
The New Zealand Ministry of Education conducted a review of all available literature and issued a report that includes a good chart comparing various methods, including Davis Dyslexia Correction. (The chart can be found at pagee 41-51 of the report):
Lawrence and Stacey Smith, Davis Dyslexia Correction providers in Calgary, Canada, have recorded statistical information on the progress of 450 consecutive clients, ages 6-60, and presented it in graphical format. Their charts show that 57% of the clients increased word recognition skills by at least 4 grade levels during the one-week program. Another 36% experienced a 2 or 3 grade level increase.
Wes Sole, a Davis provider from London, Ontario (now retired), prepared a detailed report of program outcomes taken from 21 Davis clients, broken down by gender, age, and type of reading skill. He found the greatest degree of improvement in oral reading skills, with 71% of clients improving one or more grade levels during the one-week program.
Many anecdotal reports concerning Davis Methods have been published in the media, often based on journalist's interviews with adults or children who have completed the Davis program.
Many individuals have reported their success with Davis methods. Some examples may be viewed on YouTube:
