have purchased this book because you
have refused to accept that the child is
incapable of overcoming his or her
disabilities.” (Davis, 2003, p xix) I

believe this statement is very relevant to the many parents, teachers and therapists who continue to search for alternate

in their care to read and write. The
reason they continue to search for new
strategies and understandings is that
these students have demonstrated

sophisticated intelligence in other areas. The reason my husband and I developed ReadOn software was because we

It is Thomas West’s (1997, p 20) belief “that dyslexics can be identified when very young –not by early

indication of problems but rather early
indication of unusual talents and gifts.”
Our daughter Hannah certainly fits
with this theory. At the age of three,

Hannah learnt to communicate in sign language with her profoundly hearing impaired friend. The ease with which

Dyslexics Discover Their Gifts....3 The Gift........................9 Ty’s Visit to “America’s County”....12 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words 13 Mirror, Mirror, in My Head........14 Famous Dyslexics Remember.......17 Small Events Can Lead to

In the Mail......................2 Book Reviews................10-11 Q&A.......................18-19 New Davis Licensees..........23-25 Davis Workshops............. 26-28

Some teenagers were discussing the
ways they handle questions in class that
they cannot answer. With a smile, one
boy said, “You know what I do? I raise
my hand.” Seeing the surprise that his
comment evoked, he elaborated, “It
works. If the teacher doesn’t call on
me, she thinks I know the answer. And
if she does call on me, I say, ‘Excuse
me. I didn’t hear the question.’ Of
course, she repeats the question. But
she never stays with the same student
for two turns. So she calls on some
other student and never realizes that I
didn’t know the answer.”

forces that exists in the teaching/learning setting. Ironically, it is a force that goes unrecognized by almost all teachers and parents. If teaching is to be successful, it is vital for adults to become aware of

Errors: The “Invisible”
800-Pound Gorilla Blocking
the Road to Learning

Laura Zink de Diaz, Alice Davis, Abigail Marshall & Maria Fagioli.DESIGN: Gideon Kramer.SUBSCRIPTIONS: one year $25 in US, add $5 in Canada; add $10 elsewhere.BACK ISSUES: send $8.00 to DDAI.SUBMISSIONS & LETTERS: We welcome letters, comments and articles. Mail to DDAI at the above address.VIA FAX: +1 (650) 692-7075

Casey Linwick-Rouzer, Davis
Facilitator in Sugar Land, Texas, heard
from a very pleased mom recently:

Matthew had a spelling test today. He
had 10 words all beginning with “re”
(rewrite, retry, etc.) He had to spell
them all correctly and he had to know
the meaning of each word. When we
sat down last night to review, Matthew
was only sure about a couple of the
words. So he decided that he would

was finished, he could spell each word
forwards and backwards and had a
visual meaning for each.

He took the test today and made
a 102%. For perfect spelling, all correct
definitions, and bonus points for
knowing the definition of “re.” It
was amazing.

Matthew’s grades are good: A’s
and high B’s. His math grades were all
A’s until this week when he made 59%
on a multiplication test. We’re going to
work on that, though. Anyway, I am
really proud of Matthew and I am
grateful to you for giving him a tool
that he can really use.

We saw another of your clients at
a football game. Matthew went up to
him, introduced himself and asked him
if he’d enjoyed your program. He said
he had and thought it was “cool” that
Matthew is dyslexic too! It’s all so
interesting!

We are going to be jumping into
multiplication with clay as soon as
possible - I am sure I will need some
guidance!

make a clay model for each of the
words using the definitions that the
teacher had given him, and do
Symbol Mastery on them. It took him
only an hour to do them all. When he

the cause of dyslexia correction. This
will result in the distribution of a
further 200,000 brochures. As $1.00
of the price of each bucket sold is
donated to the Charitable Trust, they
expect to raise $200,000.

In April, Cookie Munchers will
launch another fundraiser, in the form
of a Dyslexia Cookie. Starting April
23, 2007 the Dyslexia Cookie will be
available at a large number of food
and non-food retail businesses. This

New Zealand Cookie Icon
Helps Dyslexics Discover
Their Gifts

Guy and Suzanne Pope-Mayell,
with their son Shey. Founders of
Cookie Time, the Pope-Mayell’s
are the driving force behind the
Cookie Munchers Charitable Trust.

Already, the Dyslexia
Foundation of New Zealand (DFNZ)
has been established (www.dyslexia
foundation.org.nz). The mission of the
DFNZ, as expressed at its website is

as an alternate way of thinking. DFNZ
will also pressure our Ministry of
Education to accept visual-spatial
learning as a normal learning style and
address the needs of visual-spatial
thinkers in schools.

model of support and sponsorship
from a Trust is a world first. It may
well set the standard for other bodies
seeking to become involved on a deep
level. The Cookie Muncher Charitable
Trust has enabled us to disseminate
information about dyslexia and the
Davis method across the country on an
extremely cost effective basis. And it
has lifted DDAI’s profile enormously,
moving us from a niche provider to a
mainstream dyslexia solution.

Something good is in the oven in
Auckland, New Zealand, home of
DDA-Pacific which covers Australia,
New Zealand and the South Pacific.
Through its unique association with a
leading cookie company, DDA Pacific
has been able to lift the profile, not
only of dyslexia, but of Davis Dyslexia
Correction.

children who received wonderful,
meaningful programs from Lorna
Timms, licensed Davis Facilitator and
Workshop Presenter in Christchurch.

Motivated by their children’s experience, they established the Cookie Munchers Charitable Trust (CMCT) to support

Cookie Munchers Charitable Trust has
initiated a scholarship program to
provide Davis Correction Programs to
youngsters between the ages of 8 and
18 whose families could not otherwise
afford it.

out of reach have received scholarships
for the Davis Dyslexia Correction
Program. CMCT and DDA-Pacific are
involved in a number of other efforts
to spread the word about dyslexia and
the Davis method.

So far, 300,000 brochures about
dyslexia and the Davis method have
been sent to New Zealand schools,
libraries, medical professionals and
others. Since November, seventy-five
Christmas Cookie sellers have been

just raise funds
for scholarships – it will also spread
awareness.

This outdoor gallery will allow the
public to explore and experience
dyslexia through the stories and
real-life experiences of Ron Davis,
Mackenzie Thorpe (respected British
artist), John Britten (New Zealand icon
and designer of world-class motor-bike
designs) and Richard Taylor (winner
of the Oscar for Special Effects in the