With permission from Ronald D Davis. All Rights Reserved.
Behavior, Health Development and Personality
Appears bright, highly intelligent and articulate but unable to read, write or spell at grade level.
Labeled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, “not trying hard enough”, or “behaviour problem”.
Isn’t “behind enough” or “bad enough” to be helped in the school setting.
High in I.Q., yet may not test well academically. Tests well orally, but not written.
Feels dumb. Has poor self esteem. Hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies. Easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or testing.
Talented in art, drama, music, sports.
Trouble with writing or copying; pencil grip is unusual, handwriting varies or is illegible.
Clumsy, uncoordinated, poor at ball or team sports; difficulties with fine and/or gross motor skills and tasks; prone to motion-sickness. Can be bi-dexterous, and often confuses left/right, over/under.
Has difficulty telling time, managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks, or being on time.
Computing math mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing, building or engineering.
Seems to ‘Zone out’ or daydream often: gets lost easily or loses track of time.
Difficulty sustaining attention: seems “hyper” or “daydreamer.”
Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids.
Complains of dizziness, headaches or stomach aches while reading.
Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanation.
Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omission, substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.
Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing. Shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks; Knows answers, but can’t do it on paper.
Can count, but has difficulty counting objects and dealing with money.
Can do arithmetic, but fails word problems: cannot grasp algebra or higher math.
Excellent long term memory for experiences, locations and faces.
Poor memory for sequences, facts and information that has not been experienced.
Thinks primarily with images and feeling, not sound or words little internal dialogue).
Behavior, Health
Development and Personality
Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly.
Can be class clown, troublemaker or too .
Seems to have difficulty with vision, yet eye exams don’t reveal a problem.
Extremely keen sighted and observant, or lacks depth perception and peripheral vision.
Reads and rereads with little comprehension.\Spells phonetically and inconsistently.
Has extended hearing: hears things not said or apparent to other; easily distracted by sounds.
Difficulty putting thoughts into words speaks in halting phrases; leaves sentences incomplete stutters under stress; mispronounces long words, or transposes phrases, words, and syllables when speaking.
Had unusually early or late developmental stages( talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes).
Prone to ear infections; sensitive to foods, additives, and chemical products.
Can be an extra deep or light sleeper; bedwetting beyond appropriate age.
Unusually high or low tolerance for pain.
Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive, strives for perfection.
Mistakes and symptoms increase dramatically with confusion, time pressure, emotional stress, or poor health.
The Davis Dyslexia Correction Program helps people with these characteristics every day. The disabling aspects of Dyslexia are correctable and can be overcome.