National Merit Scholar At Age 18

Table of Contents | Davis Dyslexia Correction Methods | Experiences With Davis Methods

Davis Orientation at age 11; National Merit Scholar at age 18

My name is Abigail Marshall, and I'm the webmaster for this site. I met Ron Davis and became a co-founder of the Davis Dyslexia Association International because of my experience with my son, Ethan.

At the age of 11, Ethan struggled with reading. He read at perhaps a 3rd or 4th grade level, but reading was a constant struggle. He read so poorly that sometimes he would ask his 5-year-old sister (an early reader) to read his text books to him. His could not write at all in cursive, and his printing was childish and clumsy. He was also extremely awkward physically, often tripping over his own feet. All homework was a battle - any sort of writing assignment was impossible, and he was deeply ashamed of what little work he could produce. There were constant fights and tears at home over completing writing assignments.

In 1994, I started working with Ethan from The Gift of Dyslexia. I did not believe that the methods would work. We tried Davis Orientation only because it seemed easy to do, and I didn't want to leave any stone unturned.

As soon as we did the first Orientation session, my son's attitude toward reading turned around and he wanted to try reading aloud. We picked a book written at about 5th grade level, and he began to read a chapter out loud to me. I immediately heard the difference; where his reading had been stumbling and halting before, he now read much more fluently.

He did hesitate over some of the trigger words, and I marked down which words caused problems as he read. I noticed that the words "you", "he", and "it" gave him the most trouble; also the word "up". I decided to work on pronouns and directional words first.

Right away, my son's attitude toward reading changed. Instead of hating books, he began to read avidly on his own. At first he started with short books geared to about 3rd grade level - his favorites were the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series. Within about 6-8 weeks he was reading comfortably at grade level (6th grade); by the following summer, he was reading novels geared to young adults. He began to read very long novels and series, such as "Lord of the Rings" and "The Once and Future King".

Sometimes Ethan became disoriented, and I observed first hand what a difference that made. He would stumble or become frustrated over a word, and I would say "check your point." Immediately his face would become more relaxed and he would read the word accurately.

At first writing remained a struggle, but after about 5-6 months, something just "clicked" and he started writing MORE than what the teacher asked for. Way more. An essay became a treatise, a short story became a "novel". I mean, since that time if a teacher asks for a 3 page paper, he will routinely turn in a 15 page paper.

When Ethan began high school he was a B+ student - he still did not care much about grades. In 10th grade, he became more motivated to succeed, and began getting all A's, and signed up for extra work so he could qualify for Honors credit in some courses.

In 11th grade, he took Advanced Placement English and earned A+ grades both semesters. He also took the PSAT & SATs that year, without any sort of accommodations. Because of his excellent grades and his high test scores, Ethan was named a National Merit Finalist and awarded a scholarship. He was the only student from his high school to receive this honor.

-Abigail Marshall, DDAI Webmaster