It has been long enough that I can say the Davis® Dyslexia  system WORKS! From my past training , I was afraid of reverting back after a short periond of time. there is no question in my mind now that you have changed my life. I can read.

I would recommend this training to anyone who is dyslexic.

Newell (Adult Client)

Thank you! You have changed our lives!

My daughter went to your class in February 2000. She was getting so hard to work with and she was so negative. She had very low self-esteem.

After attending your training, she has been a new person.  Not only is she a happy person, but she has done outstanding in school.  She has been on the honor roll every quarter since.

Thank you, Jamie

We have been so amazed at the difference the Davis® Program has made in our son.  During his time in elementary school, we were often told that he had significant problems both behaviorally and socially.  Teachers and counselors regularly advised us to have him evaluated and put on medication "for his own good."  Because our son is so creatively and academically gifted, we were extremely reluctant to follow that course of action and began looking for alternative solutions.  We came across Innovative Learning Professionals in the Yellow Pages and were thrilled to find that a program existed that would equip our son to manage his unique personality without the use of medications.

We knew that we had come to the right place during our initial consultation. We felt that we were meeting people who understood and accepted children who operated "outside the box" and for the first time, we saw our son being treated as a person and not a problem.  After a thorough and impartial evaluation at Innovative Learning, we were presented with a complete and detailed assessment report identifying specific strengths and weaknesses as well as presenting a variety of treatment options.  After reviewing these options, we chose to have our son complete the week-long intensive Davis® Program.

By the end of the week, we had seen an amazing difference in his ability to control his reactions and behavior. His teachers also commented about the dramatic change upon his return to school.  In the months since the Davis® Program, we have continued to see progress, while understanding that putting these tools into practice on a consistent basis will take time for him to master.  He has transitioned will into junior high and is continuing to improve in his ability yo maintain control of himself and his actions.

We have no doubt that his participation in the Davis® Program has made a major impact not only on him, but on our entire family.  We are truly appreciative of the support, encouragement and expertise of the staff at Innovative Learning and recommend this program wholeheartedly.

William and Lisa Sargent

"What do I do?  Where can I go?" Those were questions I had regarding my son and family. He had been labeled by the experts as a severe dyslexic, ADD, dysnomic.  Their recommendation was to give him more medication. He was 11 years old and displaying anger and frustration towards his siblings and teachers. I was being called to the principal's office almost daily as a parent just before his Davis® counseling. This wasn't the path we wanted for our child.

At the beginning of 6th grade he read at the first grade level.  This was after summers full of tutoring with specialized reading teachers.  It was after intense one on one phonics instruction through the school.  It was obvious, the school did not know what to do except TRADITION. It didn't matter that traditional methods weren't reaching him.  There were various excuses.  "He just isn't paying attention."  "Well, that teacher wasn't very good, that's why she was asked to leave." One good intentioned teacher told me, "Just accept what he is."  However another good intentioned teacher said, "Get him help.  The school will never be able to help him." Of course she made sure she told me this outside of the school building in a secluded spot. 

Does any of this sound familiar to any of you reading this? However, our story changes here.  It isn't a TRADITIONAL story. On my quest as a parent, I did my master's research on the visual-spatial learner. The Gifted Development Center in Denver, Colorado had a book they recommended, The Gift of Dyslexia. It wasn't traditional.  It was a path unlike any we had previously taken or seen.  It led us to Mary Kay Frasier at Innovative Learning in Des Moines, Iowa.

On our first day, I begged my son, "Please listen to her and do what she asks.  This will work. Please try it."  Quite honestly, when I picked my son up on Monday afternoon, both he and his dyslexia counselor looked battle worn.  What they had been through that day hadn't been easy.  By Tuesday noon, he said to me, "This feels good.  I like it." Oh yes!  Thank you God!

In 30 hours of one on one instruction with his Davis® Dyslexia Counselor, he went from a first grade reading level to third grade.  He no longer takes Ritalin for focusing his attention.  After returning to school he was dismissed from speech.  The speech instructor said she had never seen such a turn around in ability before. As far as our family life, after one day back at home, his older sister said to me, "What happened?  He is so nice." He was.  He had the friendly, loving temperament similar to when he was 5 years old.  I don't mean that he acted like a 5 year old, but that he was so much more relaxed and at ease with himself. It was unbelievable.  It was very noticeable to anyone who new him well. We had almost lost that child. Through I Learn and Mary Kay we felt we had found our son and success.

I 'd like to say the school embraced this change.  However, the administrators at the time were very skeptical and in fact called the process voo-doo.  He didn't receive quality support from the school for six months until moving on to junior high where he had a very supportive teacher, principal, and administrator. They have been the second key to his success. His reading teacher implemented some of the Davis® techniques into her classroom for all of her reading students.  He now had some daily support.

After 3 years since his initial visit to I Learn I can tell you it has been a success. It wasn't all over night, it wasn't always in the areas I expected, it wasn't always a simple process to have quality support, and it always hasn't been something you could measure. However, just last week (10/02) we finally have something measurable.  In the State of Illinois there is standards testing given throughout a student's educational experience.  The Reading test is given in the 5th grade and 8th grade year. In 5th grade, our son did not even take the Reading test, because it was well documented he read at the first grade level.  It was unfair to test him at the 5th grade level.  In the spring of 8th grade he took his first state required Reading Test.  His score. . . 1 point away from meets the state's expectation.  His score was 151 out of 200. This was absolutely unheard of and unprecedented to have that type of improvement in reading ability.  It wasn't TRADITIONAL.  To he. .  with tradition, how was this country founded and developed.  We chose our path and we're thankful.

Dear Mary Kay and Aaron:

I just wanted to let you know that my son has done remarkably well in school since he completed the Davis® Dyslexia Program at your office.  His ability to pay attention in school increased dramatically, and his reading and math scores went up significantly.  The teacher said his improvement in school this year was WAY ABOVE the normal improvement typically seen in third grade. 

Not only did I get this message from his school teacher, but also his religion teacher who teaches him once a week on Monday nights.  She had never taught him before and did not know we were concerned with attention issues or academic performance.  She came up to me at church and said she noticed a dramatic improvement in my son’s ability to pay attention in class since the fall of last year.  He completed the Davis® program the last week of October. 

All of his attention and academic improvement jumps happened after he completed the Davis®

program.  I really do believe the program worked for him.   Thanks for being positive and supportive the past year.  I will recommend your programs to others struggling with academic and attention issues with their children.

Mrs. H K