How can I begin to thank you for the miraculous strides you have made with Nathan?
September 26, 2006 How can I begin to thank you for the miraculous strides you have made with Nathan? For the past two years, Nathan has struggled with reading and writing so much that he began hating school and learning. Doing homework everyday became a torturous event that we both dreaded. The frustration we felt, his from not being able to read things he should and mine from not knowing how to help him, engulfed us both and we began to take it out on each other. Finishing the homework only came after hours of work sometimes and many tears from us both. I studied with Nathan, I read to him, I had him tutored once a week by a reading specialist, and the school was having another tutor help him once a week, but nothing seemed to help. I felt like a failure as a parent, and worst of all, Nathan felt like a failure.
In fact, as time went on he regressed in his reading abilities. We have known since first grade that Nathan suffered from some form of learning disability like dyslexia. The diagnosis was the easy part, finding someone who knew a method to help him was the impossible part. The school could tell us what he couldn’t do and what his problems were, but no one had any concrete solutions besides the traditional ways of extra hard work and repetition. This kind of learning was what got us to this point of him hating school and having such a low self-esteem. Frustration and anger welled inside me toward the teachers and the school and the psychologists for not knowing how to help my child! Even as I write this, tears fill my eyes because I can still feel the pain and the helplessness we went through. When his teacher told us at the end of second grade that he was reading at a pre-primer level, I knew I had to do what felt right as a mother, a teacher and an educated person who had just read the Gift of Dyslexia. I went online to find out where the Davis Program was being offered and how soon we could do it.
When I first bought the book, I showed Nathan the title. Instead of reading “The Gift”, on the cover, he read, “The Fight”. This obviously cemented the dyslexia notion. I continued to read to him from one of the first pages a list of famous people who were dyslexic and read to him how these people were successful because of their disability, not in spite of it. From that moment forward, anytime he had a good idea or got an answer right, he would say it was because of his dyslexia and that he had a gift. It was amazing how the first couple of pages had already made a difference in Nathan’s self esteem. I finished the book and told my husband, “This is it!” It just described Nathan in so many ways and my gut said it was right.
I found your name online as a facilitator, Judith, and well, the rest is history! Against all recommendations from the teachers, director, psychologist not to do the program, we chose to go for it and came to see you in Israel. It felt right for Nathan. From the moment we stepped into your office, we knew that above all else, your positive attitude and energy, your eagerness, and your whole-hearted belief in the program would make a difference. Never did we expect it would be this big of a difference, though. Your faith in the program and in Nathan definitely was contagious. By the end of the week, when he read a passage from a book, I can still feel that moment of disbelief as tears filled my eyes and I realized that Nathan was reading. Nathan was reading! It was like a miracle! Not only was he reading, but he actually comprehended what he was reading. I continued for the next few weeks, scared to read with Nathan because I kept thinking this program would wear off and he would be reading the way he was before. I wondered when I would wake up from this dream and face the reality we had known for so long.
I never woke up! I am thrilled to say that it has been over three months and Nathan is still reading the way he did the day he left your program and better. His school was amazed and his teacher said she was actually glad we had gone against their recommendations. Everyone saw the improvement at school, but most importantly, Nathan felt the improvement. He still struggles with reading as fast as some of the kids in third grade, but to see him make more than a two-grade jump is more than I could have ever hoped for. He can read his favorite magazine in the bathtub, the questions on a quiz at school, and almost anything else that he wants to.
The techniques you have taught him to do not only carry over to reading, but to many other areas of his life. He has improved immensely on spelling. You taught him how to visualize a word so that when he comes home with his spelling pretest and fourteen out of fifteen are misspelled, he knows how to read through visualizing them. By the time Friday comes, he gets a hundred percent on his spelling test. He also uses you techniques of release and focus to help him in uncomfortable situations like on his first day of summer camp in Israel. He was alone in a place with all new kids and a language he didn’t speak, so he began to get upset. He stopped himself, remembered what you had taught him, and he was able to get himself back under control instead of being upset. I guarantee that no other program could encompass the areas you encompassed. No other program could have helped Nathan the way you helped Nathan. With all that you were going through in your personal life, we never once felt slighted and actually felt like part of your family.
The money for your program is nothing compared to what you have done for us. We would pay it ten fold again to get these results. We think of you often, every time Nathan reads a word I would have never thought he’d get, every time he visualizes his spelling word once and remembers it for the test and every time we see a koosh ball. You have brought the quality of life back to us so that we truly enjoy our homework time together in the afternoon. When I see Coby, Nathan’s younger brother, starting to struggle with the alphabet and basic words, I don’t have to live in fear anymore. I know you’re only a phone call away (and a long flight) and you will save Coby the way you have saved Nathan. Forever we will be grateful
With a million thanks,
Monique Eyal and family Florida Click to listen highlighted text! September 26, 2006 How can I begin to thank you for the miraculous strides you have made with Nathan? For the past two years, Nathan has struggled with reading and writing so much that he began hating school and learning. Doing homework everyday became a torturous event that we both dreaded. The frustration we felt, his from not being able to read things he should and mine from not knowing how to help him, engulfed us both and we began to take it out on each other. Finishing the homework only came after hours of work sometimes and many tears from us both. I studied with Nathan, I read to him, I had him tutored once a week by a reading specialist, and the school was having another tutor help him once a week, but nothing seemed to help. I felt like a failure as a parent, and worst of all, Nathan felt like a failure. In fact, as time went on he regressed in his reading abilities. We have known since first grade that Nathan suffered from some form of learning disability like dyslexia. The diagnosis was the easy part, finding someone who knew a method to help him was the impossible part. The school could tell us what he couldn’t do and what his problems were, but no one had any concrete solutions besides the traditional ways of extra hard work and repetition. This kind of learning was what got us to this point of him hating school and having such a low self-esteem. Frustration and anger welled inside me toward the teachers and the school and the psychologists for not knowing how to help my child! Even as I write this, tears fill my eyes because I can still feel the pain and the helplessness we went through. When his teacher told us at the end of second grade that he was reading at a pre-primer level, I knew I had to do what felt right as a mother, a teacher and an educated person who had just read the Gift of Dyslexia. I went online to find out where the Davis Program was being offered and how soon we could do it. When I first bought the book, I showed Nathan the title. Instead of reading “The Gift”, on the cover, he read, “The Fight”. This obviously cemented the dyslexia notion. I continued to read to him from one of the first pages a list of famous people who were dyslexic and read to him how these people were successful because of their disability, not in spite of it. From that moment forward, anytime he had a good idea or got an answer right, he would say it was because of his dyslexia and that he had a gift. It was amazing how the first couple of pages had already made a difference in Nathan’s self esteem. I finished the book and told my husband, “This is it!” It just described Nathan in so many ways and my gut said it was right. I found your name online as a facilitator, Judith, and well, the rest is history! Against all recommendations from the teachers, director, psychologist not to do the program, we chose to go for it and came to see you in Israel. It felt right for Nathan. From the moment we stepped into your office, we knew that above all else, your positive attitude and energy, your eagerness, and your whole-hearted belief in the program would make a difference. Never did we expect it would be this big of a difference, though. Your faith in the program and in Nathan definitely was contagious. By the end of the week, when he read a passage from a book, I can still feel that moment of disbelief as tears filled my eyes and I realized that Nathan was reading. Nathan was reading! It was like a miracle! Not only was he reading, but he actually comprehended what he was reading. I continued for the next few weeks, scared to read with Nathan because I kept thinking this program would wear off and he would be reading the way he was before. I wondered when I would wake up from this dream and face the reality we had known for so long. I never woke up! I am thrilled to say that it has been over three months and Nathan is still reading the way he did the day he left your program and better. His school was amazed and his teacher said she was actually glad we had gone against their recommendations. Everyone saw the improvement at school, but most importantly, Nathan felt the improvement. He still struggles with reading as fast as some of the kids in third grade, but to see him make more than a two-grade jump is more than I could have ever hoped for. He can read his favorite magazine in the bathtub, the questions on a quiz at school, and almost anything else that he wants to. The techniques you have taught him to do not only carry over to reading, but to many other areas of his life. He has improved immensely on spelling. You taught him how to visualize a word so that when he comes home with his spelling pretest and fourteen out of fifteen are misspelled, he knows how to read through visualizing them. By the time Friday comes, he gets a hundred percent on his spelling test. He also uses you techniques of release and focus to help him in uncomfortable situations like on his first day of summer camp in Israel. He was alone in a place with all new kids and a language he didn’t speak, so he began to get upset. He stopped himself, remembered what you had taught him, and he was able to get himself back under control instead of being upset. I guarantee that no other program could encompass the areas you encompassed. No other program could have helped Nathan the way you helped Nathan. With all that you were going through in your personal life, we never once felt slighted and actually felt like part of your family. The money for your program is nothing compared to what you have done for us. We would pay it ten fold again to get these results. We think of you often, every time Nathan reads a word I would have never thought he’d get, every time he visualizes his spelling word once and remembers it for the test and every time we see a koosh ball. You have brought the quality of life back to us so that we truly enjoy our homework time together in the afternoon. When I see Coby, Nathan’s younger brother, starting to struggle with the alphabet and basic words, I don’t have to live in fear anymore. I know you’re only a phone call away (and a long flight) and you will save Coby the way you have saved Nathan. Forever we will be grateful With a million thanks, Monique Eyal and family Florida Powered By GSpeech