"ALL MY PICTURES SEEMED TO FADE TO BLACK AND WHITE"

*"DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME" 

My experience yesterday of the concept of experience was quite the experience. Vague, I know. 

Unique. Experience. 

Suddenly I found music painting an emotion for me. Like an impressionist artist at work forging nature, emotion, color, art and life all together as the brush strokes of art fall on the canvas. I tried the best I could to explain, but since we're each created differently, I can only tell you about my experience. I hope you'll understand. 

Walking {gingerly} back for chiropractic therapy today I noticed something {besides my back!} A painting. I must have passed down that hall for treatment dozens of times over, ah, years now!  

Anyway, the painting is a symbolic human spine floating horizontally. At first glimpse, out of the corner of my eye, all I could think of was a spiraling piano keyboard. Vertebrae replacing keys. Two hands hovering barely above the 'spine' ready to strike. It sung to me. I don't remember ever seeing the painting before, and I don't know why, but hey, I'm studying experience! And it was one!

Let me explain: other concepts proceed the Experience concept both in life and in the Davis program. I've had quite some time to think about this (both in life and in Davis programming!). But yesterday something changed. Music came into this process.

And Harmony.

Yes. Harmony. This post was supposed to be about something other than harmony. There were other things that were first on my mind to write about but suddenly it doesn't matter. Harmony seems to say it all.

Over the past few weeks the word harmony has played out in many conversations about working with both dyslexia and autism. It means a better focus. No more darkness.  Instead of trying to explain I'll leave you with these words:

*I can't light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life. 

Too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when I met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light 

Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, its always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free ...

         But see me once and see the way I feel...

But loosing everything is like the sun going down on me...

I can't begin to tell you how those words describe so many parts of my life. But as I'm working with the concepts of the Davis Identity program I've found a new light; a new harmony in life. There's more now than pictures fading into black and white. 

*Music by Elton John Words by Bernie Taupin

© 1974 Big Pig Music Limited

More than Just a Memory -it was an Experience!

Frustrating. That's it. Hugely frustrating dealing with stereo types and mis-perceptions that cloud the field of dyslexia. It's the closed mindedness that gets me; although the words uninformed, unwilling, emotionally linked, inflexible, lacking...could replace 'closed minded'.

Model of Experience: Survive as Changed

I was working on some concepts from our Identity Program when something frustrating came to mind.

Wait, let me explain more precisely. I was working on the concepts of Experience. Experience as in survive as changed, and working with how we experience Experience, like:

-at the point of an experience;
-when we cause an experience;
-how we observe an experience;
-at the effect of an experience;
-before an experience happens;
-watching someone else experience something;
these things were soaring through my mind and something hit me. 

No, not 'hit' me like flying through the air at me; 'hit' me like emotions flying out of thin air at me.

A memory soared out of nowhere.  A music memory. I've been a fan of Elton John's music since my early teens. His concerts were the first big-time concerts I attended when the Chicago Stadium was in it's hey-day. My mom was our chauffeur.

YOUR SONG, ELTON JOHN

Yes, I love Elton John's music and his piano playing sings to my heart.

I love piano in contemporary, modern, classical, jazz, you-name-it, music. (and I've always been in love with watching the hands of a great pianist work the keys!)  But today as the sound from those ebony & ivories of an Elton John song twinkled through my office-air they released my mind back in time. Sound. It drew me out of my personal space into an emotional cloud. [This also explains what we call disorientation, so I had to use my focusing tools, to get back on point, to write this!]

Once I was within that cloud, spiraling memories of my grandfather, my dad's dad, overtook me. Music. 

My grandfather was talented musically; he sang all day long while he worked. He was a kind and happy person. Here I was researching the placement of before, during and after for our Identity Program's concept of Experience, I experienced it myself. My mind drifted to the memory of my grandfather. I flew to wondering how he first experienced music, what was his first experience with a piano, how did music make him feel....

Sweet thoughts came so swiftly there was barely time for a "your emotions are taking over" kind of feeling.

Well, another Elton John song just began. At the first hint of that first note I knew exactly what song it was.

Beautiful. Memories.

*Love will grow, it comes and goes
Emotions can deceive you
Well this I vow, here and now
My love will never never never leave you

*Elton John music; Lyrics Gary Osbourne http://www.elyrics.net/read/e/elton-john-lyrics/memory-of-love-lyrics.html

Finally, I want to talk about a website I found today about music. The Music Empowers Foundation https://www.facebook.com/musicempowers.  Here's a site that wants all to know about the power behind the music.

I agree with them.

Does music empower you in the same way?

Getting Down to Earth About Dyslexia!

"Dyslexic employees are some of the smartest, most imaginative and highly motivated people in your workgroup -- and your company's management. Instead of penalizing them for written language deficiencies, profit from their special talents." -from dyslexia.com The Gift of Dyslexia*

Words of wisdom for this dyslexic want-to-be writer! With that said, may I ask forgiveness right upfront for any mangled sentence structures, strange spellings, punctuation errors, or other ways I manage to mess-up? Thanks!

In my last blog post I struck the claim to challenge myself to look for bigger and better ways to reach out in helping others in understanding dyslexia. So I decided to go to the source of it all, at least the source of it all for me ... I'm talking about the days of my youth, when I was the tender age of five years old.

<-- p="">Right here. Here's where my career as a dyslexic wan-a-be artist began. Of course I lived there many years ago back in 19?? ah, its been a while. It was different from today's map.

Let me explain.

When we first moved to Morris, Illinois, to our little neighborhood, only a few houses dotted the landscape. The area labeled 'clay pond' would probably been considered a marsh. Giant cattails and native plants surrounded the shallow water. I loved trudging through the grasses that shot up past my head; a bit swampy, it was, but I only remember pure heaven-ness in there.  Under my feet lie what really interested me, though.

Clay.

In that swampy-marsh one spring day I discovered a layer of clay soil just waiting for me. I was so inspired by the clay that I soon began molding bowls and ash trays and anything I could think of. (Neither of my parents ever smoked but those large, colored ash-trays were the rage back then.)

Clay.

It brought out the best in me. Before long I was holding class in the swamp gathering up the neighborhood kids for ash-tray-making instruction. We quickly formed and shaped our clay projects, not wanting to dawdle. The spring sunshine wouldn't last forever so I marched them quickly out to find drying spots while the sunshine was still bright and warm.

I must apologize to at least two of my neighbors, who remain Facebook friends today, because I've managed to draw right on top of your childhood homes.  Sorry! But I thank you for letting me lead you through those hours of clay-class we held back then.

This was a beginning for me in using my dyslexic talents in a visualization way of creation; even if it was only an old ash-tray that was never used for smoking! In fact, I'd long ago forgotten about this time in the swamp and it makes me a bit sad thinking that all of that creativeness didn't continue in my life in ways that I would have hoped for.

Okay, now that I've told you about one of my early formed 'talents'! what does that mean for the rest of you? Because if we want to help others understand more about dyslexia we have to talk about things that relate to people today. And not many of you are clay ash-tray makers, I'd venture to say.

So what about acknowledging the number of dyslexics in our present day workforce? I found this quote below, that outlines the extent of illiterate Americans:

*"Government statistics show 25,000,000 Americans--one in ten--are functionally illiterate. The primary cause is dyslexia or one of its many variations, such as ADD or dysgraphia.

So how do we translate these young childhood 'skills' and interests into ways that truly help the dyslexic population?

Any ideas?


*http://www.dyslexia.com/library/adultdys.htm

Have you heard?

Ron Davis and Cathy Cook in Columbia, Missouri

We hear the stories. You know the ones I'm talking about -the ones about great artists, the geniuses of the world; the inventors, athletes, actors, and all kinds of talented people. We flock to the movies they produce and star in; we devour the technology they market, and pay outrageous sums to acquire. Speaking of money, we pay premium dollar$ to watch them play with baseballs, basketballs, hockey pucks, footballs, soccer balls...; we wear the clothing they create and endorse; read the novels they write; eat the food they've invented, produced, sculpted, diced, tossed -you get the idea!

We love what the inventive, creative minds of this world have to offer us. To prove it, doesn't it just seem that the world is spinning around at an even faster pace as we produce newer and more highly improved computers, smartphones, phablets, and more, at an amazing rate of speed? 

People are as likely to be drawn to watching red carpet shots of these famous and talented people as they are to be learning about world happenings. 

Yet, these very same creative-types, if we could transport ourselves back in time, were the ones who often didn't make it in school.  They are the very ones who didn't learn to read. Who couldn't count coins. That struggled with math; who struggled to just talk, learn to ride a bike, tie their shoelaces... the list goes on and on. 

Why is it we idolize the material aspect of dyslexia yet when it comes to teaching these same kinds of learners in the school system, we want nothing to do with their creativity? 

Oh, we say we are doing everything necessary to help them. But that level of help only seems to go as far as we can comfortably fit it within our already in place learning system. 

So I'm challenging myself to look for bigger and better ways to reach out and help.  Suggestions? What can I do to help you?

Reading to Superheroes

Cathy at Midway Heights. Photo by Michele Spry

Reading. I love it. I read everything and anything in sight. Leave an old newspaper spread out on the floor, like for painting, and I'm totally distracted: I have to read it!

So the other day when I was going to be a guest reader at Midway Heights Elementary School to help my friend Michele Spry*, I got really excited.

They were celebrating superheroes and I'll admit that my first thought about the event was "Can I dress up like a superhero?"

But, as thoughts of a superhero costume and a superhero book filtered through my mind suddenly a different trail drifted by.  It began like this: what's the definition of a superhero?

Wikipedia says: A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a type of stock character possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers."
And: By most definitions, characters do not strictly require actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes...normally, superheroes use their powers to counter day-to-day crime.  

Counter day-to-day crime?
Crime stuff? Now that's what I'm talking about. Well, in this case we're using crime stuff as a play-on-words for a very difficult situation. But let me ask a question: Do you consider the act of reading to be a difficult type of case?

For many, reading is simply something they learned at an early age. It came naturally to them.  To others, the simple act of reading was anything but simple.  To another whole group of people, reading has not yet happened!

For about 20% of the population, learning how to read is in fact, a feat of stupendous, superhero-like proportions! And for those who have not yet learned how to read I think it is a crime that they have not learned! (And of course we're talking about people who are of at least school age!)

Superhero book!
Then as quickly as the dressing-up-like-a-superhero thought had come, it left; and the thought of which book should I would read, flew in to replace it.

Suddenly reading Patricia Polacco's books, Thank you, Mr. Falker and The Junkyard Wonders was in place to stay! Yes, these books, too, are about superheroes, though not the kind of superhero described by Wikipedia. Nor superheroes like Spiderman, Batman, Superman .... but real life superheroes.

Real life superhero as in a young girl who struggles to learn how to read. A young girl who, even once she does learn how to read, struggles with self-esteem and more.

So as I began reading I asked the kids if learning to read was hard. Almost everyone loudly said, "YES"! "It's still hard!" And I told them that to me, they are the superheroes when they do their best and keep working at the act of learning to read. Even when it's hard.

As the young 'superhero' in Ms. Polacco's story comes into her new special class for the first day of a brand new year, in a strange new school, the teacher comes into the room and begins reading in a no-nonsense voice:

"The definition of genius," 

"Genius is neither learned nor acquired.
It is knowing without experience.
It is risking without fear of failure. 
It is perception without touch. 
It is understanding without research.
It is certainty without proof.
It is ability without practice.
It is invention without limitations.
It is imagination without boundaries.
It is creativity without constraints.
It is ... extraordinary intelligence!"

"...write the definition..."
"Post it on your mirrors."
"Look at it everyday."
"Memorize it!"
"The definition describes every one of you!"

As I read to the young students at Midway Heights I wanted them to know they are superheroes when they learn to read.  Theirs may not be the superhero kind of genius identified with the likes of Einstein, Galileo, and da Vinci but each of them is truly unique in their own way.

*Read more about Michele: http://www.michelespry.com/book.php 

Link to Patricia Polacco: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/books/junkyard/index2.html

Mash This Up!

*mash-up magic; www.greggfraley.com 

Striving to rid ourselves of the causes of our mistakes, not curing our dyslexia, is one way to describe what I do. 

I often refer to the tools used in my programming as multi-dimensional.  These multi-dimensional tools, can help us achieve our goals.
In the end, the results can be that we feel better about ourselves, we learn how to read or improve our reading comprehension, or we're just able to maintain focus. 

Over the course of a 30-hour dyslexia correction program some of the tools we use are: 

Clay            (think modeling clay) 
Imagination (nothing to buy for this *tool*) 
Release        (Breathe in, count 1-2-3; Hold it, count 1-2-3; Blow out, count 1-2-3. Also free!).  
Oh, and while you're breathe in, picture or imagine yourself as just right. 

Mash-Up

Recently our Columbia, Missouri Chamber of Commerce held a day of events; it was our annual Business Showcase. While manning my booth that morning of the event I had lots of visitors, including one man. He was interested in my business OnPoint Learning, and my techniques. I happily answered his questions.

After several minutes of me monopolizing the conversation I managed to ask him what he did. 

"I'm going to be your speaker today at the Women's luncheon," Gregg Fraley politely answered.  
I probably turned a few shades of red, feeling a little silly that I'd stood there rattling on and on about myself, while in fact I was talking to the highlight of the afternoon luncheon! 

During the luncheon Gregg Fraley entertained us with clips of his techniques and descriptions of his creative problem solving methods for businesses. I couldn't help but take notice! But when he began describing his Mash-Up idea, I was fascinated! Quickly I saw a resemblance with our "Create-a-Word procedure.  

Create-a-word is a method we use in correcting program.  It's like the gate-keeper for the final half of the correction program; the combining of creativity and the world of precision in language. 

In Gregg Fraley's presentation two overlapping circles were presented ----Circle A, the other Circle B. (See the pictures at the top of today's blog.)

Circle A represents one idea. Circle B represents a different idea.  Creative ‘conceptual blending” mashes up or combines different concepts into one to make a new creation.

Don't just read my mash up of Gregg's ideas, read about it in his own words: http://www.greggfraley.com/blog/2012/06/06/32-opportunities-for-brilliant-mash-ups/

Dyslexia Correction Mash-Up 

Here's my version of Mash-Up for working with dyslexia: 

1.     Pick a challenge. Concept A.

2.     Pick another challenge. Concept B.

3.     Look for connections between Concept A & Concept B. 

4.     Morph these ideas into one idea. Magic. 

5.     Keep noodling, doodling and thinking.  Create something new.

Symbol Mastery

Here's our version of the world of Mash-Ups: http://www.symbolmastery.com/.  Whether it's Mash-Ups or Symbol Mastery we need to take our language from a verbal form to a three-dimensional form and make it easier for those of us who are visual-spatial learners. Its language (not always fun) Mash-Up and clay (always fun)!

So when we're using clay, imagination and release, in the end we're getting to the bottom of the issue with learning differences! Now we have the power to Create-a-(new) word, pronounce it anyway we want; spell our word anyway we want, and define it anyway we want!  We're using creativity and correcting dyslexia. 

What ideas can you come up with Mash-Up?

*Visit Gregg Fraley's blog @ http://kilnco.com/blog

Exercising a Visual Focus -Part 2

Photo courtesy of the Columbia Missourian 

"Exercising a Visual Focus": My last blog post left you with the image of my young five-year-old client rolling clay in his hands, while we were under the observation of a reporter and photographer from the Columbia Missourian Newspaper.

Not only did my client take charge of that piece of clay, he was also fully in charge of this Davis Young Learner's Reading Program that we were venturing upon.

At this point in the program my plan was to be working on Alphabet Mastery, but since I wasn't in charge here I had to just try and keep up!

Once he'd sufficiently formed the clay ball he moved on to shape another; this one a bit bigger. Look closely at the first picture and you'll notice he's placing clay on the desk. Slowly, over time, the clay balls began to line up. Although in which direction we were headed, I still had no inkling!

An Out Of This World Experience
When he started asking questions about Jupiter, Saturn's rings and the planets nearest to Earth my view of the planetary direction we were traveling began to open! ...which planet had the red rings? ...which planet had the most moons?

We traveled into the planetary world some more and I did my best to answer his questions along the way. You know, I was totally prepared to deliver a Davis Young Learner's Reading Program, but as an astronomy expert, I had not done my homework!

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars ... eventually we had a discussion about Pluto and the discovery it was a dwarf planet.

None of this was actually about terrestrial planets, moons, the rings of Saturn or clay balls, though. No. This five-year-old was using his personal approach of getting rid of disorientation.  Conquering confusion. Not confusion about the planets, either; about conquering the confusion surrounding language.

Getting To The Core Of The Matter
As his questioning moved on he nonchalantly reached over to pick up the clay-V from his alphabet still on the desk. Then he allowed the letter-V to straddle oh, so carefully the second 'planet' in his solar system. As that task was completed his energy waned.

"No, I'm not tired," were his exact words when I questioned if he needed a break. 

Now I knew what all of this had been about.  
It was about the letter-V; V, a symbol for the sound /vvv/. 
/Vvv/, as in the beginning sound of the word Venus. 
V 

Mission To Worlds Beyond!
As a Davis Facilitator I help clients discover what triggers their disorientation; what causes them to lose focus. Sometimes our missions travel to the far regions of the mind and worlds never before explored! Often, we're not the one in charge. Those can be the best kind of quests!

This astronomical brain work can be utterly EXHAUSTING!

When I again asked if he needed to rest here's what happened: his head bobbled, his body leaned to the right, his eyes fluttered. I asked if he'd like to lie down. Flash! He was instantly ASLEEP! 

I finished the session answering the final questions for the reporter and photographer (who did a great job watching this young genius work!)

For the next hour, in that exact spot, he slept. My attempts to help him lie down were met with resistance, so I left him to sleep there in that chair.

One last thing: Look at the picture of him sleeping.  See the largest figure next to the planets, near the bottom right corner of the picture? Later he told me that's an astronaut out there conquering LETTER V!

For Additional Information

Additional information on the sound of /v/:
In English, V is unusual in that it has not traditionally been doubled to indicate a short vowel, the way for example P is doubled to indicate the difference between 'super' and 'supper'. However, that is changing with newly coined words, such as 'divvy up' and 'skivvies'. --From Wikipedia.

More information about the Davis Young Learner's Reading Program visit: http://www.dyslexia.com/davisreading.htm

Exercising a Visual Focus with the Columbia Missourian

Photo courtesy of the Columbia Missourian 

"EXERCISING A VISUAL FOCUS" is the title of the Missourian's article, written by Marian McPherson that showcased OnPoint Learning Center last November. Ms. McPherson's article was well written, focused on the therapy and implementation of the Davis methods, and included an observation of me working with a client.

My client and I were at the point in the Davis Alphabet Mastery procedure, one of the initial phases of the Davis Young Learner's Reading Program, when the reporter and a Missourian photographer came into the office. My client and I had previously covered the tools for focus and controlling energy levels and had created the uppercase clay alphabet letters.

My agenda was set, based on the Davis programming, but unbeknownst to me, my client had his own agenda! We'd barely begun to work that morning when my five-year-old client asked for paper. So much for my agenda!


Paper
Oh so, simple of a request. I know.
But it was not.
In fact, asking for paper was the precise point, as the captain of the ship where I began to lose control!  

Per his request for paper, I opened the center drawer of my desk and rifled through the papers inside looking for one blank piece.  At this point, I'm still under the false impression that I'm in charge of this ship: after all I had a newspaper reporter, a photographer and a kindergarten client all depending on me! I managed to find a gently used piece of paper that filled the bill.

I offered my young client the paper and a pen.

"Okay," I thought to myself. "Where's he going with this?" On the outside I think I looked calm; on the inside, I clung to the hope I would know which direction this five year old was delving. I prayed I'd understand which way I should be steering this ship!

Photo courtesy of the Columbia Missourian

As his pen hit the paper my client was instantly absorbed into his writing. Anchored into this process of releasing a hidden message, words began streaming out on the paper.

He'd barely spoken since the newspaper crew had arrived, his energy level in an uncharted quiet, low realm.  Deep in thought does not totally describe what I saw.  Totally focused and deep in thought on an internal mission does.

I casually worked a small piece of clay in my hands as he worked the pen on the paper. I have no idea how long he was writing, probably about five minutes, but when he finished he handed me his work and waited for me to read it aloud.


The paper read:

"Common focus it is fun. Doing it with Koosh balls is fun!" -interpreted. 

Across the bottom of the page, was a series of drawings. Bottom right, is my client focusing with 'hands on shoulders'. In the middle, the two of us are doing the Koosh ball activity of throwing and catching the Koosh ball. Finally, the two of us focused.

"Okay, maybe now we can get back to the Alphabet Mastery, working with the uppercase clay letters," I thought.  And we came oh, so close to doing just that.


CLAY
But right before my eyes, my young client now totally in charge of this ship, begins to roll a small ball from his clay that we use in the therapy.  "We came so close to getting back to working with the clay letters!" I thought.

He silently rolled the three-quarter inch clay piece while I searched my brain for ideas.  But my need to steer this ship had long passed.  This five-year-old had it all under control now!

There's more to this story, come back soon and find out what happened!
In the meantime check our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OnPointLearningCenter!