Research

People sometimes ask what research there is that can support our work.

First of all it has to be said that, as far as I can discover, there have been no comparative studies done to demonstrate the benefits of any one method over another and most research into the benefits of any method used to help dyslexics appears to have been commissioned and funded by the people providing the method.

However, though there has been no independent research into the benefits of the Davis® Programme, there has been research into Davis® methods.

Davis Learning Strategies

The Davis® Learning Strategies were set up so to provide more effective reading instruction in Kindergarten and first Grade, roughly equivalent to Reception and year 1 in the UK.

This link:

http://www.davislearn.com/research.htm

will allow you to see the initial research undertaken and also to look at reports from a Colorado School that has incorporated DLS into its curriculum.

The methods used are fundamentally the same as those used in a Davis® Correction Programme; these children have simply not yet developed problems that require correction.

René Engelbrecht 

For her PhD thesis René Engelbrecht researched the effect of the Davis® Methods on children in South Africa. Her results can be found here:

http://english.rene-engelbrecht.co.za/research/

Here again, the methods used were the same as in a Davis® Correction Programme.

The Rocky Point Academy

The Rocky Point Academy in Canada monitored the improvement in reading ability of all of their clients who had a Davis® Correction Programme. The results can be seen here.

http://www.rockypointacademy.com:80/statistics.htm

Independent research, not linked with Davis

It is increasingly possible to find high quality research, not undertaken either to prove or to disprove whether Davis® Methods are effective, as this article by Abigail Marshall demonstrates.