“The Davis® method gave us clarity where nothing else had. It explained both the struggles and the strengths. That changed everything.” — Dolores Gage
Dolores Gage’s son was nine years old when he came home from school and asked, “Mama, why can’t I make friends like everyone else?”
Behind his question lay a painful daily reality: bullying, exclusion, and mounting frustration over his struggles with reading, math, and attention.
Despite ongoing conversations with teachers, nothing changed. Instead, the labels began to pile up—“lazy,” “stupid,” “weirdo.”
They crushed his self-worth. Eventually, he hit a breaking point.
“If next year is like this, I’ll kill myself,” he confided one night.
Dolores knew too well where this could lead. Her own brother—brilliant and sensitive—had taken the same tragic path years earlier.
Dolores, a seasoned educator with an MA in International Education, was no stranger to learning theory. But even with her training, the conventional labels—dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD—only added to her confusion. They described symptoms without explaining the cause. They focused on deficits and disorders, not strengths. And they offered little insight into the overlap between conditions or why children who struggled so much could also be unusually creative, intuitive, and resilient.
“The system could tell us what our son couldn’t do. But no one could tell us why—or how to help him.”
This is the hidden human cost of misunderstanding neurodiversity: children internalize the belief that they are broken, families live in fear, and tragically, some never make it through. Some—like Dolores’s brother, a creative and sensitive neurodivergent young man—don’t survive the pressure. Suicide is now the leading cause of death for people under 35. But the harms go beyond school failure and mental health challenges. When low self-esteem takes root, it can significantly increase the risk of turning to addiction and crime—studies suggest that between 50% and 80% of incarcerated individuals have learning difficulties. Misunderstanding neurodiversity doesn’t just limit potential—it endangers lives.
Hope came from an unexpected source: The Gift of Dyslexia by Ron Davis.
Unlike anything else, it offered a framework that explained her son’s challenges and his gifts.
Ron Davis himself was labeled “uneducatably retarded.” Autistic and severely dyslexic, he didn’t learn to speak until 17—or read until 38. But through intense self-observation, he uncovered the root causes of his struggles and pioneered a method that has since helped individuals worldwide.
At the heart of the Davis® approach is an understanding of three key traits common to many neurodivergent individuals:
The Davis® method reveals that disorientation is the root cause of both dyslexia and ADHD—but the triggers differ:
“Living with disorientation is like watching two movies at once and understanding neither.”
Traditional strategies overlook this mechanism entirely.
With Davis® tools and insights, Dolores’s son learned to manage his disorientation, control his perceptions, and build a stronger understanding of core life concepts.
The transformation was profound:
“We got our child back—and a whole new understanding of who he really was.”
Dolores went on to train as a Davis® facilitator, and now dedicates herself to helping individuals of all ages unlock the same potential.
The Davis® method doesn’t just offer techniques—it provides clarity, empowerment, and a new perspective on neurodivergence.
This is NEWrodiversity: a strengths-based framework that explains the why, not just the what—and offers real solutions.
“The traditional approach costs lives. Davis® offers unique insights, hope, and solutions that work.”
Dolores’s full story is featured in the newly released book:
The Perfectly Imperfect Family: Real Solutions for Mindful Parents Navigating Today’s Biggest Challenges
A brand-new book launch featuring practical guidance for navigating parenting and neurodiversity.
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If you or someone you love is struggling with neurodivergent challenges, you don’t have to walk this road alone.
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Every brilliant mind deserves to be understood.