Lynn Chigounis has been a licensed Davis® Facilitator for 23 years. Her business, New Perspectives In Learning — Solutions for Dyslexia, ADD, and ADHD, is located in Montclair, New Jersey. Lynn has seen many of her former clients soar to success years after a Davis Program, that it inspires her to continue helping neurodivergent individuals pave the road for success with the Davis Methods.
Lynn says working with children and adults of all ages never gets old. In fact, every client throughout the years has taught her something new about the dyslexic thinking style. “Not every picture-thinker is the same, just like not every neurotypical person is the same, however, their creativity and quick-thinking ideas never cease to amaze me. Especially the younger ones, like Caroline, they come up with some of the most creative ways to use their tools, and apply the Davis techniques.”
Eight-year old Caroline was one of those memorable, fast, creative, picture-thinkers who took the Davis® Mastery for Dyslexia program with me. After giving her the Dial, the Davis tool to gauge your own energy level and change it to match your task or surroundings, we talked about setting it for going to sleep at night. Having had trouble falling asleep, she had an idea: “I know… I’ll put everything I’m thinking about on a different stage, and then close the curtain on each one before I go to sleep.” What a brilliant idea! … Fast forward, little Caroline is now 30 years old, and last I heard she was a set and costume designer for a local theater.
Dyslexics may share some symptoms and characteristics, but the way their mind processes information is unique, just like their interests and talents. I’ve found that when we give them the ability to understand that, and the tools to control when their mind drifts off or gets disoriented, they gain confidence and have the ability to soar!
What keeps me going is to see the immediate results in my clients’ abilities when they use their Davis tools. When getting focused and feeling calmer becomes a simple task, reading often improves 1-2 grade levels by the end of the week we work together, and I always see increased confidence and self-esteem.
I love hearing from former clients years later and learning what they’ve been up to. I recently heard from a parent of a former client and was delighted to hear of her son’s success.
Jack did a Davis® Mastery for Dyslexia program with me 15 years ago when he was just seven years old. He graduated this spring from college with a 3.91 GPA, and is going to Boston University School of Law in the fall, on a full tuition scholarship! His mother said he loves reading, and that I was integral to his success, the program we did with you was the first step. We laughed about his ride home from the first day with me. His mother said he read a sign on the way home for the first time, laughing in the back seat, “Babies R Us!”
“His mother said he loves reading, and that I was integral to his success, the program we did with you was the first step.”
Solving the problems of dyslexia is easy once you know what’s going on under the surface and work with their strengths, instead of focusing on the weaknesses. Davis tools break down the barriers, and empower the individual with tools for success, and for life. What can be better than that!?
Lynn Chigounis is a licensed Davis® Facilitator, and founder of New Perspectives In Learning. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and history, and Teachers Certifications in Social Studies K-12 and Elementary Education. Lynn had been an elementary and middle school classroom teacher for 16 years, and also served as an Enrichment teacher working one-on-one and in small groups with students struggling to learn.