I never thought I would be writing this statement, but my dyslexic son doesn’t seem to be dyslexic anymore! The symptoms have all disappeared. After all I’ve read on the subject of learning difficulties, this was not supposed to happen!
When Jeremie was near the end of Grade 2, he was diagnosed as being dyslexic. He had been struggling in school since kindergarten. His tests showed an average intelligence but he couldn’t learn to read and write like all his friends. This took a big toll on his self-esteem and I watched my little boy go from a happy, secure child to a depressed, insecure one.
I began my search for something to help him there and then. I swore to him and myself that I wouldn’t give up until I had found a way to help him learn easier. I just couldn’t believe that there was no hope, that he would always struggle with anything related to words on paper. That is what my research told me over and over for 2 years.
We tried the special ed. teachers in school using various methods, Orton-Gillingham among others. Nothing. The school kept telling me they wanted to hold him back, have him repeat his year in Grade 2 and 3. I figured if he didn’t get it the first time around, what did they think was going to happen the second time? They needed to change the way they taught him, not the other way around. I was very dissatisfied with the results. They agreed to let him pass with a promise from me to work with him through the summers. We tried The Davis method as laid out in Ron Davis’s bookThe Gift of Dyslexia for 7 months, we tried visual therapy for 8 months. With each method we lost precious time as Jeremie still struggled in school, getting 40 or 45 in reading and writing. He was spiralling downward and thought he was very stupid indeed.
Then, when I was getting pretty much fed up with methods promising results but not delivering them, I was told about Audiblox. I call it… destiny. I was sent a video that showed children benefiting from this method. I was told how it was discovered. I was still sceptical until I was shown The Right to Read in its manuscript form. I was amazed at how well researched this book was and that it discussed everything I’ve been reading for the past 2 years while researching. It answered many questions and just made so much sense! I decided to give Audiblox a try.
The staff supported me every step of the way. Something I was not used to, getting personal attention made us feel that we were important, not just another ‘customer’.
We began near the end of Grade 4. After only 3 weeks, Jeremie began to show progress. His concentration improved and he became organised. As we went along, doing Audiblox every day for half an hour, he went through various changes. Changes in his thought pattern. The base for learning had never been prepared and that was what was missing, why he wasn’t learning anything new, since he never grasped the basics in the first place. After a few months he began internalising his thoughts, no longer needing to repeat everything out loud in order to remember. His sense of direction improved dramatically. He used to get lost just walking to a friend’s house a few blocks away. Now he became aware of East, West, North and South. His drawings improved. He was adding detail, no longer just drawing stick men with no faces! And of course, his reading and reading comprehension improved over the next few months.
It has been 10 months since we first began Audiblox. Jeremie is 11 years old now and nearing the end of Grade 5. I just received his report card where he got a 75 in reading and a 72 in writing. This is phenomenal for a so-called dyslexic who used to average in the 40’s! He recently told me that he no longer gets a stomach ache when he reads. He can now read for an unlimited time period whereas before he could only go for 5 minutes or so. He is improving all the time and his self-confidence is back up where it should be, he feels great!
I have spoken to a few parents who have gone through what I have, decided to try Audiblox also and they are beginning to see results too. There are 2 in Canada who have been doing Audiblox for a few months now seeing the same improvements in concentration as we did. There are a few in the US, one in particular has been doing the program for about 4 months and has had astounding results, their daughter has improved dramatically in all areas.
I promised myself that if I ever found something that worked I would tell every person I could about it, so that they won’t have to waste years and years searching for a way. The people involved with Jeremie’s education are beginning to sit up and take notice, they are as astounded as I am with the results.
Jeremie and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your hard work in putting this method together; without it we would still be shedding tears and Jeremie’s future would be less promising.
Laura Trudel
Canada
Laura Trudel Jeremie's mother
