When I first learned about Ron Davis’ story, it struck me deeply.
Ron was called “dummy” as a child. He didn’t speak until he was 17 and couldn’t read until he was 38. He carried labels like autistic, dyslexic, “retarded,” and “uneducable.” And for a long time, he believed them.
“I don’t like me,” he said.
“I wasn’t a real human being. I was a mistake that God made.”
As a parent or educator, you can imagine how heavy that feeling is, to live in a world that doesn’t seem to fit, that constantly tells you you’re wrong. But Ron’s story isn’t just about struggle; it’s about breakthrough, understanding, and possibility.
Dyslexia Is a Learning Difference
“It’s not the result of brain damage or nerve damage. Nor is it caused by a malformation of the brain, inner ear, or eyeballs. Dyslexia is a product of thought and a special way of reacting to the feeling of confusion.”
— Ronald D. Davis, The Gift of Dyslexia
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a learning difference. It can involve many types of language processing challenges, including reading, writing, spelling, math, focusing, and sometimes speaking.
At the root of dyslexia, ADD, and many other learning differences lies a unique, creative thinking style—a true gift. Dyslexics are primarily picture-thinkers, perceiving multi-dimensionally to create, problem-solve, and resolve confusion.
What Causes Dyslexia?
Dyslexics have a perceptual talent that is a gift in the truest sense—but it can also interfere with reading, writing, and attention.
Because reading ability is often linked with intelligence, dyslexics are frequently misunderstood. They are typically extremely bright individuals who struggle with fundamental skills like the alphabet. They may not test well in school, and their grades can be inconsistent.
Dyslexics are highly curious and insightful, creative, innovative, and often have vivid imaginations. While individual talents vary, dyslexics share common thought processes and strengths that can be nurtured.
When Learning Isn’t the Problem
Ron wanted desperately to learn. But letters on a page didn’t behave—they flipped, reversed, disappeared, or reappeared elsewhere.
Like many neurodivergent children, he found a way to make sense of the world that worked for him. He taught himself the alphabet by modeling letters out of mud—something he could touch, shape, and see in three dimensions. Real. Solid. Tangible.
The truth is, Ron wasn’t failing to learn. The problem was disorientation—a perceptual experience that made letters, sounds, and even social interactions unpredictable and overwhelming. His perceptual talent allowed him to find creative ways to make these experiences understandable.
The Moment Everything Changed
At 38, Ron discovered that he could turn off disorientation.
“The words on the bottom of the page were just as big as the ones on the top. There were spaces between the words, spaces between the letters.”
For the first time, letters held still. That day, he read an entire book — cover to cover — in one day.
More importantly, something shifted inside him:
“It was the first day of my life that I considered myself to be a real, whole human being.”
This is what many neurodivergent children need: not just tools or strategies, but a way to make sense of their perception and experience the world as stable, understandable, and safe.
The Missing Concepts
Ron’s breakthrough didn’t stop at reading. He realized that many struggles in autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences come from missing foundational concepts, not intelligence.
Some of the most important concepts include:
Change – understanding that things can change and still be safe
Time – grasping before, after, and now
Order – recognizing sequences and predictability
Consequence – connecting actions and outcomes
Self–knowing - where “I” ends and the world begins
When these concepts are unclear or unstable, the world can feel confusing or threatening. And learning, behavior, and communication can feel impossible.
When we help children and adults build these concepts experientially, creatively, and meaningfully, everything improves together. Not separately. The right support also helps perceptual talents thrive, turning challenges into unique strengths.
Why This Matters Across Labels
Many children I work with don’t have just one label. They might be autistic and dyslexic, or ADHD and dyscalculic, or all of the above.
Ron realized these aren’t separate problems. They share a common root: disorientation and missing foundational concepts.
The Davis approach addresses the root, not just the symptoms. When we build the concepts:
Autism: improves flexibility, emotional regulation, and social understanding
Dyslexia: reading, comprehension, and symbol processing become clearer
ADHD: focus, executive function, and impulse control improve
All at once. Together.
Lived Experience Matters
What makes Ron’s story so powerful is that he didn’t study these differences from the outside. He lived them.
He understood autism and dyslexia from the inside, not from clinical observation. And he spent decades helping others find clarity and understanding, not by changing who they are, but by assisting them to understand how they experience the world.
As a facilitator, I see this every day. When children and adults understand themselves, when their perception makes sense, they relax, learn, and thrive. They can harness their perceptual talents in ways that were previously inaccessible.
A Legacy That Continues
Ron co-founded the Reading Research Council Dyslexia Correction Center and later published The Gift of Dyslexia, leading to the creation of Davis Dyslexia Association International. Today, trained Davis facilitators support families and professionals in over 40 countries.
Ron may have retired, but his story and approach continue to guide how we help neurodivergent children and adults, from understanding perception to building foundational concepts, to unlocking potential that was always there.
Why Ron’s Story Matters to You
Ron Davis went from “dummy” to engineer, author, sculptor, inventor, and founder of a global movement.
If understanding perception could transform his life, imagine what it could do for your child, or for you.
Because the difference isn’t about labels. It’s about understanding how the world feels from the inside, harnessing perceptual talent, and learning to navigate it with clarity, safety, and confidence.
