Dyslexia Programmes - Dyslexia Otago

Testimonials

See what others are experiencing

Success Story

One day you will tell your story of how you've overcome what you are going through now and it will become part of someone's survival guide.

Many clients describe their program as a journey – they learn much about themselves and why things have been the way they have been for them – giving them answers, understanding and relief. A correction program can be the answer to put them on the pathway forward – out of the shadow of shame and the stigma associated with dyslexia.

I would like to share a story from a client I worked with a few years ago – this is a perfect example of how a program can change someone’s life. Every program I deliver gives me that warm fuzzy moment in one way or another. I feel very privileged to be able to provide individuals with this opportunity to make a change for life. (This has been viewed and approved by the client himself)

A young man (whom I will refer to as L) came to me with his mother for a consult and assessment. Mum had concerns for some time and had started looking for options to help her son 2 years prior, but at that stage L wasn’t in a place to want help. L had struggled with school, life at home, life socially, and with life in general. He ended up in quite a dark place, becoming dependant on drugs and suffering from depression, to the point of requiring fulltime medication.

At the beginning of the consult, L was very subdued, visibly nervous, not smiling, and giving very limited answers. As we progressed, he opened up only slightly, but was ready and willing to begin a correction program. He was at an extremely low point in his life and as they were leaving my office that day, he told me he really didn’t care if he was t-boned at the end of the driveway – he didn’t care if he lived or not. I was very saddened by this, but totally committed to helping this young man turn things around.

On the first morning of his program, L arrive, visibly nervous, looking very unsure about it all, so much so that we worked on some of the tools from the program, to help him control his emotions before we even began anything. Treading gently and watching carefully to see how he was doing, we made inroads.

This young man had a life changing experience with his program. We had lots of emotions/frustrations to overcome, but he grabbed everything with both hands, and did everything he could with it. It was a real learning journey about himself, how his dyslexia had affected him, how he reacted to the difficulties it presented him and how he could overcome this and move forward.

By the end of the 1 week program, L had made an incredible transformation….. he was smiling, light-hearted, in control of himself and his emotions, full of life. There was a huge shift in his confidence and ability. He left my office beaming ready to take on the world. He left with a plan for tertiary study and one day hoping to facilitate dyslexia, to be able to help others, the way he had been helped.
I am extremely proud of L and the results he achieved, he did everything he could to utilise what I gave him. He had amazing outcomes and understanding from his program. This is just one of the many reasons why I love what I do.

L.A.

My experience with Davis Dyslexia has been amazing. I have been given the tools to orient myself and keep calm and functional in stressful situations. I’ve noticed a huge difference in my memory and confidence after getting my ADHD and dyslexia sorted out. Donna has been amazing and understanding. I would highly recommend Donna and this program to anyone.

L.P.

Our daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia and we were looking at ways to help her with the school work. We came across Donna Pennycook and the Davis Dyslexia program and liked the idea of the individual programs designed to meet the needs of each person and their style of learning. Our daughters reading comprehension and focus improved significantly when using the strategies shown to her by this program. She has also grown in confidence as she learns to master these skills and apply them in a variety of situations. We found Donna to e easy to work with, professional and she went above and beyond what was expected of her and would recommend Donna and the program to anyone who is looking for help with dyslexia.

Kristen Miller

Donna and the Davis Dyslexia program have given Tayler confidence and the tools to learn and cope with the stresses of the school classroom environment.

Donna has gone above and beyond to ensure that her students are coping in their daily lives living with dyslexia. She offers a stress-free, yet engaging tuition for her students.

I highly recommend the Davis Dyslexia program to anyone who struggles with dyslexia. Tayler has come through the program a much happier and confident young lady.

Tayler

My name is Tayler and I am 12yrs old.

When I was 7 my Mum took me to see Donna Pennycook at Otago Dyslexia.

I wasn’t enjoying school, I found it really hard to understand the teachers instructions and do my school work even though I tried really hard.

I felt different from the other kids.

Donna made me feel relaxed. She helped me understand dyslexia and that it wasn’t just me.

Donna taught me how to focus on what I was learning and gave me tools to help me learn my spelling words by working with clay. She also taught me how to relax so I could unwind and sleep at night.

I loved working with Donna and I hope anyone who is finding school hard goes and sees her.

She helped me so much.

Peter Gilder

I'd like to add a few words of support to Donna Pennycook and her business, Dyslexia Otago.

I had an employee who suffered from Dyslexia, he was a valued member of our staff and had the ability to participate and add more to the day to day running and administration of our dairy farming business but was not confident to do so.

A hard physical and practical worker Nathen lacked confidence, had difficulty staying focused, articulating his thoughts and wasn't comfortable in team meetings and the administration environment.

When I first approached Donna I was impressed by her enthusiasm, she was pleasant to deal with and outlined the expected results after the recommended sessions for this young man.

Nathen, while out of his comfort zone thrived in the well organised and thoughtful sessions with Donna.

The full results obviously weren't immediate but over time Nathen took ownership of his position and was much more comfortable and sensible in dealing with his colleagues. The program was very beneficial to him.

An aside, I happened to bump into Nathen on the street at the completion of his last session outside Donna's office, he embraced me and announced, after driving with a restricted licence for about 15 years he was going to make an appointment for his full licence, as he now had the confidence and ability to allow him to do so.

Take The First Step Towards Changing Your Life

Contact Donna Today