Louise is known for her acting roles in Dr Who (“Leela”), Tenko, Bergerac and East Enders (“Rosa da Marco”).

Key theme threads:

•Dyslexia in celebrities’ children

•Dyslexia in young adults

•Achievements of a young dyslexic

•Effect of the Davis Methods on self-esteem and career prospects

Tom Jameson, now aged 23, is a dyslexic who struggled at school, soon falling behind his peers in most academic subjects.  He started to mess around – anything to avoid work.  However, in contrast to his frustration in the classroom, Tom was a natural sportsman and excelled on the field.  Therefore, as punishment for fooling around in the classroom, Tom was often reprimanded by being banned from sport.  Unsurprisingly, this bizarre form of punishment did nothing but further alienate Tom from his teachers and school.

Tom grappled with his exams at 16 and came out of school with minimal GCSEs.  Unhappy with the way his school life had been, Tom left education behind him and launched himself into the working world.  With the gift of the gab, Tom always got the job once he had made it to the interview stage but he found it difficult to settle and moved around a lot. 

Meanwhile, Tom’s brother, who also had dyslexia, had enrolled in a sports science degree.  He told Tom about a diploma in personal training, and Tom was intrigued but hesitant because of his lack of literacy skills.   It was about the same time that Tom’s mother and ex East Enders star, Louise Jameson, read Ron Davis’ book ‘The Gift of Dyslexia’.

“I discovered Tom’s dyslexia when he was about four years old,” said Louise.  “He was obviously bright but both my sons were not reaching their full potential. In both their cases, the attitude from previous tutors had been very traditional – much drilling and repetitive work – it was more a case of coping with dyslexia than utilising it.”

Having been recommended by a friend, Louise suggested that Tom, then aged 19, take a Davis Programme with Facilitator Richard Whitehead. He was sceptical after having had bad experiences with past tutors, but very early on during the course Tom realised this was different. 

When he began the course, he had a very negative perception of himself.  Richard helped him understand that dyslexia was not a negative ailment, but in fact the opposite - it was just another way of thinking and learning.  Most dyslexics are in fact visual thinkers and being a picture thinker brings many benefits: good problem solving skills; the ability to view imaginary objects in 3D, (many famous architects and engineers are dyslexic); they are highly intuitive, sensitive and empathetic, and are able to think visually and creatively at lightning speed.

Dyslexia obviously also has a down side. Picture thinking and the ability to move objects around in your head can blur the boundary between reality and imagination, often causing disorientation and confusion.  Certain words often trigger confusion more than others because they do not have any pictures associated with them. Richard encouraged Tom to model all the trigger words out of plasticine which helped him develop his understanding of the words and letters when he read them.

The results were incredible.  Tom was able to read much more fluently straight away and his self esteem rocketed. 

”Within a twenty-minute session I watched Tom’s handwriting improve beyond recognition – and it has stayed that way. Also, never before had Tom picked up a book to read for pleasure.  He reads regularly now,” said Louise.

Most impressively, Tom went on to do the Premier Diploma in personal training that his brother had already taken and told him about.  The course took place over four months and consisted of five days a week, eight hours a day.  He was able to focus much more now than at school, rather than immediately becoming anxious when faced with a lot of reading and writing.  He went on to pass the course and start his own business. 

“Everyone is a bit dyslexic, but it’s only in some people that it becomes a learning problem,” Tom said.  “The problem is that the education system tries to lump everybody with a learning difficulty into one class rather than teaching people what and how they need to be taught.”

“The good thing about the Davis method is that it can stimulate scholars and dyslexics at the same time because it’s all about improving self esteem, focusing your mind’s eye, and relaxation. What people have got to realise is that the words ‘try harder’ do nothing to help concentration levels.  If anything, it destroys them. The Davis Methods help you leave your ego behind and gives you the confidence to read more fluently.  The method is very client led, and everything Richard did was focused on my specific goals..”

- end -