Quest Within
Alyssa Lewis got held back in the fifth grade. She was struggling in school, so her
parents and the school decided to have her tested for a learning disability. All
were shocked when the results came back. According to the test, Alyssa was mentally
retarded.
This was very hard news for Alyssa and her family. She was in the sixth grade,
and was only reading at a third grade level. Alyssa‘s self esteem was at an all time
low. She used to end every sentence with either “I‘m dumb“ or “I‘m stupid“, but she
and her parents also knew that she was not mentally retarded.
Her parents, Jonell and Ben, were frustrated with the results, so they decided
to home school their daughter. That’s when it became apparent that something was
wrong.
“I remember trying to read a paragraph that Alyssa had written,” recalled her
mother. “It made no sense. However, when Alyssa took it and read it to me it made
perfect sense.”
Alyssa’s mom immediately went to the internet to try and figure out what was
wrong with her daughter. That’s when she fell upon Lesa Hall’s program at Reading
Quest.
It was two and a half years ago when Hall first met with the Lewis family. Hall
interviewed the family and determined she could help Alyssa. On the first day, she
tested Alyssa, and sure enough, she was only reading at a third grade level.
There are skeptics out there, but the Lewis family had spent two years trying
to figure out how to help their daughter. It seemed nobody had the answer. That is
until they met Hall; who was the first person out of twelve hopefuls to say that she
could help their daughter.
Hall explained that there are 219 words in the English language that cause
confusion. When a certain word comes up in a sentence it causes confusion for some.
She founded Reading Quest Learning Center in May of 2006. She holds a B.S. in
Education from Georgia Southern University and spent 15 years as a school teacher
prior to her founding Reading Quest.
By Alyssa’s second day, she tested at a miraculous eighth grade level. Seemed
impossible at the time, but the program Hall uses has been successful over and over
again.
Reading Quest offers an alternative to drugs and medications. Many kids are
misdiagnosed, and are put on medications. At Reading Quest, Hall is certified and
trained to use methods to address learning styles of children and adults with
ADD/ADHD or dyslexia.
The program is based on the Davis Dyslexia Correction Program. In 1980, at age
38, Ron Davis overcame his own severe dyslexia when he found a way to quickly
eliminate common perceptual distortions. For the first time in his life, he could
read and enjoy a book without struggling. After independent clinical research and
working with experts in many fields, Ron Davis perfected his program for correcting
dyslexia in adults and children.
“Many people think dyslexia is a disease,” said Hall. “But it is not. Dyslexic
people are visual, they think in pictures and have trouble with words and
punctuation.”
Two of the most commonly confused words are “the” and “a”, according to Lewis.
So what the program gives students an opportunity to think with symbols and words.
First they look up the definition of the word. Then, using clay, the student makes
the letters, numerals or punctuation marks to make sure they have an accurate
perception of these symbols. Then they make up sentences with the symbols they are
struggling with. After that, they mold a three dimensional model of the meaning of
the word as they see it.
By the fourth day of the program, Alyssa wrote a paragraph that her mother
could read and understand. It was almost too good to be true, according to Jonell.
“You can’t put a price tag on this program,” says Jonell.
The five day intensive program opened many doors for Alyssa. “Before the
program, I had never read a book cover to cover,” she exclaimed. “Since I have read
five more books.”
Alyssa is now 14 years old, and reading at a tenth grade level. After two years
of heartache and personal struggle, Alyssa and her family were back on track thanks
to Hall’s Reading Quest Program.
“The program is set up to identify the root of the problem on the first day,”
says Hall. “Then we give the student a way to turn off the confusion and
disorientation. If a person truly wants to be helped, the program will work.”
Hall works one-on-one with each individual, and she is one of only three
facilitators in the state of Georgia who is trained to teach the Davis Dyslexia
Correction Program.
Many people struggle with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Many times
they never get fixed because people don’t know where to turn. For Alyssa and her
parents, Hall’s Reading Quest Program in Pooler has proven itself over and over. Now
they want others to know that there is help out there, and Hall’s Reading Quest
Program could be the answer.
“It gives everybody a chance to learn,” says Hall. “The most wonderful part is
that I don’t give the answer to them; they discover their gift for themselves.”
For more information about Lesa Hall and Reading Quest visit the website at
http://www.readingquestga.com/ or call Lesa Hall at 912-330-8577
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