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Dyslexia
Overview
The Orton-Gillingham Approach
Multisensory Language Providers Supported by IDA
Research-Based
Reading Programs listed at Schwablearning.org
DYSLEXIA
The word dyslexia is derived from the Greek dys, (difficulty with), and lexis,
(having to do with words). The definition of dyslexia, based on information
from neuroscientific and linguistic research, means difficulty in the use
and processing of linguistic/symbolic codes such as alphabetic letters which
represent speech sounds and numeric symbols representing numbers or quantities.
Children and adults with dyslexia have difficulty mastering basic elements of the language system in traditional classrooms. Since language is a necessary tool in academic learning, people with dyslexia often encounter difficulty in many educational endeavors. Persons with dyslexia may encounter all or some of the following:
The characteristics exhibited by students with language learning disabilities appear in varied degrees and combinations. Dyslexia is often found in more than one member of a family.
The Orton-Gillingham Approach is language-based, multisensory, structured, sequential, and cumulative and utilizes the typically strong cognitive (thinking) skills of the student. Infinitely flexible, it is a philosophy rather than a set, prescribed system:
Language-based. The Orton-Gillingham Approach is based on a technique of studying and teaching language, understanding the nature of human language, the mechanisms involved in learning, and the language-learning processes in individuals.
Multisensory. Orton-Gillingham Approach is action oriented with auditory, visual, and kinesthetic elements reinforcing each other for optimal learning. The student learns spelling simultaneously with reading. In this respect, the Orton-Gillingham Approach differs from traditional phonics instruction.
Structured, Sequential, Cumulative. The Orton-Gillingham Approach teacher introduces the elements of the language systematically. Students begin by reading and writing sounds in isolation. Then they blend the sounds into syllables and words. The student learns the elements of language – consonants, vowels, digraphs, blends, and diphthongs – in an orderly fashion. As students learn new material, they continue to review old material to the level of automaticity. The teacher addresses vocabulary, sentence structure, composition, and reading comprehension in a similar structured, sequential, and cumulative manner.
Cognitive. Students learn about the history of the language and study the many generalizations and rules which govern its structure.
Flexible. Orton-Gillingham Approach is diagnostic-prescriptive in nature. The teacher seeks to understand how an individual learns and to devise appropriate teaching strategies.
The Orton-Gillingham Approach is appropriate for teaching individuals, small groups, and classes. It is taught in the primary, elementary, and intermediate grades, at the secondary and college level, and to adults. In each lesson, the student experiences a high degree of success and gains confidence as well as skill. Learning becomes a positive experience.
Multisensory Language Providers Supported by the IDA
The
Association Method
The Herman Method
Language!
Lindamood-Bell Learning Process
Orton-Gillingham Approach
Project Read/Language Circle
Reading ASSIST
The
Slingerland Approach
Sounds in Syllables
The Spalding Method
Starting Over
Wilson Reading Language System
Research-Based Reading Programs listed at Schwablearning.org
What is Evidence-Based Reading Instruction? A position statement of the International Reading Association (2002)
Is your child struggling with reading? Do you wonder if she’s getting the right kind of instruction? What skills does she need to learn to be a better reader?
Research Results
Often due to political reasons, approaches to teaching reading have been adopted and discarded over the years. Teachers know, however, that regardless of the method, there are always some kids who struggle.
Recognizing this, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) convened the National Reading Panel (NRP) in 1997 to systematically study reading research. The goal was to discover, if possible, the best way to teach kids to read.
The report, Teaching Children to Read, released in April 2000 concluded no single method was superior. Instead, the NRP found effective reading programs developed skills in all of these areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and oral reading.
Skills should be explicitly taught in a structured, systematic way. Rather than assume they can instinctively match oral speech to written words, kids need to be taught to break words into distinct sounds and blend them back together. Next, they’re taught spelling, oral reading, and comprehension skills to ensure that they aren’t just reading a series of sounds.
Reading Programs
Schwab Learning believes reading programs that follow principles identified through independent, replicated research, as reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have the greatest impact on teaching kids who struggle. Following are reading programs shown to be effective through such scientific research. If you don’t see a program listed here, it means results from independent, replicated research are not available, although in some cases, research currently is being conducted. Remember, though, that no program works for all kids and many of these programs may improve your child’s reading skills.
Grade Levels: 1-12
Target Audience: Students with mild to severe delays in reading, writing,
and spelling; English language learners; adults
Instructional Group: Whole class, small group, or individual child
Language! is a structured, sequential curriculum to all aspects of language. Using workbooks, software, sound cards, and controlled-vocabulary stories, students gain phonemic awareness skills, practice decoding and blending, and learn reading, spelling, comprehension, and grammar. Language! emphasizes reading practice as a means to proficiency. Early level readers use controlled-vocabulary text in their workbooks and stories; at later levels, instructors can use published lists to match the readability of widely available literature to student ability.
Grade Levels: K-adult
Target Audience: Students with deficits in phonemic analysis
Instructional Group: Individual child, but may be adapted for small groups
by certified instructors
The Lindamood™ Phoneme Sequencing Program (LiPS™) program (formerly called Auditory Discrimination in Depth) teaches phonemic awareness by making students conscious of the physical aspects of creating different sounds. Students first learn to associate their mouth actions with individual sounds. Later, they associate the sounds with colored blocks representing phonemes. This knowledge is then used for spelling and reading, first using letter tiles, then print.
Grade Levels: K-6
Target Audience: General education, English language learners, and special
education students
Instructional Group: Whole class, small group, or individual child
Open Court teaches reading through a balance of systematic phonics instruction and quality literature. The program focuses on alphabetic and phonological awareness through exposure to print along with games, puppets, and other activities. Kindergarten and early first grade instruction emphasizes phonemic awareness. Later learning centers on phonics, decoding strategies, spelling, writing, and comprehension using decodable texts and literature.
Grade Levels: 1-adult
Target Audience: Students with language processing problems, such as dyslexia
Instructional Group: Small group or individual child
The Orton-Gillingham approach is the first structured, multisensory method for reading, spelling, and writing instruction. The method introduces the most common letters, one or two at a time. As each letter is presented, the student learns how it looks, sounds, and feels -- by tracing in a tray of sand or on sandpaper or by drawing the letter in the air with exaggerated arm motions. After basic letters are mastered, consonant blends and digraphs are introduced. Teachers maintain a structured approach to instruction by following a lesson plan that includes a review of prior learning, sound-blending practice, presentation of new letters, and reading and spelling practice.
Grade Levels: K-adult
Target Audience: Beginning readers, remedial instruction
Instructional Group: Whole class, small group, or individual child
Phono-Graphix teaches reading and spelling through instruction in phoneme awareness, blending and segmenting. Students are taught letters are “sound pictures” that represent oral language. The structured, sequential lessons start with instruction in recognizing and manipulating single-letter sounds and three-sound words and progress through multi-letter sounds and multi-syllabic words. Phono-Graphix teaches students all the possible ways sounds can be spelled, and simultaneously provides reading practice (using stories included with the program materials) and spelling drills.
Grade Levels: 1-6 but
can be used with older students
Target Audience: General education, at-risk, and special education students.
Instructional Group: Whole class or small group
Project Read provides direct, systematic, multisensory instruction in decoding, comprehension, and writing. These three strands are woven throughout the curriculum, but emphasis shifts with grade level. Phonics is stressed in the early grades, while comprehension is targeted in grades three and above. Instruction in written expression is incorporated at all levels. For older learners who need continuing decoding instruction, a linguistics approach is used. In all three strands, instruction progresses systematically from the most basic unit to the more complex.
Grade Levels: 1-3
Target Audience: General education, students with LD, and English language
learners.
Instructional Group: Classrooms or computer labs, small groups, or individual
child
Multi-sensory software package Read, Write & Type! combines phonological awareness, phonics and keyboarding skills to teach reading. Through the 40-lesson adventure program, students learn to hear the distinct English language sounds, match the sounds with letters and keystrokes. As the program progresses students practice identifying beginning, middle, and ending sounds in illustrated and spoken words (segmenting) and learn to blend sounds to form words and type sentences and stories. Errors are corrected through visual and auditory feedback. Read, Write, & Type! includes 40 printable stories for additional reading and comprehension practice.
Reading Excellence: Word Attack & Rate Development Strategies (REWARDS)
Grade Levels: 4-12
Target Audience: Older students who lack word identification skills and are
slower oral readers than their peers.
Instructional Group: Whole class, small group, or individual child
REWARDS was developed specifically to target students with poor word recognition skills and reading fluency who often fail to complete assignments or read for enjoyment. The 20 easy-to-implement lessons are geared to helping intermediate and secondary students learn to decode multisyllabic words, read multisyllabic words in content-area textbooks, and increase reading fluency. The program requires minimal teacher/tutor training.
Grade Levels: K-6 but
can be used for remediation in older students and adults
Target Audience: At-risk students
Instructional Group: Whole class, small group, or individual child
The Slingerland Approach is a structured, sequential, multisensory method of teaching reading, writing, and spelling. Starting with a single letter, students use auditory, visual, and kinesthetic pathways to associate sounds with visual symbols and blend letters to spell words. Lessons incorporate phonics, grammar, punctuation, and other aspects of language structure and function. The Slingerland approach to teaching can be used with any reader or text.
Grade Levels: K-8
Target Audience: General education, students with LD, English language learners
Instructional Group: Whole class, small group, or individual child
The Spalding Method combines simultaneous instruction in phonics and handwriting, with exposure to fine literature. First, students are taught 54 sound-symbol associations and how to form them in handwriting. Next steps include writing words from dictation and forming sentences, then paragraphs using learned words. These writing exercises also provide practice in capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Comprehension is taught beginning in early grades and through exposure to quality children’s literature.
Grade Levels: K-6
Target Audience: Low-achievers, special needs, and English language learners
Instructional Group: Small group
The Reading Mastery Plus series consists of six levels, roughly corresponding to grade levels. Direct, explicit instruction incorporates oral language, phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, and comprehension. The program is set up to so students are active participants. Ongoing assessment tools support instruction.
Success for All and Reading Wings
Grade Levels: K-6
Target Audience: General education
Instructional Group: Small group
Success for All is designed for use in the entire school. The program features 90 minutes of daily reading instruction, where students are grouped by reading ability rather than by class or grade level. Instruction for beginning readers emphasizes phonics and meaning and uses both controlled vocabulary texts and children’s literature. When students reach a second grade reading level, they use Reading Wings – formerly known as Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition. Reading Wings uses the school’s standard texts and literature to teach comprehension in cooperative team activities. This level also includes vocabulary-building activities and decoding practice. Writing skills are woven into the curriculum throughout the program. Students needing extra instruction receive daily one-on-one tutoring from certified teachers.
Grade Levels: K-adult
Target Audience: Remedial, at-risk, English language learners, special education
students, and adults
Instructional Group: Whole class, small group, or individual child
WRS uses a sound-tapping system to teach students to recognize individual phonemes in words. Starting with simple one-syllable words, students are shown sounds cards (similar to flash cards) which represent each sound in the word. The student says each sound while tapping a different finger to his thumb. The sounds are then blended back together as the student drags his thumb across all the fingers. Students are sequentially taught to read and spell words of up to six sounds, with and without tapping. This early instruction in segmenting and blending phonemes provides the base for decoding increasingly complex words in a controlled vocabulary. Comprehension is taught by developing visualization skills through oral reading to students.
Other Programs
HEC
Reading Horizons / Discover Intensive Phonics for Yourself
Based on Orton Gillingham principles of instruction, Discover Intensive Phonics
for Yourself has been used for over thirty years to improve reading and spelling
skills in students of all ages. The program employs a hands-on approach using
a combination of direct instruction and the latest computer technologies.
Proven particularly successful with children (K - 12) and adults who either
struggle with reading or are learning to speak and read English. Pre-assessment
tool places students on the appropriate entry level of work. Student progress
is reinforced, monitored, and tracked via interactive software. Immediate
feedback keeps students informed and motivated. Work is individualized and
autonomous for meeting student learning needs and ensuring privacy while working.
e-mail : info@readinghorizons.com
website : www.readinghorizons.com
Thanks to the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators for allowing UREAD to adapt a portion of their definition of dyslexia and the Orton-Gillingham Approach for our use.
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