If you child has received a diagnosis and designation for dyslexia, Orton Gillingham Intervention is highly recommended because it is based on the science of reading as well as teaching all key content areas within the language domain.  Lessons are 1:1 and are based on an individual’s need that specifically targets gaps in his/her literacy acquisition.  The multisensory, structured explicit approach to language resonates for all students, but specifically those with dyslexia.

With research and intervention dating back to the 1920’s, Orton Gillingham’s proven track record speaks for itself. Today, there are numerous bodies such as the IDA (international Dyslexia Association) and the BDA (British Dyslexia Association) as well as Dyslexia Canada  which are all voluntary support groups associated with dyslexia.

In the 1930s, neuropsychiatrist and pathologist Dr. Samuel T. Orton and educator, psychologist Anna Gillingham developed the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction for students with “word-blindness,” which would later become known as dyslexia. Their approach combined direct, multi-sensory teaching strategies paired with systematic, sequential lessons focused on phonics.

The Orton-Gillingham approach empowers educators to develop an individualized, structured, multisensory plan to teach reading and vocabulary skills. Orton-Gillingham is a step-by-step learning process involving letters and sounds that encourages students to advance upon each smaller manageable skill learned throughout the process.

Structured Literacy is an umbrella term adopted by the International Dyslexia Association to refer to the many programs (like Orton Gillingham) that teach reading by following the evidence and research behind the Science of Reading. Structured Literacy is deeply rooted in phonemes and systematically introduces the letters or graphemes corresponding to each phoneme.

Structured Literacy covers all areas of language such as phonological awareness, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, phonics, reading fluency, reading comprehension and writing.