Orton-Gillingham

Elizabeth Wilcox - 2/20/09

Are you thinking about using the Orton-Gillingham approach to help your struggling reader?

Orton-Gillingham is an instructive methodology sometimes used with children with reading disabilities, particularly with what is commonly called "dyslexia".

The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practictioners and Educators describes the Orton-Gillingham approach in the following way:

"Dyslexia is difficulty in the use and processing of linguistic and symbolic codes, alphabetic letters representing speech sounds or numeric symbols representing numbers or quantities. Such difficulty is reflected in the language continuum that includes spoken language, written language and language comprehension. While not the result of neurological damage, it is the product of neurological development. Dyslexia commonly runs in families and varies from mild to severe. Most importantly, the use of the Orton-Gillingham approach by a knowledgeable and experienced teacher can significantly moderate the language learning and processing problems that arise from dyslexia. Indeed, the approach, used early enough and by qualified practitioners, has every likelihood of eliminating the emergence of notable reading and writing problems.

The Orton-Gillingham approach is language-based, multisensory, structured, sequential, cumulative, cognitive, and flexible. Its breadth, perspective, and flexibility prompt use of the term approach instead of method."

The following specialists on mykidsupport have included some form of Orton-Gillingham training in their bios. To verify their training, you will need to talk to the educator or to the agency that certified them. For more information on Orton-Gillingham training, you may contact the Academy through their web site at: http://www.ortonacademy.org/ or call them directly at (845)373-8919.

• Ann Ryan
• Annie Merullo
• Donna Burnham Chase
• Katie Byrne
• Lisa Brooks
• Lisa Rosenberg
• Liz Resch
• Mary Briggs
• Maureen Denney
• Melissa Orkin
• Pamela Duncan
• Rachel Devlin
• Joan Linnehan
• Jan Yeh

For a summary of the Orton-Gillingham approach by specialist educator Lisa Rosenberg, read this article