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Programs that Help with Dyslexia

Orton-Gillingham Approach.  This is the best studied and applied approach for people with dyslexia.  The approach was developed by Dr. Samuel Orton (neurologist) and Anna Gillingham (educator and psychologist) in the 1930's.  There is an order of operations when teaching a child to read and a strong foundation in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding and fluency are at the foundation.  People with dyslexia need the foundation taught in a very structured, multi-sensory way for their brain to process and retain the skills for reading.

 

This approach is:

  • multisensory

  • direct

  • structured

  • sequential 

  • diagnostic

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There are many high quality programs now influenced by the Orton-Gillingham approach.  You will have to research to see which may work best for you.  I have learned through extensive research and experience that many of the programs can be very successful if worked on consistently and done to fidelity.  It is truly a matter of finding one that works for your family.

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Reading a Book
Lenses
Child Reading in the Grass

Barton Program

The Barton Program is a great tutoring system for children, teenagers, or adults who struggle with spelling, reading, and writing due to dyslexia or a learning disability. Barton works best 1:1 and is done a minimum of two hours a week.  The program has 10 levels.  There is also Foundation in Sounds, which can be start in pre-school before level one. 

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A great resource for the Barton Program in Colorado Springs are Rick and Lisa Weaver at Essentials to Success.

Take Flight Program

Take Flight addresses the five components of effective reading instruction identified by the National Reading Panel’s research and is a comprehensive Tier III intervention for students with dyslexia.  It appears to be the most used program as of right now in schools in Colorado Springs.  It is used in a group setting (groups of 3-6 students) and can be completed in about 2-2.5 years.  Take Flight does not start until 2nd grade.  

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One fun addition to the Take Flight Program is the combination of cursive writing in the program, which helps tie in the kinesthetic sense to learning.

Other Programs to Consider

Here are some other programs that you may consider:

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