“Ms. G, isn’t there any way that I can learn to read better?” This question was posed to me by a 21-year-old college student who had dyslexia when I was working at Michigan State University in 2012. Finding an answer to his question turned out to have a tremendously powerful impact on both of us: it was career-altering for me, and life-changing for him.
Students with dyslexia can DEFINITELY learn to read, spell, and write effectively, thanks to the approach created by Dr. Samuel Orton and Anna Gillingham in the 1930’s. The Orton-Gillingham reading approach is a multisensory, systematic, phonetically-based intervention that has been strongly supported by scientific research through the years. After receiving extensive training in it, I utilized the approach with the aforementioned college student who was reading at an elementary school level when we began our work together. In a very short amount of time, I helped him achieve his goal of being able to read college-level material on his own, without the use of text-to-speech technology.
Since 2013, I have been utilizing the Orton-Gillingham reading approach in private practice with clients of all ages. On a weekly basis, I continue to be amazed at the drastic improvements that occur—usually very rapidly—when students receive instruction in this method of reading. Watching my clients witness the transformation in themselves is even better. The growth that occurs in not only their reading and spelling skills, but also in their self-esteem and self-confidence, is phenomenal.
If reading or spelling are difficult for you or someone you know, please contact me so we can talk about how I can help.