The Orton-Gillingham Approach
What is the Orton-Gillingham Approach?
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The Orton-Gillingham Approach is a multidimensional, systematic approach for teaching literacy skills (Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, 2018). Orton-Gillingham relies on the direct and explicit teaching of concepts such as sound units, letter-sound relationships, and syllable patterns. The Orton-Gillingham Approach teaches students to identify patterns within words and how to use these patterns to systematically decode (read) text. Students read through pattern and syllable-type recognition as opposed to relying on guesswork. In Orton-Gillingham students learn through a combination of visuals, auditory prompts, kinesthetic movements and tactile materials. As a practitioner of Orton-Gillingham I am trained to use all of these learning modalities to best accommodate your child's individual and unique learning style.
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Who can benefit from using the Orton-Gillingham Approach?
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The International Dyslexia Association recommends a Structured Literacy Program for any child who struggles with decoding or has a Dyslexia diagnosis (International Dyslexia Association, 2015). Structured Literacy Programs focus on six tenants of literacy: Phonology, Sound-Symbol Association, Syllables, Morphology, Syntax and Semantics (International Dyslexia Association, 2016). These pillars must be taught systematically, sequentially, and in a multi-sensory fashion for the program to be considered a Structured Literacy Program. The Orton-Gillingham Approach falls into the Structured Literacy category because of it's focus on explicit, direct, and sequential teaching of the above literacy skills (Spear-Swerling, 2019).
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References
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Academy of Orton-GIllingham Practitioners and Educators. (2018). What is the Orton-Gillingham approach? Retrieved from:
https://www.ortonacademy.org/resources/what-is-the-orton-gillingham-approach/
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Cowen, Carolyn D. "What is structured literacy" International Dyslexia Association. 2016. Infographic. Retrieved from:
https://dyslexiaida.org/what-is-structured-literacy/
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https://dyslexiaida.org/heres-why-schools-should-use-structured-literacy/
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International Dyslexia Association. (2015). Effective reading instruction. Retrieved from:
https://dyslexiaida.org/effective-reading-instruction/
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Spear-Swerling, L. (2019). Structured literacy and typical literacy practices: Understanding differences to create instructional opportunities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 51, 201–211. doi:10.1177/0040059917750160. Retrieved from:
https://www.bvkid.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Teaching-Exceptional-Children-journal.pdf
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