Orton-Gillingham

I forgot to mention my son is now 9 1/2 years old in the 3rd grade - if this helps.

Tammy,
For more information on Orton Gillingham instruction check the International Dyslexic Assoc. web site. I gave the wrong address the other day, this is the right one www.interdys.org. Your local chapter will have info on Orton-Gillinham training and tutor lists.
My son is in his 5th month of OG and is REALLY taking off. OG works!!! Wish they used it in our schools! Good luck.

I have a few questions about OG, myself. I know that multisensory methods are used when teaching children the alphabet. Suppose a dyslexic child tends to confuse the small letters “b,” “d,” and “p”? How would an OG teacher teach him to recognize, say, the letter “b,” and not confuse it with 1 of the other two?

Also, I understand that when the child makes the transition from learning the initial letters and their sounds to putting them together to make words, intensive phonics is used. OK, let’s say a dyslexic child who’s learned to read and write all the letters and their sounds is being taught to read, write, and spell “cat.” What method and procedure would an OG instructor use for teaching him that word? And how would she make sure he retained its appearance in his memory? Would multisensory instruction come into play there? (I’m talking about a child who has good auditory skills—including the ability to recite the alphabet, to spell orally, to name the sounds each letter has, to rhyme, and to recognize sounds in letters when he hears them—yet has poor decoding skills when it comes to recognizing the letters and words in print.)

One more question. What procedure would be used to teach that same child to blend letters (“th,” “fl,” etc.) to make new sounds?

The reason I ask these questions is because I’m writing a mystery series about a dyslexic child who’s receiving remediation via OG, and not being an OG instructor myself, I need all the details I can get for accuracy and authenticity. So any details you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Yours truly,
Kathy G.

Oh my- those are questions with very long answers! Kathy- I would be happy to email you with the procedures used in a lesson. It is a very lengthy description- but I have a better idea- at least it would be better for me as a learner:) Could you find an OG tutor who would be willing to either let you sit in on a lesson OR do a lesson with you? with you as a the student? One lesson typically takes about an hour. It can be broken into two sessions- school scheduling often requires that- but an hour is a good ballpark. If that doesn’t work for you- let me know and I will introduce you to the “Three Associations”.

Robin

Orton Gillingham is in fact very effective. How effective a five day training is will depend on how knowledgeable you tutor is before she goes in. My training lasted a year with a supervised practicum- 9.5 college credits. It was VERY thorough:)

Robin

Thanks for your offer, Robin. I just sent you an email in response.

Kathy G.

Tammy I think that is a good idea to get training for the tutor since your son needs special techniques. I use Recipe For Reading by Nina Traub. It is based on the Orton-Gillingham methods.