" The two best predictors of early reading success are alphabet recognition and phonemic awareness."

~Marilyn Jager Adams~

Orton-Gillingham is a research based approach that takes the science of reading into a multi-sensory approach towards teaching students how to read, write and spell. It is better known as a method of teaching that utilizes multiple senses which helps students to better understand the connections between letters and letter sounds. 

Multi-Sensory 

The multi-sensory approach that Orton-Gillingham focuses on includes the following concepts: 

Visual- The use of visual cues that links the looks of a letter to the sound that it makes

Kinesthetic- The use of sand, bumpy boards or screens that are used with writing letters while stating the corresponding sounds each letter makes

Auditory- Listening to and repeating letters while writing them using a kinesthetic approach 

Highly Structured

Orton-Gillingham takes the overall reading, writing and spelling concepts and breaks them down into smaller segments through use of repeated practice, sequencing and systematic approach that allows children to better master phonic skills associated with simple letters/letter sounds into more complex phonic skills such as blends, digraphs, vowel teams and multisyllabic words. 

Research-Based 

Research involving case studies of students who have had Orton-Gillingham explicit instructions proves increased overall test scores on state tests in the following areas: decoding, encoding, sight word recognition and spelling. Decoding is the ability to pronounce written words. Encoding is the ability to use letter and letter sound relationships to build and write words. Sight word recognition is the ability to read and write words that do not follow a phonetic pattern rather irregular letter/letter sound patterns. Spelling is the process of stating or writing letters within a word. 

Dyslexia 

Research shows that through use of explicit Orton-Gillingham instruction and intervention is effective in teaching children how to read, write and phonetically spell words. It is especially beneficial for struggling readers and those with dyslexia and often deemed as the “gold standard” for reading, writing and spelling remediation.