|
What is the Orton-Gillingham Approach?
Dr. Orton and his colleagues began using multisensory techniques in the mid-1920’s at the mobile mental health clinic he directed in Iowa. Dr. Orton was influenced by the kinesthetic method described by Grace Fernald and Helen Keller. He suggested that kinesthetic-tactile reinforcement of visual and auditory associations could correct the tendency of confusing similar letters and transposing the sequence of letters while reading and writing. For example, students who confuse b and d are taught to use consistent, different strokes in forming each letter. Students make the vertical line before drawing the circle in printing the letter b; they form the circle before drawing the vertical line in printing the letter d. Anna Gillingham and Bessie Stillman based their original 1936 teaching manual for the “alphabetic method” on Dr. Orton’s theories. They combined multisensory techniques with teaching the structure of written English, including the sounds (phonemes), meaning units (morphemes such as prefixes, suffixes, and roots) and common spelling rules. The phrase “Orton-Gillingham approach” refers to the structured, sequential, multisensory techniques established by Dr. Orton, Ms. Gillingham, and their colleagues. Many programs today incorporate methods and principles first described in this foundational work, as well as other practices supported by research.”
JUST THE FACTS… Information provided by The International Dyslexia Association®
At Rhode Island Tutorial & Educational Services our literacy teachers are trained in direct multisensory methods that teach the structure of English, and that have been proven through scientific research to improve the skills of students who are dyslexic and of students who experience difficulty with spelling and reading fluently. In this regard, these teachers are educational therapists. These specialists have experience and training in Orton-Gillingham and other methods based on Orton-Gillingham methodology, such as Wilson, Telian and Project Read.
Our summer programs offer Orton-Gillingham based classes. The focus of each class is training in a phonemically-based, multisensory method. Students also participate in guided reading lessons to work on comprehension and engage in a variety of activities to promote reading fluency.
Orton-Gillingham based 6-week Summer Program
Rhode Island Tutorial & Educational Services is a proud member of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
|
