Discover the balance between structure and flexibility in research-based reading intervention! Learn how to sequence lessons, track student progress, and adapt instruction to individual needs. Get tips for creative and engaging sessions while staying true to curriculum standards.

Feeling overwhelmed by data that doesn’t actually inform your instruction? This post walks you through a clear 7-step assessment process to help you identify student needs, group effectively, and make confident instructional decisions without guessing or burning out.

Discover why Orton-Gillingham (OG) instruction sometimes falls short and what you can do about it. Weak executive functioning might hinder progress, but with strategies to gain student buy-in, provide memory supports, and develop metacognitive skills, you can enhance learning outcomes. Join our FREE online workshop for more insights!

Unlock the power of multi-sensory instruction in reading! Discover how to engage sight, hearing, and touch to enhance learning. From air writing letters to spelling dictation, explore practical methods to make reading instruction more effective. Embrace multi-sensory techniques without the fuss – it’s about engaging multiple senses for better comprehension and retention!

Dyslexia is a brain-based learning difference. It is a language processing disorder and not a vision or eye problem. In contrast to dyslexia specialists and most pediatricians, some optometrists may try to convince you that your child’s reading difficulties are due to vision problems and may recommend vision therapy or glasses. Some well-intentioned (but misinformed) therapists or teachers may even suggest colored overlays to “fix” the problem.

Dyslexia is often referred to as a hidden disability because it can go undetected for so long. On the surface, everything looks fine. It has been my experience that dyslexic students are good at coping, they know how to play school. They work hard, they are highly verbal, love to answer questions in class, they are curious, can make the most amazing connections, and at an early age – when texts are predictable, repetitive, and have strong picture support – these students can look like readers. It’s not until you dig deeper and begin to analyze their phonemic awareness skills or their ability to rhyme and manipulate sounds that you may realize there is a hiccup.

When I begin to suspect that a child may be dyslexic, one of the sure-fire things to tip me off is observing a really bright student struggle with reading a simple text.

When discussing my concerns with teachers, they often say, “But, he’s so smart, he can’t be dyslexic!”

Dyslexia does not have any correlation to a person’s intelligence and in fact, people with dyslexia often have above average IQ’s. We assume that if a person is smart that they are a strong reader. Dyslexia defies this assumption.

Uncover the hidden challenges of dyslexia in students. Learn how to identify signs beyond surface-level reading abilities and understand the importance of ongoing progress monitoring for true reading development.

Unlock the effectiveness of Orton-Gillingham (OG) instruction! Discover the key components—phonology, sound-symbol association, syllable instruction, morphology, syntax, and semantics—that make OG a personalized and powerful approach for students with reading disorders.

Sometimes dyslexia can hide in plain sight and can be difficult to detect. While there are several indicators, here is a list of five more subtle signs that are often overlooked or dismissed as being quirky, too tired to read, or just a passing phase.

Discover why Orton-Gillingham (OG) instruction is hailed as the gold standard for dyslexic students. Learn how its sequential, multisensory, and flexible approach transforms reading intervention. Explore its research-backed effectiveness in nurturing struggling readers.

This can be both a difficult and freeing experience. Now, you know the reason that your child is struggling, but you feel lost and alone and aren't sure what to do next.

There is a two-pillar approach for helping your child close academic gaps. These two pillars stand together forming the "bases" of your child's success in the classroom. The first pillar is getting appropriate accommodations and/or modifications put into place within the school. If you need help getting appropriate accommodations we are happy to help.

Once you have intervention in place to be sure your child is closing any skill gaps:

How do you get the right support from the school?

Talking with your child's school team is of paramount importance. You want to be sure that while your child is getting the help they need privately or through school-based intervention, that they are not continuing to fall further behind in the classroom.

Typically we can help predict the length of time in a program based on standardized testing results (psychoeducational testing results, not necessarily state standardized assessments). Our team researched the length of time it would take to see consistent growth in reading ability. There were many factors at play but overall we found that student's could expect to see around 8 Standard Score points of growth in a 6-month period with therapy occurring once to twice per week. There was not a statistical difference between students being seen once to twice per week.

What is so different about OG instruction?

A major benefit is that it meets the student where they are as opposed to assuming they indirectly picked up a rule/strategy without being given the explicit rule or pattern to follow. But equally as important OG is different than reading instruction they may have received previously because it teaches the "why" of our language.

Noticing reading or spelling struggles in a child? Learn the most common signs of dyslexia at different ages, what they may indicate, and what to do next. This guide helps parents and teachers recognize patterns early and seek appropriate support, with a free checklist included.

While there may be some cases in which it is good to wait, generally the answer to this question is - YES! While you absolutely do not need an evaluation to get started with remediation, it can help guide treatment and answer many questions for you, as parents as well as for the clinicians working with your child.

Often by the time a student is suspected of having a learning disability, parents or caregivers have already gone to great lengths to support their child. Many have hired tutors or had teachers spend extra time with their child over the summer to no avail. So often families ask us how academic therapy or dyslexia therapy is different from what they have tried in the past. This is a wonderful and necessary question.