The term “Dyslexia” is a commonly used term for a problem associated with learning to read or with interpreting words, letters, numbers, and other symbols. Even some people with dyslexia state that when they try to read, the letters and numbers “move around the page.” 

 If you find something is not right with your child’s reading and learning abilities the very first step is to get a learning difficulty assessment. This will help you determine your child’s unique strengths and weaknesses and get recommendations to help your child learn more effectively.

Choose Orton Gillingham tutoring to assist with unique action plans, motivation, goal setting, classroom progress reviews, time management, and organization skills. The Orton-Gillingham approach is generally recommended for children with dyslexia. However, it is also an effective technique to help children who struggle with reading, writing, and spelling. It is essential to find a solution that works positively because learning disabilities can cause children to be held back in the classroom and harm their confidence level.

Dyslexia children

Orton Gillingham method allows instructors to help students master reading and writing skills by customizing each lesson according to the strengths and weaknesses of each dyslexic student. This individualized approach is particularly effective for dyslexic students because dyslexia disorder presents differently in each child.

Keeping your focus on improving independence encourages responsible behavior. This is an effective way to teach. Encouraging independence during the Orton Gillingham tutoring shows children they can have a sense of ownership and complete control over their work. 

Another advantage of promoting independence is to reduce dependency on you as an instructor. Your aim is to provide children with dyslexia reliable tools they can use when they are working independently, in the classroom, or with an instructor that is not knowledgeable about Orton Gillingham teaching method.

Children with dyslexia, often attended reading intervention sessions having experienced failure. They feel frustrated and discouraged. Children with dyslexia disorder often feel that they are unable to complete the tasks that have been given to them. You can foster a strong feeling of success and empowerment among your students by carefully implementing your instruction and allowing them to boost independence.

Promoting independence during the Orton-Gillingham tutoring can happen both through your mindset and teaching.

Setting up Sheets for Dictation

 Teach your students how to prepare a paper for dictation. Do not write numbers on their paper sheets for them. It is not only encouraging but also efficient when students know exactly what to do. This might be as simple as modeling or giving instructions and feedback to older students. This may be a gradual release of responsibility for younger students or students with dysgraphia, in which you initially provide students with boxes or lines to help them learn appropriate boundaries and spacing. As a result, they will gradually sense more responsibility.

Writing the date

Teach children with dyslexia how to write the full date or date format. By doing this, they will learn the names of the months, not just the numbers. This process varies by age. A small whiteboard or sentence strip with the date written on it makes it simpler for younger students to copy.  An older child may be able to copy the date from a known location. This helps students how to  recognize and spell challenging words.

 Relevant Reference Tools

One key to building independence during the Orton-Gillingham lesson is to teach students how to use a reference tool and provide them with access to this tool. This may be a reference notebook or a chart. This is highly effective in teaching them to utilize their learning outside of tutoring. 

Cursive Writing Style

Teach your students how to read and write in cursive handwriting. Gradually increase the expectations for more in writing work. Tell them to write their name, age, and standard in cursive. Teach them all the alphabets and letters and the particular connections for their names. They will eventually be able to complete all of their dictation work in cursive.

 Card Drills

 Children with dyslexia can independently check the meanings of keywords and phrases by having access to phonogram drill cards or morpheme cards. Initially, you might find that you don’t use the new phoneme card throughout the lesson. You can encourage students to look through the deck for the card that will help them.

 C.O.P.S.

When it comes time for dyslexic students to use COPS, use this as a time to observe. This is the technique of checking and something they want to be used outside of tutoring as well. There should be minimal prompting. A child with dyslexia  is making good use of this technique when they reread their writing and correct any errors, capitals, and punctuation, as well as when they tell you that they are unsure of a particular word.

 Create Learning Opportunities

Take benefit of teachable moments. Make simple chores like cleaning into learning opportunities. Restoring magnetic letters to their proper positions in a case reinforces alphabetical order and letter identification. After a game, categorizing or returning cards to a tutor based on a specific sound or strategy can improve learning and promote independence. 

As students take on more responsibility, it is important to provide generous praise and specific corrective feedback. Be prepared to break multistep directions down into more manageable parts, or take a break from training this skill if students are overwhelmed by the steps.

Giving students with dyslexia proper feedback and praise for their efforts is important as they take on more responsibility. If students feel overwhelmed by the steps, then Orton Gillingham Tutors need to break it down into smaller, more manageable parts or defer training on this skill.

It is essential to remember that many of dyslexic students struggle with working memory. As a result, students with dyslexia may experience a slower release of responsibility than students without working memory difficulties.

Final thoughts

The benefits of promoting independence are not only preparing the dyslexic child with better skills for functioning independently and better self-confidence but also ultimately more efficient lessons that enable a deeper exploration of complex concepts. The Orton-Gillingham approach focuses on each student individually to help dyslexic students overcome their reading struggles. Children with dyslexia gain confidence in their reading, writing, and language skills when multisensory tools are used to teach phonics sequentially.