Orton-Gillingham Approach” Refers to the Read and Spell Words, Phrases, and Sentences Structured, Sequential, Multisensory Techniques Using These Patterns

Home , Literacy, Phonemic awareness, Phonological awareness

JUST THE FACTS… Information provided by The International DYSLE IA Association®

ORTON-GILLINGHAM-BASED AND/OR MULTISENSORY STRUCTURED LANGUAGE APPROACHES

the six basic syllable types in the English The principles of instruction and content of a language: closed, vowel-consonant-e, open, multisensory structured language program are consonant-le, r-controlled, and diphthong. essential for effective teaching methodologies. Syllable division rules must be directly taught The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) in relation to word structure. actively promotes effective teaching approaches and related clinical educational intervention Morphology: Morphology is the study of strategies for dyslexics. how morphemes are combined from words. A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in CONTENT: What Is Taught the language. The curriculum must include the study of base words, roots, prefixes, and Phonology and Phonological Awareness: suffixes. Phonology is the study of sounds and how Syntax: Syntax is the set of principles that they work within their environment. A dictate the sequence and function of words in phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a a sentence in order to convey meaning. This given language that can be recognized as includes grammar, sentence variation, and the being distinct from other sounds in the mechanics of language. language. Phonological awareness is the understanding of the internal linguistic Semantics: Semantics is that aspect of structure of words. An important aspect of language concerned with meaning. The phonological awareness is phonemic curriculum (from the beginning) must include awareness or the ability to segment words into instruction in the comprehension of written their component sounds. language. Sound-Symbol Association: This is the PRINCIPLES OF INSTRUCTION: How It’s knowledge of the various sounds in the Taught English language and their correspondence to the letters and combinations of letters which Simultaneous, Multisensory (VAKT): represent those sounds. Sound-symbol Teaching is done using all learning pathways association must be taught (and mastered) in in the brain (visual/auditory, kinesthetic- two directions: visual to auditory and auditory tactile) simultaneously in order to enhance to visual. Additionally, students must master memory and learning. the blending of sounds and letters into words as well as the segmenting of whole words into Systematic and Cumulative: Multisensory the individual sounds. language instruction requires that the organization of material follows the logical Syllable Instruction: A syllable is a unit of order of the language. The sequence must oral or written language with one vowel begin with the easiest and most basic elements sound. Instruction must include teaching of and progress methodically to more difficult

“promoting literacy through research, education and advocacy” Fact Sheet # 68 – 05/02

material. Each step must also be based on Synthetic and Analytic Instruction: those already learned. Concepts taught must Multisensory, structured language programs be systematically reviewed to strengthen include both synthetic and analytic memory. instruction. Synthetic instruction presents the parts of the language and then teaches how Direct Instruction: The inferential learning the parts work together to form a whole. of any concept cannot be taken for granted. Analytic instruction presents the whole and Multisensory language instruction requires the teaches how this can be broken down into its direct teaching of all concepts with component parts. continuous student-teacher interaction. Diagnostic Teaching: The teacher must be adept at prescriptive or individualized Information adapted from "Clinical Studies of teaching. The teaching plan is based on Multisensory Structured Language Education for careful and continuous assessment of the Students with Dyslexia and Related Disorders" individual's needs. The content presented published by the International Multisensory must be mastered to the degree of Structured Language Education Council. automaticity.

© Copyright 2000, The International Dyslexia Association (IDA). IDA encourages the reproduction and distribution of this fact sheet. If portions of the text are cited, appropriate reference must be made. Fact sheets may not be reprinted for the purpose of resale. Fact Sheet # 68 – 05/02

The International Dyslexia Association · 8600 LaSalle Road, Chester Bldg. #382 · Baltimore, MD 21286-2044 Tel: 410-296-0232 · Fax: 410-321-5069 · E-mail: [email protected] · Website: http://www.interdys.org JUST THE FACTS… Information provided by The International DYSLE IA Association®

MULTISENSORY TEACHING

What is meant by multisensory teaching? than focusing on a “sight-word” or memory method, a “tracing method,” or a “phonetic Multisensory teaching is simultaneously visual, method” alone. auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile to enhance memory and learning. Links are consistently When and where was multisensory made between the visual (what we see), auditory teaching introduced for children with (what we hear), and kinesthetic-tactile (what we dyslexia? feel) pathways in learning to read and spell.

Dr. Samuel Torrey Orton and his colleagues Margaret Byrd Rawson, a former President of began using multisensory techniques in the mid- The Orton Dyslexia Society (the precursor to 1920's at the mobile mental health clinic he The International Dyslexia Association), said it directed in Iowa. Orton was influenced by the well: kinesthetic method described by Grace Fernald

and Helen Keller. He suggested that kinesthetic- “Dyslexic students need a different approach to tactile reinforcement of visual and auditory learning language from that employed in most associations could correct the tendency of classrooms. They need to be taught, slowly and reversing letters and transposing the sequence of thoroughly, the basic elements of their language letters while reading and writing. Students who -- the sounds and the letters which represent reverse b and d are taught to use consistent, them -- and how to put these together and take different strokes in forming each letter. For them apart. They have to have lots of practice in example, students make the vertical line before having their writing hands, eyes, ears, and drawing the circle in printing the letter b; they voices working together for the conscious form the circle before drawing the vertical line in organization and retention of their learning.” printing the letter d.

Teachers who use this approach teach children to Anna Gillingham and Bessie Stillman based their link the sounds of the letters with the written original 1936 teaching manual for the symbol. Children also link the sound and symbol “alphabetic method” on Dr. Orton's theories. with how it feels to form the letter or letters. As They combined multisensory techniques with students learn a new letter or pattern (such as s or teaching the structure of written English, th), they carefully trace, copy, and write the including the sounds (phonemes), meaning units letter(s) while saying the corresponding sound. (morphemes such as prefixes, suffixes, and The sound may be made by the teacher and the roots) and common spelling rules. The phrase letter name(s) given by the student. Students then “Orton-Gillingham approach” refers to the read and spell words, phrases, and sentences structured, sequential, multisensory techniques using these patterns. Teachers and their students established by Dr. Orton and Ms. Gillingham rely on all three pathways for learning rather and their colleagues.

“promoting literacy through research, education and advocacy” Fact Sheet # 69 – 01/00 What is the rationale behind clinical settings showed similar results for a wide multisensory teaching? range of ages and abilities.

Children with dyslexia often exhibit weaknesses in auditory and/or visual processing. They may The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) thanks have weak phonemic awareness, meaning they Marcia K. Henry, Ph.D. for her assistance in the are unaware of the role sounds play in words. preparation of this fact sheet. They have difficulty rhyming words, blending sounds to make words, or segmenting words into Related Reading: sounds. They may also have difficulty acquiring Clark, Diana Brewster and Uhry, Joanna a sight vocabulary. That is, dyslexic children do Kellogg, 1995. Dyslexia: Theory & Practice not learn the sight words expected in the primary of Remedial Instruction, Second Edition. grades. In general, they do not pick up the Baltimore, MD: York Press. alphabetic code or system. de Hirsch, Katrina, 1984. Language and the Developing Child. When taught by a multisensory approach, Birsh, Judith R., 2005. Multisensory children have the advantage of learning Teaching of Basic Language Skills. Second alphabetic patterns and words by utilizing all Edition. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes three pathways. Orton suggested that teaching Publishing Co. the “fundamentals of phonic association with Gough, Philip B. Ph.D., 1996. How letter forms both visually presented and Children Learn to Read and Why They Fail, reproduced in writing, until the correct Annals of Dyslexia, reprint #141. Baltimore, associations were built up” would benefit MD: The International Dyslexia students of all ages. Association. Putnam, L. R., 1996. How to Become a Is there solid evidence that multisensory Better Reading Teacher. Englewood Cliffs, teaching is effective for children with NJ: Merrill. dyslexia? Schupack, Helaine and Wilson, Barbara, There is a growing body of evidence supporting 1997. The “R” Book, Reading, Writing & multisensory teaching. Current research, much of Spelling: The Multisensory Structured it supported by the National Institute of Child Language Approach. Baltimore, MD: The Health and Human Development (NICHD), International Dyslexia Association’s Orton converges on the efficacy of explicit structured Emeritus Series. language teaching for children with dyslexia. Torgesen, Joseph, Ph.D., 1997. The “P” Young children in structured, sequential, Book, Phonological Awareness: A Critical multisensory intervention programs, who were Factor in Dyslexia. Baltimore, MD: The also trained in phonemic awareness, made International Dyslexia Association’s Orton significant gains in decoding skills. These Emeritus Series. multisensory approaches used direct, explicit Vail, Priscilla, 1996. Words Fail Me: How teaching of letter-sound relationships, syllable Language Works and What Happens When patterns, and meaning word parts. Studies in It Doesn’t. Rosemont, NJ: Modern Learning Press.