Synthetic Phonics Reading with synthetic phonics involves decoding or ‘breaking’ words into separate phonemes (sounds) that can be blended together to read a written word. Synthetic phonics explicitly teaches all 44 sounds of the English language and that this process can be reversed to ‘encode’ or spell words. Synthetic Phonics with Struggling Readers and Children with Dyslexia Synthetic phonics is the ideal approach for Dyslexic children and children who are struggling with reading because the emphasis is Eve’s challenge: on the logic of the written language and, its predictability. Synthetic phonics begins very controlled; children are not faced with words Eve, 8 years old, joined The which do not follow the reading rules they have learnt. Harbour School with severe Dyslexia. Her nonverbal IQ was in the top 1% of her peer group “Success breeds success, and synthetic phonics produces lots so by definition she was ‘gifted’. of it! Because the language is so controlled, children get instant However, Eve’s struggle with success from reading. For many struggling readers it means a reading was holding her back; sudden excitement about the world of reading and a real boost in “She was depressed, sad, and scared to look at the written their motivation to learn” said Michael Wood, the Get Reading Right word” Jadis Blurton, Principal, consultant educational psychologist. commented. “Many of struggling readers find it difficult to become fluent in their reading skills. The Get Reading Right materials provide them with lots of practice so that these skills are well and truly learned before moving on. Struggling to learn to read can be devastating for a child. It’s wonderful to see such children’s confidence come on in leaps and bounds” added Michael. www.getreadingright.com Eve’s Reading Success: “In the span of seven months, this once highly stressed pupil has gone from running out the door at the sight of a book to reading the most books, out of the entire school, in the Read-A-Thon last week” emphasised Learning Support Specialist, Caroline Dawson. Eve’s reading has dramatically improved; she has moved up three reading levels in only 7 months, and her self-esteem and level of motivation are through the roof! Her spelling and writing have also improved: “Now that she is confident with her reading and writing, Eve can explore her desire to learn with the written and printed word. We are now getting to see the gifted Eve!” added Caroline. www.getreadingright.com.