To the Editor:
October was Dyslexia Awareness Month. I want to stress the importance of diagnosis and remediation of dyslexia. Dyslexia can be mild to severe, and has nothing to do with intelligence. Many have average to above-average intelligence and score high in spatial reasoning and visual thinking.
Because I knew nothing about dyslexia, I never thought to look for signs of dyslexia in my own son, and for years I asked his school for help, but was repeatedly told to wait. “He’ll catch on,” “Give him time” or “He isn’t trying hard enough.” I was told, “There is no such thing as dyslexia.”
By the time my son was diagnosed, precious years passed. He was working hard, but the instruction he was receiving wasn’t meeting his needs. I eventually found an Orton-Gillingham Academy-trained tutor. The difference was miraculous. Within a few months, my son was reading and his confidence returned.
One thing I have learned is that not all dyslexia tutoring is the same. The Orton-Gillingham approach is not a program. Effective instruction requires extensive training, experience and the ability to develop individualized, diagnostic and prescriptive lessons based on what the child needs. Unfortunately, the name “Orton-Gillingham” is used to describe programs or training, consisting of only a couple of weeks or less of instruction.
That is very different from the rigorous training required through the Orton-Gillingham Academy. Children who receive intervention by inexperienced tutors, or “programs,” still may struggle and therefore be traumatized twice. The problem isn’t that the child couldn’t learn—it’s that the program moved too quickly or wasn’t individualized. Families deserve to know the difference between a program that uses the words “Orton-Gillingham” and a tutor who has received authentic, comprehensive Orton-Gillingham training.
Every child can learn. Sometimes, we simply need to change how we teach.
Jennifer M. Pultz M.S. C/ OGA and co-founder Orton-Gillingham Dyslexia Center
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor are to be less than 300 words. The Southeast Examiner reserves the right to edit for length or content.