Best List of Orton-Gillingham Based Reading Programs
14 PROVEN Orton Gillingham Dyslexia Reading Programs to Help Your Child:
If your child is falling behind in reading, especially if they have dyslexia, then you probably need an Orton Gillingham reading program. While there are MANY great reading programs out there, many do NOT work for kids with dyslexia. For kids with true dyslexia, the Orton Gillingham reading programs below are the best types of reading program.
Even if your child doesn’t have true dyslexia, Orton Gillingham reading programs for dyslexia are a great choice. The programs listed below are proven dyslexia programs. They are research proven to be effective for teaching reading to kids who have true dyslexia.
How To Choose Orton Gillingham Reading Programs
Whether or not a specific Orton Gillingham reading program will work for YOUR child depends on your child’s specific needs. Therefore, it’s good if you pay attention to the details of each program. Notice what kinds of activities each program uses for teaching reading, and see if they’d be activities your child likes.
Each Orton Gillingham reading program for dyslexia is a little bit different in its teaching. If you know your child’s learning style before choosing an Orton Gillingham Reading Program, you can choose a program that teaches the way your child learns EASIEST.
If you pick a program that matches your child’s learning style, then you won’t have to repeat teaching as many times. Your child will also enjoy the lessons more (or at least, hate them less 😉 ).
Reading “The Dyslexia Help Handbook for Parents” before buying an Orton Gillingham reading program for dyslexia can help you chose the right program for your child. It could save you money! If it prevents you from buying even one Orton Gillingham reading program that isn’t right for YOUR child, the book will pay for itself. 😉
What Orton Gillingham Reading Programs Teach
An Orton Gillingham reading program teaches phonemic awareness through explicit, direct instruction. Overcoming dyslexia begins with the most basic reading elements, which are the phonemes.
Proven Orton Gillingham reading programs for dyslexia cover every phoneme in detail. The Orton Gillingham Reading method is specific, sequential, and multi-sensory.
Reading about the Orton-Gillingham methodology and Orton-Gillingham reading programs will help you understand the O-G method better. O-G methods are the heart of most dyslexia programs. Be aware, no single Orton Gillingham reading program is the “best” for teaching every child who has dyslexia. The best program for a child is the one that best meets that child’s needs!
Learning Styles and Orton Gillingham Reading Programs
To help your child, it helps a lot to know your child’s individual learning style and needs. After that, you can pick an Orton Gillingham reading program for dyslexia that matches your child’s learning style.
For example, if your child is a kinesthetic or tactile learner, pick an Orton Gillingham reading program that has a lot of activities. A great program will have air writing, finger tracing, or other active ways of practicing the sounds and letters.
If your child is a visual learner, having colorful images in the teaching materials helps. Any program that uses a lot of pictures will be a better choice than one that has no pictures.
If you have the money, and are willing to teach your own child, you can use a scripted Orton Gillingham reading program listed below. These programs have thorough and heavily explained instructions. They help parents teach own their kids by following the step-by-step instructions.
Teaching kids beginning reading skills is NOT rocket science! If you can read, and you know what sounds go with each letter, you can teach your child to read. The Orton Gillingham method is just a way of adding activities and pictures to the teaching of reading.
These Orton Gillingham Reading Programs are used in schools too. They are a bit more expensive than programs listed on our Reading Remediation at Home page. However, these are proven programs that work for many kids.
Scripted, Proven, Orton Gillingham Reading Program for Dyslexia:
Sharpen Digital Reading Program (formerly ABeCeDarian)
This Orton Gillingham reading program is well-liked by homeschooling moms. It costs less than many of the programs. Several learning abled kids’ moms have had great success with Sharpen Digital Reading. They find this Orton Gillingham reading program for dyslexia easy to use. It has provided great progress for their kids because it is so easy to use and the kids like it.
All About Reading and All About Spelling
These are cost-effective, easy to follow Orton Gillingham reading programs. AAR and AAS tell you what to do and when to do it. The program also tells you what to say as you’re teaching. AAR and AAS combined will provide a top-notch Orton Gillingham reading program to help you teach your child to read.
Barton Reading
This Orton Gillingham Reading Program costs more than many of the programs. However, parents really like it for its clear instructions for the teaching parents and for it’s great reading instruction. It is one of the Learning Abled Kids’ moms’ favorites. Barton provides great reading progress for most kids. If you want an excellent Orton Gillingham reading program for dyslexia, and can afford Barton, it’s a great choice.
Voyager Sopris Reading Programs
The Voyager Sopris Reading programs have grown out of the Herman Reading Method. It is the first proven program used with our son. The Herman Reading program was available for a number of years. The New Voyager Sopris Reading programs have lots of instruction to help you teach your child. It is based on a true Orton Gillingham Reading Program, and it is one of the better ones for kinesthetic, tactile, or active learners.
S.P.I.R.E.
As described on the SPIRE review page, this is an Orton-Gillingham fellow’s program. It has been tested and improved over the years. SPIRE is better for auditory learners than for active learners. This Orton Gillingham reading program for dyslexia has been updated to include the most recent best practices.
Wilson Reading
Wilson Reading is a tried and true, classic Orton Gillingham Reading Program. It has been around for decades. The Wilson Reading program is used by many private schools for teaching children with dyslexia. The program is not as heavily scripted as some of the programs. Therefore, Wilson is a good choice if you’ve had Orton-Gillingham training.
View Reading Comprehension Resources at Christianbooks.com
**LiPS from Lindamood-Bell
LiPS is taught at Lindamood-Bell centers, but you can use it at home too. LiPS is also in use by many private organizations that teach reading. You can order LiPS through Gander Publishing. The kit costs more than most programs, but it works with most children who really struggle with phonemic awareness.
LiPS is a little complex to use. However, if you can read and understand the instructions, it is cheaper to do the program yourself. You can also go to the Lindamood-Bell website and sign up for their online training sessions. Sign up as a tutor (for your child.)
The Lindamood-Bell Centers are extremely expensive. However, we all know some children don’t respond well to their parent as their teacher. So, if your child needs a lot of phonemic awareness training, you may want to look for a provider.
Software-based Dyslexia Programs:
Research shows that the MOST EFFECTIVE way to teach a child with dyslexia to read is to use a direct teaching program (those listed above) AND a computer-based practice program. By combining the two teaching methods, your child will have the practice he needs to help him master reading.
A child with true dyslexia requires 200 to 300, or more, repetitions of practice with EACH phoneme. Therefore, it’s a rare parent or teacher who has the time and patience to teach each phoneme over again that many times. Using a computer program can give your child a lot of extra practice. A computer is also infinitely patient! 🙂
The BEST time of day to use a practice program is right before going to sleep at night. Why? Because research shows the brain continues to process whatever happened right before bed. That means learning “sticks” better when you study right before sleep. Have your child use an Orton Gillingham reading program for dyslexia right before bed each night, so phonemes continue to be stored in your child’s memory. That equals better learning.
Each Orton Gillingham reading program for dyslexia below is for use with a computer. Some of them are online, so you can use those programs anytime, anywhere. Others you load to your computer via software download or a CD. Having a program you can practice anytime, anywhere adds flexibility to your child’s learning.
Proven Software-based Orton Gillingham reading program for dyslexia:
**Fast ForWord Early Literacy
The Fast ForWord program begins with Phonemic Awareness as a starting point. Many parents say it is an excellent program. It has a LOT of research behind it. Fast ForWord is one of the top computer based choices.
**HearBuilder
This program focuses on basic concepts, Following Directions, Phonological Awareness, Auditory Memory, and Sequencing. HearBuilder also has research to support its effectiveness. The program is priced right for most HOME users. There are built-in progress reports, so you can know if your child is progressing through the program. The reports are also great for homeschoolers who have to provide evidence of their child’s work. Hear Builder is for K-8th graders. However, I think it’d be alright for a high school student who doesn’t care what a program looks like. The graphics are not overly babyish, which is a complaint some older students have about other programs. Overall, HearBuilder would be a good practice program to use on a daily basis.
**Lexia Reading
Lexia is one program we used. HOWEVER–It has changed and now meets Common Core standards, and they also added TIMED drills. The timed items are frustrating to kids with a slow processing speed. IF your child has a neurologically slow processing speed, then this program isn’t likely to be your best fit. Lexia has many different practice activities within 5 levels. The program is very thorough. It begins with basic vowel sounds, and teaches up through roots, prefixes, suffixes, and syllabication. This program is a great teaching tool when used on a daily basis.
Multisensory Reading, Spelling and Penmanship
“This is a multi-sensory reading, spelling and penmanship program. It builds relationships between symbols and sounds in the English language. The program uses self-paced repetition. It uses close association of visual, auditory and kinesthetic items to improve kid’s language skills.” This program has computer-based and app-based practice. It is a multi-sensory dyslexia program your child can use on the computer. It’s best for kids who like spending time on the computer.
Institute for Multisensory Education
This provider has programs that are great for detailed teaching and practice of phonemic awareness as well as other materials. Learning reading skills using multisensory activities streamlines your child’s learning. They have both printed materials and online courses, and you can learn a lot about multisensory teaching there too!
You may also want to check out the Free Multisensory Reading and Dyslexia Programs online. Those programs are a good way to get extra reading practice. There are also great audio-visual or hands on programs you can use as dyslexia programs. You may also want to check out general learning programs..
Best Homeschool Curriculum for Kids with Dyslexia, ADHD, or other Learning Disabilities
