In the 1930’s a neuropsychiatrist named Dr. Samuel Orton and an educator named Anna Gillingham developed an approach to teach dyslexic children how to read. Over 100 years later these methods have been updated based on decades of reading research conducted across the world in multiple languages. The Orton-Gillingham Approach (O-G) is a direct, explicit, multisensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive way to teach literacy when reading, writing, and spelling does not come easily to individuals, such as those with dyslexia.
Think of O-G as a huge umbrella and underneath are a variety of different programs, techniques, and curriculums all using the O-G approach including popular programs such as Wilson and Barton. These programs work great for some children, but some children do not make much progress using these scripted programs.
Academic Language Therapy (ALT) is an intervention that is prescriptive, focusing on each individual student’s needs and is not scripted. ALT begins with the basics and rebuilds the learning continuum step-by-step starting from ground zero so that no gaps remain in the student’s understanding of language structure. In each tutoring and therapy session, students learn systematic strategies for decoding (word ID), encoding (spelling), and letter formation. Students’ successes and challenges during one tutoring therapy lesson inform the planning of subsequent lessons. ALT is a cumulative, systematic, structured instruction that is written and planned for a particular student, or group of students, and is delivered by an educator with comprehensive training who must teach with fidelity after completing and maintaining professional-level certification.
I believe in the advice of Anna Gillingham: “Teach as quickly as you and as slowly as you must.”