Orton-Gillingham, structured literacy, multisensory, decodable texts—if you’ve started your research, you’ve likely been buried in educational jargon. It’s easy to feel like you need a degree to understand it all. But at its core, the right approach is straightforward and logical. This article will demystify the terminology and explain in plain language what makes a reading program truly effective for students with dyslexia. We’ll show you what these concepts look like in practice so you can move past the buzzwords and focus on finding the best curriculum for dyslexia to help your child thrive.
Key Takeaways
- Focus on the “How” of Teaching: The most effective support for a learner with dyslexia comes from a curriculum rooted in Structured Literacy. This means looking for programs that use a direct, multisensory, and systematic approach to teach the rules of language, leaving no room for guesswork.
- Select a Program That Fits Your Learner and Your Life: There’s no single “best” curriculum, only the one that works for your child and your teaching style. Compare options by looking at sample lessons, reading reviews, and ensuring the program includes essential materials like decodable books to build confidence.
- Be a Patient and Adaptive Guide: The curriculum is your roadmap, but you are the driver. Success depends on consistency, celebrating small wins, and adjusting the pace to your child’s needs. Don’t hesitate to lean on reading specialists and parent communities for extra support along the way.
What Is Dyslexia and How Does It Affect Learning?
If you’ve noticed your child or student struggling with reading, you’re in the right place. Understanding the root of the challenge is the first step toward finding the right support. Dyslexia is a common learning difference that affects how the brain processes written and spoken language. It’s important to remember that it has nothing to do with a person’s intelligence; in fact, many individuals with dyslexia are incredibly bright and creative.
The core issue often lies in how the brain connects letters to the sounds they make. This can make tasks like sounding out words, spelling, and reading fluently feel like an uphill battle. For a child with dyslexia, a page of text that seems straightforward to others can look like a complex code that’s hard to crack. By getting a clear picture of what dyslexia is and how it shows up in a child’s learning, you can begin to find effective strategies and tools to help them succeed.
Defining Dyslexia
At its heart, dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in learning to read, especially when a child’s intelligence and educational opportunities suggest they should be doing well. It’s a language-based learning difference that primarily affects phonology—the ability to recognize and work with the individual sounds in spoken language. Think of it this way: to read, we have to connect the letters on a page to their corresponding sounds and then blend those sounds together to form words. For individuals with dyslexia, making these connections automatically is a major challenge. This isn’t a problem with vision or a lack of effort; it’s simply a different way the brain is wired to process language.
How Dyslexia Impacts Reading and Language
The challenges with phonological processing directly impact a child’s ability to read and spell. Dyslexia is often characterized by difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition, which can lead to poor spelling and decoding skills. Because a child with dyslexia struggles to sound out unfamiliar words, their reading can be slow and full of errors. This makes it hard to build the fluency needed to understand what they’re reading. This struggle aligns with findings from the Science of Reading, which emphasizes the importance of phonological awareness. This difficulty can also affect other language skills, making it tough to keep up in a classroom that relies heavily on reading and writing.
Common Signs to Look For in Your Child
Dyslexia can look different from one child to another, but there are some common signs you can watch for. In young children, you might notice they have trouble learning letter names and the sounds they make. They may also struggle with rhyming games or remembering sequences like the days of the week. As they begin to read and write, other signs may appear, including:
- Confusing letters that look similar, like b and d or p and q.
- Writing letters or numbers backward.
- Spelling the same word differently on the same page.
- Taking a long time to sound out words.
- Experiencing anxiety or frustration when asked to read aloud.
Recognizing these signs is the first step toward getting your child the support they need to become a confident, successful reader.
The Key Ingredients of an Effective Dyslexia Curriculum
When you’re looking for a reading program for a child with dyslexia, it’s important to know what to look for. The right curriculum isn’t just about reading practice; it’s about teaching the brain to process language in a new way. Effective programs are built on a specific set of principles that are proven to help struggling readers succeed. They move beyond traditional methods to provide the structure, repetition, and sensory engagement that students with dyslexia need to build a strong foundation for literacy. These core components work together to create a learning experience that is clear, logical, and empowering for your child.
A Multi-Sensory Approach
The most effective way to help students with dyslexia involves a full, multisensory teaching method. This means using sight, sound, and touch to learn. Instead of just looking at letters on a page, a child might trace a letter’s shape in a sand tray while saying its sound aloud, or use colored blocks to represent different sounds in a word. This approach helps build stronger neural pathways for reading and spelling by engaging multiple senses at once. When a child can see, hear, and feel a concept, it becomes more concrete and easier to remember. This hands-on learning is a cornerstone of the Orton-Gillingham approach and is essential for making language concepts stick.
Systematic and Cumulative Lessons
Imagine trying to build a house without a foundation. That’s what learning to read can feel like for a child with dyslexia if the instruction isn’t orderly. A strong curriculum must be systematic and cumulative. This means lessons are organized logically, starting with the simplest concepts and gradually building to more complex ones. Each new skill builds directly on what was previously taught. There’s also a ton of practice and review built in until the child truly masters the skill. For kids with dyslexia, this need to “overlearn” material is critical. This step-by-step process ensures there are no gaps in their understanding and helps build the confidence they need to tackle more challenging material.
Direct, Explicit Instruction
Children with dyslexia don’t typically figure out reading rules on their own through exposure. They need a guide to show them the way, clearly and directly. This is where explicit instruction comes in. It means that the teacher or parent directly and unambiguously explains every concept. Nothing is left to chance or for the student to infer. For example, instead of hoping a child notices a spelling pattern, the instructor teaches the rule, explains why it works, and provides guided practice. This method removes the guesswork from learning to read and provides the clear, structured path that students with dyslexia need to succeed.
Principles of Structured Literacy
When you combine a multisensory, systematic, and explicit approach, you get what’s known as Structured Literacy. This term describes an entire framework for reading instruction that is backed by decades of research, often referred to as the Science of Reading. It’s an umbrella term for programs that teach the structure of language—including phonology (sounds), orthography (spelling), and morphology (word parts)—in a highly organized way. The Orton-Gillingham approach is the original and most well-known model of Structured Literacy. By choosing a curriculum grounded in these principles, you are giving your child a proven, evidence-based method for becoming a skilled and confident reader.
Why PRIDE Reading Program Is a Top Choice
When you’re searching for a curriculum that truly understands and supports learners with dyslexia, the PRIDE Reading Program consistently comes up for good reason. It’s built on a foundation of proven methods and provides a clear, structured path for students, whether they’re learning at home or in a classroom. The program combines research-backed techniques with practical, easy-to-use materials, making it a standout choice for parents and educators who want to see real progress and build a child’s reading confidence. Let’s look at what makes this program so effective.
Its Research-Based Multisensory Methods
At the heart of the PRIDE Reading Program is the Orton-Gillingham approach, a method celebrated for its success with students who have dyslexia. This isn’t just about reading from a book; it’s about engaging multiple senses to make learning stick. Students see, hear, and touch as they learn to connect letters with sounds. This multisensory, structured approach is incredibly effective because it helps build and strengthen the neural pathways for reading. By making learning an active experience, the program helps students grasp concepts that might otherwise be abstract and difficult, creating a solid foundation for literacy.
Strong Alignment with the Science of Reading
The PRIDE Reading Program is designed to align with the Science of Reading, which means every lesson is based on decades of research into how we learn to read. The curriculum focuses on the five essential components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This ensures that students receive thorough instruction that covers all the bases, leaving no gaps in their learning. Instead of guesswork, the program provides an explicit and systematic roadmap that has been proven to work, giving you confidence that you’re using an effective, evidence-based tool to support your child’s reading development.
Complete Solutions for Schools and Homeschoolers
One of the program’s greatest strengths is its versatility. Whether you’re a parent looking for a comprehensive homeschool curriculum or an educator seeking solutions for your entire classroom, PRIDE has you covered. The program is designed to be flexible and adaptable to different learning environments without sacrificing its core structured approach. This means you get a complete, out-of-the-box system that is easy to implement. The scripted lessons and clear instructions remove the stress of planning, allowing you to focus on what matters most: teaching your student to read.
Supportive Decodable Books and Practice Materials
To put new skills into action, students need plenty of practice with the right kinds of texts. The PRIDE Reading Program includes a wonderful library of supportive materials, including engaging decodable books and workbooks. These resources are carefully designed to reinforce what’s taught in each lesson, allowing students to read stories using the letter-sound patterns they’ve just learned. This immediate application is key for building fluency and, just as importantly, confidence. When children can successfully read a book from cover to cover, it provides a powerful sense of accomplishment that motivates them to keep learning.
A Look at Other Top Orton-Gillingham Curricula
While we’re confident in the PRIDE Reading Program, our main goal is to see every child succeed. We know that finding the perfect fit for your child or students is what matters most. The good news is that there are several excellent programs built on the same Orton-Gillingham principles that you can explore. Each has a unique approach, and one might be just what you’re looking for. Taking the time to compare your options is a crucial step in supporting your learner’s journey, and we’re here to help you understand the landscape. Let’s walk through some of the other top curricula that have helped countless children with dyslexia learn to read with confidence.
All About Reading
All About Reading is a popular choice, especially within the homeschooling community. It’s known for its engaging, hands-on activities and clear, scripted lessons that make it easy for parents to implement without prior teaching experience. The program uses an Orton-Gillingham approach and is designed to be flexible, allowing you to move at your child’s individual pace. Many parents appreciate this adaptability, as it helps build confidence and avoids overwhelming a struggling reader. By separating reading and spelling into two different programs (All About Reading and All About Spelling), it allows students to progress in each area as they are ready, which can be a huge benefit for learners whose skills are developing at different rates.
Barton Reading and Spelling
The Barton Reading and Spelling System is another highly structured Orton-Gillingham program designed specifically for one-on-one tutoring, making it a go-to for parents and tutors. It’s an intensive system that requires a significant time commitment, but its explicit and systematic instruction is very effective for students with moderate to severe dyslexia. Before starting, the instructor or parent must watch training videos to learn the methodology, ensuring the program is delivered as intended. Barton is praised for its thoroughness, as it breaks down concepts into small, manageable steps to ensure mastery before moving on. This methodical pace helps build a solid foundation for reading and spelling success.
Wilson Reading System
The Wilson Reading System is a comprehensive program often used in schools but also available for private tutors. It’s a Tier 3 intervention program, meaning it’s designed for students with the most significant reading challenges, including dyslexia. Based on Orton-Gillingham practices, Wilson is a very structured curriculum that helps students master concepts in a systematic and cumulative way. The program is broken into 12 steps, and students don’t move on until they have a firm grasp of the current one. This ensures there are no gaps in their learning. Wilson requires certified instructors, so it’s often implemented by teachers who have completed the official training.
Take Flight and Basic Language Skills
Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia and Basic Language Skills (BLS) are both intensive dyslexia therapy programs developed at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. These curricula are highly respected and are often used by certified academic language therapists in clinical or school settings. Like other programs on this list, they are based on the structured literacy approach and provide a solid foundation for reading and spelling. Because these programs require extensive training to implement, they are typically not used by parents at home but are a powerful option when working with a qualified professional. They offer a deep, therapeutic approach to literacy intervention.
Logic of English
Logic of English is a curriculum that aims to explain the rules of English in a straightforward, easy-to-understand way. It’s built on the Orton-Gillingham approach and is known for being thorough and user-friendly for both teachers and parents. The program integrates reading, spelling, and grammar into cohesive lessons. The “Foundations” level, designed for younger learners, is packed with multi-sensory activities and games that keep students engaged. Many families find that Logic of English helps demystify spelling and reading by showing that English is more predictable than it seems. This focus on the “why” behind the rules can be incredibly empowering for students who have previously found language frustrating.
How Do You Choose the Right Dyslexia Curriculum for Your Child?
Choosing the right curriculum for a child with dyslexia can feel like a monumental task, but you’re not alone in this. The goal is to find a program that not only teaches reading but also rebuilds confidence and fosters a love of learning. By focusing on a few key areas, you can find a program that truly connects with your child and sets them up for success. Let’s walk through how to assess your child’s needs, gather the right information, consult with experts, and find a flexible program that works for your family or classroom. This thoughtful approach will help you move forward with clarity and purpose, ensuring you select the best possible tool to support your young reader.
Assess Your Child’s Unique Needs
Every child is different, and that’s especially true for learners with dyslexia. The best curriculum choice depends entirely on your child’s specific needs and your teaching environment. Before you start comparing programs, take some time to observe your child. Do they thrive with a highly structured routine, or do they need more hands-on activities to stay engaged? Think about their personality, attention span, and specific areas of struggle. Understanding their unique learning profile is the first step to finding the perfect fit. Whether you’re searching for a scripted homeschool curriculum or a comprehensive program for a school district, this initial assessment will guide you to the resources that will serve your child best.
Look for Trial Periods and Gather Feedback
Before committing to a program, do a little detective work. Most quality curricula offer sample lessons, video demonstrations, or even trial periods so you can get a feel for the material. Reading reviews from other parents and educators can also provide a realistic picture of how the program works in practice. And remember, you don’t need to be a certified tutor to use effective teaching methods at home. Parents are powerful teachers. The most important ingredients are consistency and patience, because teaching a child with dyslexia to read is a journey that takes time and dedication. Hearing from others who have walked this path can offer both practical advice and much-needed encouragement.
Consult with Education Professionals
You don’t have to make this decision in a vacuum. Consulting with your child’s teacher, an educational psychologist, or a reading specialist can provide clarity and confidence. These professionals can offer insights into your child’s learning patterns and help you understand what to look for in a curriculum. For reading instruction to be effective, it needs to be done often and with intensity, ideally by a skilled instructor. Even if you plan to teach your child yourself, getting advice from experts like the PRIDE Reading Specialists can help you choose the right starting point and implement the program correctly. Their guidance can be an invaluable resource in making an informed choice.
Evaluate the Curriculum’s Flexibility
A reading curriculum shouldn’t be a rigid, one-size-fits-all script. Children with dyslexia learn at their own pace, and the right program will be flexible enough to accommodate that. A truly effective program allows you to be responsive to your child’s needs. As you teach, you’ll find that instruction often needs to be adjusted based on your child’s progress. You may need to add more practice on a tricky concept or spend a few extra days on a lesson, and your curriculum should support that. This adaptability is a hallmark of the Orton-Gillingham approach, ensuring that the instruction is always tailored to the learner’s journey, not the other way around.
What Should You Look for in Curriculum Materials?
When you’re comparing different programs, the curriculum itself is just one piece of the puzzle. The best options come with a full suite of materials designed to support both the student and the instructor. Think of it as a complete toolkit, not just a textbook. The right materials make the lessons stick, help you track progress, and give you the confidence to teach effectively. From specialized books to professional support, these are the resources that can make a significant difference in your child’s learning journey.
Decodable Books and Structured Practice
One of the most critical components of a strong dyslexia curriculum is the use of decodable texts. Unlike standard children’s books that encourage guessing from pictures, decodable books contain only the phonetic patterns a child has already been taught. This allows them to practice their new skills in a controlled, successful way, building confidence with every page. An effective program will organize lessons logically, starting with foundational skills and building from there. The accompanying decodable books and practice materials should align perfectly with this sequence, ensuring your child is never asked to read something they haven’t been explicitly taught how to decode.
Access to Teacher Training and Reading Specialists
A curriculum is only as effective as the person teaching it. For instruction to truly make an impact, it needs to be delivered with skill and consistency. Look for programs that offer comprehensive training and support for parents and teachers. You should feel empowered and confident in your ability to implement the lessons correctly. Some programs go a step further by providing access to highly skilled instructors for additional support. Having the option to work with PRIDE Reading Specialists or other certified tutors can be invaluable, especially if you encounter challenges or want to ensure the instruction is as intensive and effective as possible.
Tools for Tracking Progress
Children with dyslexia don’t follow a straight line when it comes to learning; their path has twists and turns. That’s why progress monitoring is non-negotiable. A good curriculum will have built-in tools to help you assess your child’s understanding every step of the way. This isn’t about high-stakes testing. It’s about diagnostic teaching—the ability to see where your child is excelling and where they might need more review or a different approach. These tools allow you to adjust the pacing and intensity of the lessons to fit your child’s individual needs, ensuring they are always working in that sweet spot of being challenged but not overwhelmed.
Helpful Technology Integration
While direct, multisensory instruction should always be the core of a dyslexia curriculum, technology can be a fantastic supplement. For many learners, especially as they get older, assistive technology can be a game-changer. Tools like speech-to-text software, audiobooks, and spell checkers help bridge the gap between a student’s cognitive abilities and their challenges with reading and writing. When evaluating a program, see if it incorporates or recommends helpful digital tools. Technology should never replace explicit instruction, but when used thoughtfully, it can help students manage their workload, express their ideas, and participate more fully in their education.
Why Structured Literacy Is So Effective
If you’ve ever felt like traditional reading instruction just isn’t clicking for your child, you’re not alone. Many common methods are based on the idea that learning to read is as natural as learning to speak, but for many kids, that’s simply not true. This is where structured literacy comes in. It’s not a single program but a comprehensive approach that teaches reading and writing in a way that makes sense to the brain.
Instead of asking students to guess words from pictures or context, structured literacy breaks language down into its smallest parts. It teaches students the rules and patterns of our language in a clear, step-by-step manner. This method is explicit, systematic, and cumulative, ensuring that students build a solid foundation before moving on to more complex concepts. It’s an approach that works for all students but is absolutely essential for those with dyslexia.
The Difference in Teaching Approach
The core of structured literacy lies in its direct and systematic instruction. Unlike other methods that might encourage memorization or guessing, this approach explicitly teaches the structure of language. It’s built on the proven Orton-Gillingham approach, a powerful, step-by-step phonics system that has been helping children for decades. This method is also multisensory, meaning it engages sight, sound, and touch to help students make lasting connections between letters and sounds. Every lesson builds logically on the one before it, creating a clear path to reading fluency and leaving no room for confusion.
How It Benefits Learners with Dyslexia
For children with dyslexia, the way reading is taught makes all the difference. Standard reading programs often don’t provide the explicit, intensive instruction these learners need. Structured literacy fills that gap. By using a multisensory approach, it helps dyslexic learners process and retain information more effectively. Tracing letters in sand while saying their sounds, for example, creates multiple pathways in the brain for that information to stick. This method directly addresses the core challenges of dyslexia by making the connections between letters and sounds concrete and memorable, building confidence along with skill.
Its Connection to the Science of Reading
Structured literacy isn’t just a different teaching philosophy; it’s the practical application of decades of cognitive research. The Science of Reading is a vast body of evidence that explains how our brains learn to read. This research overwhelmingly shows that explicit, systematic instruction in phonics is the most effective way to teach all children to read. Structured literacy aligns perfectly with these findings. It provides the kind of instruction that scientific research has proven to be essential, especially for struggling readers, ensuring that every child has the tools they need to become a successful, confident reader.
Finding Additional Support for Your Child (and You)
Choosing the right curriculum is a massive step forward, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Building a strong support system for both your child and yourself is what truly brings the learning journey to life. When you have the right people and resources in your corner, you can face challenges with confidence and celebrate every win along the way.
Working with Reading Specialists and Tutors
While many Orton-Gillingham programs are designed for parents and teachers to use, sometimes bringing in a specialist can make all the difference. For reading therapy to be truly effective, it often needs to be frequent and intensive. A trained professional can provide that focused, one-on-one or small-group instruction that targets your child’s specific areas of need. These PRIDE Reading Specialists are experts in the structured literacy approach and can offer a level of personalized guidance that accelerates progress and builds your child’s confidence. They can work with your chosen curriculum to ensure your child is getting the most out of every lesson.
Parent Training and Education Opportunities
You are your child’s most important teacher, and you don’t need to be a certified expert to use effective teaching methods at home. Empowering yourself with knowledge is one of the best things you can do. Many programs offer training materials and support to help you feel confident implementing the lessons. The more you understand the “why” behind the methods—like how multisensory activities support memory or why systematic phonics is so critical—the better you can guide your child. This knowledge helps you stay consistent and turn everyday moments into learning opportunities, reinforcing what they learn in their formal lessons.
Online Communities and Resources
Remember, you are not on this journey alone. Connecting with other parents who are also teaching a child with dyslexia is incredibly validating and helpful. Online communities, like Facebook groups or local parent networks, are fantastic places to share strategies, ask for advice, and find encouragement from people who truly get it. Hearing from other families about their experiences with different curricula or how they handle a tough day can provide fresh perspective and much-needed solidarity. These groups are often a treasure trove of shared resources, tips, and moral support.
Using Assistive Technology and Tools
Assistive technology can be a game-changer for children with dyslexia, helping to bridge the gap between their intellectual abilities and their challenges with reading and writing. Tools like text-to-speech software can read digital text aloud, while speech-to-text programs can help a child get their thoughts on paper without struggling with spelling. Audiobooks are another wonderful resource that allows children to access grade-level content and enjoy stories without the stress of decoding. These tools don’t replace direct reading instruction, but they provide crucial support that allows your child to keep up with their peers and show what they know.
Your First Steps with a New Dyslexia Curriculum
Starting a new curriculum can feel like a huge step, filled with both hope and a little bit of uncertainty. But you’ve done the hard work of choosing a program, and now it’s time to put it into action. The key to a successful start isn’t just about opening the book to lesson one; it’s about creating the right environment and mindset for learning. Think of this as building a strong foundation for all the progress to come.
Before you dive in, take a moment to prepare. Your role is to be a guide and a cheerleader, creating a positive and supportive space where your child feels safe to learn and make mistakes. The first few weeks are about establishing a routine and getting comfortable with the new material together. By focusing on a few core principles from the very beginning, you can set your child—and yourself—up for a rewarding experience. Let’s walk through the three most important first steps to take.
Set Realistic Expectations
First things first: take a deep breath. Teaching a child with dyslexia to read is a journey, and progress takes time and patience. Even with the very best curriculum, you won’t see a massive transformation overnight. Instead, you’ll see small, steady gains that build on each other. Some concepts will click right away, while others might take a lot more practice, and that’s completely normal.
Your main goal is to foster consistency and celebrate every small victory. Did your child master a new sound or read a sentence more smoothly than last week? That’s a win! Try to let go of rigid timelines and focus on your child’s individual pace. A positive, encouraging attitude will make a world of difference in keeping them motivated.
Implement Individualized Instruction
No two children learn in exactly the same way, and that’s especially true for kids with dyslexia. A great curriculum is a powerful tool, but you are the one who will bring it to life for your child. Be prepared to adapt the lessons to fit their specific needs. This might mean spending extra time on a tricky concept, adding more hands-on activities, or finding creative ways to practice a skill.
Effective instruction is often frequent and focused. Shorter, daily sessions are usually more productive than one long, overwhelming lesson each week. If you ever feel out of your depth, remember that you don’t have to do it alone. Working with trained instructors, like the PRIDE Reading Specialists, can provide the intensive, skilled support that helps many children thrive.
Monitor Progress and Adjust as Needed
As you begin teaching, put on your detective hat. Your job is to observe what’s working and where your child might be getting stuck. A core principle of structured literacy is that it’s systematic and explicit, but you can always adjust the pacing. Children with dyslexia often need to “overlearn” material, meaning they need much more repetition than their peers to achieve mastery.
Don’t be afraid to review past lessons or spend an extra day on a concept until your child feels confident. Keep simple notes on their progress. This will help you see patterns over time and recognize how far they’ve come. This ongoing process of teaching, observing, and adjusting is what will ultimately lead to lasting success.
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Frequently Asked Questions
My child is really bright in other subjects. How can they have dyslexia? This is such a common and important question. It’s essential to know that dyslexia has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence. In fact, many individuals with dyslexia are incredibly bright, creative, and excel in areas like problem-solving, art, and science. Dyslexia is simply a difference in how the brain processes language. Think of it as a specific wiring challenge for reading, not a reflection of your child’s overall intellectual ability.
Is dyslexia just about reversing letters like ‘b’ and ‘d’? While reversing letters is a sign many people associate with dyslexia, it’s only a small piece of a much bigger picture. The core challenge of dyslexia is phonological processing, which is the ability to recognize and work with the sounds in spoken language. This is what makes it difficult to connect letters to their sounds and blend them into words. So, while you might see letter reversals, the more significant signs are often things like trouble sounding out words, inconsistent spelling, and slow, labored reading.
With so many good Orton-Gillingham programs, how do I pick the one that’s truly right for my family? It can feel overwhelming when so many programs seem to share the same great principles. The best way to choose is to think about your child’s personality and your family’s lifestyle. Does your child learn best with lots of hands-on games? Do you need a program with scripted lessons that require very little prep time? The “best” curriculum is the one you can implement consistently and that keeps your child engaged. Looking at sample lessons and reading reviews from other parents can help you find the perfect fit.
How long should I expect to use a structured literacy curriculum before my child is ‘caught up’? Teaching a child with dyslexia to read is a marathon, not a sprint. Because structured literacy works by building new neural pathways in the brain, progress is steady and gradual rather than sudden. There isn’t a magic timeline, as every child’s journey is unique. The focus should be on mastering each skill before moving on, not on speed. By celebrating small wins and remaining patient and consistent, you are giving your child the tools for lifelong reading success, which is a goal worth taking your time on.
Can I really teach my child myself, or do I need to hire a specialist? You absolutely can be your child’s most effective teacher. Many structured literacy programs are designed specifically for parents to use at home, providing you with the scripted lessons and materials you need to teach with confidence. The most important ingredients you bring are your dedication and one-on-one attention. That said, a reading specialist can be a wonderful partner on this journey, especially if your child has significant challenges or if you want to ensure the instruction is as intensive as possible. It doesn’t have to be an either/or choice; many families find a combination of home instruction and professional support works best.