| Educational Therapy Services |
Reading Therapy
I use an Orton-Gillingham approach to reading. This is a multi-sensory and systematic form of instruction that teaches language in its morphological, phonological, syntactic, and semantic aspects to build stronger language skills. I focus on improving the student’s decoding, spelling, and reading fluency.
What is Orton-Gillingham?
The Orton-Gillingham Multisensory Method was developed in the early 1930’s by Dr. Samuel Orton (a neurologist), Anna Gillingham (an educator), and a group of master teachers. It is the pure, unchanged, Original method.
The basic principles
- It teaches the phonemic structure of written language
- It is a sequential system that builds upon itself
- Shows how sounds and letters are related and how they act in words
- Shows how to attack a word and break it up into smaller pieces
- It is a multisensory approach - all the senses are involved in learning: visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic
What is taught ?
- Phonemic Awareness
- Phoneme/Grapheme Correspondence
- The Six Types Of Syllables
- Probabilities and Rules of Language
- Roots and Affixes, as well as Morphology to expand vocabulary and comprehension
The Method
- Simultaneous Multisensory Instruction
- Intense Instruction with Ample Practice
- Direct, Explicit Instruction
- Systematic and Cumulative
- Synthetic- letter and sound used to form a word
- Analytic- break word into smaller pieces
- Diagnostic Teaching
Benefits
- Allows for flexibility
- Students receiving OG instruction often improve up to 2 grade levels in reading and spelling in one year.
- Students learn the rules of language and how to apply them.
- Students develop a deeper understanding of language.
- It is research-based.
- Multi-sensory, organized, and cumulative.
- Enhanced by the skill and knowledge of the instructor.
- Designed to be very interactive between teacher and student.
- Also includes sight word instruction, vocabulary, oral expressive language development, and comprehension.
- Builds competence and confidence with reading.
- The child experiences success at each step, and is therefore willing to take risks to further his or her reading as never before.
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What is Wilson Reading?
The Wilson Reading System is a research-based reading and writing program. It is founded on the Orton-Gillingham principal. Wilson is a complete curriculum for teaching decoding and encoding (spelling) beginning with phoneme segmentation. It directly teaches the structure of words in the English language so that students master the coding system for reading and spelling.
Benefits
- Students receiving WR instruction often improve up to 2 grade levels in reading and spelling in one year.
- Students learn the rules of language and how to apply them.
- Students develop a deeper understanding of language.
- It is research-based.
- Multi-sensory, organized, and cumulative.
- Uses controlled text, which builds reading fluency, speed, and accuracy.
- Designed to be very interactive between teacher and student.
- Also includes sight word instruction, vocabulary, oral expressive language development, and comprehension.
- Builds competence and confidence with reading.
- The child experiences success at each step, and is therefore willing to take risks to further his or her reading as never before.
- Highly motivating.
- Improves language and communication skills
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Writing Skills
I use a multi-sensory approach to teach writing skills. Writing begins on the sentence level. The student learns the grammatical structure and conventions of sentences. Then the student learns to organize his or her writing into a simple, extended, or five paragraph essay. This includes the use of effective transitions, paragraph structure, vocabulary usage and grammar, and editing. Graphic organizers are used to help the student become gain ability and confidence with writing.
Handwriting Skills
I use an Orton-Gillingham approach, which emphasizes handwriting, along with reading and spelling. The student develops gross motor as well as fine-motor handwriting skills. I use visual cues along with physical prompts to help the student with letter formation. The student gains automaticity and confidence.
Math Therapy
I use a hands-on multi-sensory approach for math. Students develop computation skills and word problem solving strategies.
Reading Comprehension
I use a multi-sensory approach, which emphasizes active reading strategies.
Vocabulary, language skills, and decoding skills are strengthened which in turn increases reading comprehension ability.
Cognitive Training
This training consists on improving the following skills:
• Focus and concentration
• Auditory processing
• Visual processing
• Higher thinking skills
• Phonemic awareness
• Memory improvement
Success Training
• Organization
• Executive Functioning
• Time management
• Self-confidence
• Study skills
• Test-taking skills
• Materials management
• Communication skills
• Academic coaching
I provide help for: ADHD, ADD, low vision, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyslexia, aspergers syndrome, language disabilities, learning disabilities, non-verbal learning disabilities, CAPD (central auditory processing disorder), poor executive functioning
More services I provide: parent education, special needs workshop presentations, teacher training
Approach
• Multi-sensory…visual, kinesthetic, auditory, and tactile senses engaged
• Research-based…Including: Orton-Gillingham Reading, Wilson Reading, Touch Math, and other multi-sensory based approaches.
• Success-oriented…to insure child feels better about himself and succeeds in school and in life.
• Use of 100+ of my original, unique materials and strategies to make learning fun and improve and accelerate processing, learning, and performance.
• Draws from different disciplines..Including special education, language therapy, vision therapy, occupational therapy, neuroscience, neuropsychology, and psychology
Strategies
• Skill-building…to mastery (98% or better) before moving on to the next skill
• Consistent direction...cuing and prompting
• Ample practice
• Strengthening of other areas…executive functioning, attention, organization, visual processing, auditory processing, visual tracking, fluency, performance speed, handwriting, visual discrimination, auditory discrimination, precision, memory, cognitive skills, perceptual skills, language skills
• Use of workbooks, manipulative, organizers, and visual cues
Links
ISER: Special Education Assessments, Therapy, Schools, Programs for Children, Teens, Young Adults |
