When a child faces difficulty with reading, it can be challenging for both children and parents. However, it’s important to understand why it happens. Reading challenges can develop from comprehension issues or stem from dyslexia. If your child faces difficulty with reading, it is essential to identify the reason.
Difference Between Dyslexia and Difficulty with Reading Comprehension
Dyslexia is a type of learning disability that makes it challenging for students to decode words they are reading. Dyslexia doesn’t solely affect reading, it can make spelling and writing difficult too. Dyslexic students find it difficult to match letters with the sounds they make. When a child cannot read fluently, they may have dyslexia. They may also find it difficult to spell words accurately and spend a lot of time trying to sound out those words. Generally, these are words that they must recognize and say immediately. Toronto tutor can help dyslexic students read fluently using different techniques.
On the other hand, children who face difficulty with reading comprehension don’t have difficulty decoding symbols and letters in all settings. Rather, they can read the words fluently, but they find it difficult to understand the meaning of those words. Reading comprehension challenges can stem from difficulties with language processing.
Do Dyslexic Students Have Trouble with Reading Comprehension?
Yes, if a child has dyslexia, they may have trouble with reading comprehension because of their difficulty processing language. They may add or miss words, misread words, or have trouble conjugating verbs.
How Do Dyslexics Learn to Read?
Orton Gillingham’s approach was the first teaching method designed to support dyslexic students who face difficulty in reading comprehension. Tutors can support those students by teaching the connection between letters and sounds. Orton Gillingham tutors use this approach, including a multisensory approach. It is highly effective for teaching dyslexic students.
- Orton Gillingham’s approach teaches how to break words into their syllables and phonemes to read the words.
- Orton Gillingham’s approach teaches dyslexic students to break words orally into their syllables and phonemes to spell the word.
- Orton Gillingham tutor supports dyslexic students to develop fluency and automaticity at the word level.
Features of Orton Gillingham’s Approach
Orton Gillingham’s approach is:
- Explicit: The rules of decoding and encoding are taught explicitly. Dyslexic students need to be taught every rule explicitly.
- Systematic and Structured: Systematic instruction teaches new concepts systematically while following a previous approach. Structured instruction means that information is provided in a sequence that shows the connection between what was previously learned and the new concept being taught.
- Sequential and Cumulative: There must be a clear plan to teach all the rules, building from the basic to the more complex. One step builds from the previous one. This is why it is crucial to follow the program as it is shown in the curriculum.
- Multisensory: Orton Gillingham tutors engage dyslexic students’ learning senses to help the information to be stored for a long time in memory.
- Individualized: Although specific techniques and the program must be followed as presented, students should move through the program at a pace that allows them to develop fluency and automaticity for each step. They should only move from one step to the next once they have built fluency for each level of language skills.
- Diagnostic and Prescriptive: The tutor or teacher monitors skill development at each stage. The instructional practices are based on observations from the previous lesson and what is considered necessary to progress the student in the next lesson.
If you find your child is struggling with reading comprehension, you can speak to our tutors at Class in Session. We follow Orton Gillingham’s approach to support children with dyslexia and improve their reading, writing and spelling skills.