Why OG Course is Essential for Effective Dyslexia Intervention
A learning disorder called dyslexia impairs a person’s reading, writing, and spelling capacity. It is crucial to provide effective intervention strategies for individuals with dyslexia to help them overcome reading difficulties and succeed academically. One widely recognized and highly effective intervention approach is the Orton Gillingham certification. This article will explore why the OG course is essential for effective dyslexia intervention and how it addresses the specific needs of individuals with dyslexia.
Understanding the Orton-Gillingham Approach
The Orton-Gillingham approach is a structured, multisensory, and systematic method of teaching literacy skills. In the early 20th century, it was developed by Dr Samuel T. Orton, a neurologist, and Anna Gillingham, an educator. The OG approach is based on the understanding that individuals with dyslexia have difficulty connecting sounds to letters and blending them to form words. Therefore, the OG course focuses on teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, encoding, and spelling in a highly structured and explicit manner.
Individualized Instruction
One of the key strengths of the OG course is its individualised instruction. Each student receives personalised lessons tailored to their specific needs and learning style. The OG instructor assesses the student’s strengths and weaknesses and designs a targeted intervention plan accordingly. This individualised approach ensures that students receive the appropriate level of support and instruction, allowing them to progress at their own pace and address their specific areas of difficulty.
Multisensory Techniques
The OG course incorporates multisensory techniques, engaging multiple senses simultaneously to enhance learning and retention. Students with dyslexia often benefit from a multisensory approach, which helps them better understand and internalise information. In the OG course, students use sight, hearing, touch, and movement to learn and practice letter-sound correspondences, blending and segmenting sounds, and spelling rules. By actively involving multiple senses, the OG approach creates stronger neural connections, making learning more accessible and effective for students with dyslexia.
Structured and Sequential Instruction
The OG course provides structured and sequential instruction, breaking reading and spelling skills into smaller, manageable components. It follows a logical progression, starting with basic phonological skills and gradually building upon them. The structured and sequential nature of the OG approach helps students develop a solid foundation in reading and spelling, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of language skills.
Explicit Phonics Instruction
In the OG course, phonics instruction plays a crucial role. Students diagnosed with dyslexia often face difficulties developing phonemic awareness and phonics skills, which can hinder their ability to decode words accurately. The OG course provides explicit and systematic phonics instruction, teaching students the relationship between sounds and letters step-by-step.
Through direct instruction, guided practice, and continuous reinforcement, students learn to recognize letter-sound correspondences, blend sounds, and apply phonics rules to read and spell words. Through explicit phonics instruction, the OG approach equips students with the essential foundational skills required for achieving reading success.
Building Language Skills
In addition to reading and spelling, the OG course also focuses on building overall language skills. Students with dyslexia often struggle with vocabulary development, comprehension, and expressive language. By strengthening these language skills, the OG course supports reading and spelling abilities and overall communication and academic success.
Comprehensive and Lifelong Strategies
The OG course equips students with comprehensive, lifelong strategies beyond the classroom. It teaches students self-awareness about their learning styles, strengths, and areas of need. These skills empower students to become independent learners, capable of applying their knowledge and strategies in various academic and real-life situations.
Conclusion
The Orton Gillingham certification is a highly effective intervention approach for individuals with dyslexia. Its individualized instruction, multisensory techniques, structured and sequential instruction, explicit phonics teaching, language skill development, and comprehensive strategies make it essential for effective dyslexia intervention. By implementing the OG approach, educators can provide targeted support and empower students with dyslexia to overcome reading difficulties, develop strong literacy skills, and thrive academically.
