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​FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  1. What is Orton-Gillingham tutoring and why is it necessary? 
  2. Do I need to get my child screened or tested for dyslexia? 
  3. How do parents know if their child's reading delay is a real problem or simply a “developmental lag” and how long should parents wait before seeking help if their child is struggling with reading?
  4. What is Irlen Syndrome and what can be done about it? 
  5. ​What is a typical tutoring session like? 
  6. How long is a tutoring program?


What is Orton-Gillingham tutoring and why is it necessary?


Who were Orton & Gillingham?
Dr. Samuel Orton (1879-1948) was a neuro-psychiatrist who left his practice to devote his efforts to what we now call dyslexia. Dr. Orton was the first to determine that the condition was genetic and could be treated through the right educational methods. Many of his findings and practices have been validated over the last 70 years through scientific evidence.

Anna Gillingham (1878-1963) was an educator and psychologist, as well as a master of the English language. She assisted Dr. Orton by compiling and publishing instructional materials based on his findings.

What is Orton-Gillingham instruction?

Orton-Gillingham instruction is not a program, but a teaching approach. True Orton-Gillingham (or O-G) instruction is based on several key attributes.

In a nutshell, this approach is multi-sensory in that the visual, auditory and kinesthetic channels all reinforce each other and are employed simultaneously when possible. This strengthens both short and long term memory. It is structured, sequential and cumulative: each step is directly taught, in logical fashion, moving from simple to complex, with continuous review. It is based on English language rules so that the student can confidently apply the skills he has learned without guessing or resorting to memorizing. It is individualized and flexible, custom-designed to the needs of the student. And lessons are designed to build confidence because the student can achieve and experience mastery.

Why is it necessary?

Dyslexic children learn best when using as many learning modes simultaneously as possible; these include the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic channels. When reading instruction is effectively multi-sensory, neurological pathways are strengthened. Orton-Gillingham methods of teaching incorporate all of these learning modes. Learning to read is broken down to as much of an exact science as possible for these children. They learn to analyze each word so that guessing is eliminated. They break down words, sound by sound, and put them together again. They learn the rules that govern our language in a way that sticks into their long-term memories so that the English language begins to make much more sense. Each element is presented in a systematic way and is continuously reviewed.

Do I need to get my child screened or tested for dyslexia?


Your child is struggling with reading and spelling. You've read the warning signs of dyslexia page, and it sounds a lot like your child. Now, what do you do?

You can go ahead and start your child with appropriate intervention without having him screened. This is perfectly acceptable. I will have to do a simple test to find out if he is ready for an Orton-Gillingham intervention program. If he is not ready yet, I can advise you on what you can do to help prepare your child for an Orton-Gillingham program.

 How do parents know if their child's reading delay is a real problem or simply a “developmental lag” and how long should parents wait before seeking help if their child is struggling with reading?

Answer by Susan Hall, coauthor of Straight Talk About Reading:

Beware of the developmental lag excuse for several reasons:

First, I have listened to parent after parent tell me about feeling there was a problem early on, yet being persuaded to discount their intuition and wait to seek help for their child. Later, when they learned time is of the essence in developing reading skills, the parents regretted the lost months or years.

Second, research shows that the crucial window of opportunity to deliver help is during the first couple of years of school. So if your child is having trouble learning to read, the best approach is to take immediate action. Knowing how soon to act is easy if you know the conclusions of recent research.

Reading researchers say the ideal window of opportunity for addressing reading difficulties is during kindergarten and first grade. The National Institutes of Health state that 95 percent of poor readers can be brought up to grade-level if they receive effective help early.

While it is still possible to help an older child with reading, those beyond third grade require much more intensive help. The longer you wait to get help for a child with reading difficulties, the harder it will be for that child to catch up. If help is given in fourth grade (rather than in late kindergarten), it takes four times as long to improve the same skills by the same amount.

 What is Irlen Syndrome and what can be done about it?

Irlen syndrome, also known as Scotopic Sensitivity, is a problem with visual perception where people have difficulty processing text as a result of dysfunction within the areas of the brain used to interpret visual information. The anatomy of the eye is usually healthy and there's no physical reason why the patient should have trouble with visual perception. The exact nature of this condition has been a topic of debate in the international medical community.

In people with Irlen syndrome, text is rendered difficult to read in a variety of conditions, particularly in bright light and when the text appears on a white or pale background. The text can appear blurred, garbled, or scrambled. Wearing colored lenses to filter light before it enters the eye appears to help, as does presenting text on colored backgrounds and in low light.

People with Irlen syndrome may be mistakenly identified as people with learning disorders because they have trouble learning to read. Do not confuse dyslexia with Irlen Syndrome. Dyslexia is a language processing problem which makes it difficult for people to access text. Irlen Syndrome is a perceptual processing problem which makes it difficult for people to access print. These are two different problems and must be treated in two different ways. However, the two conditions can co-exist. It is estimated that around 20% of the dyslexic population also suffers from Irlen Syndrome.

One or more of these symptoms may be related to the condition:

  • Eye-strain
  • Fatigue
  • Headaches (including migraine)
  • Nausea, including visually related motion sickness
  • Problems with depth perception (catching balls, judging distance, etc.)
  • Restricted field of view and span of recognition
  • Discomfort with busy patterns, particularly stripes ("visual stress" and "pattern glare")
  • Discomfort with extreme conditions of bright/dark contrast (i.e. backlighting)
  • Discomfort or difficulty reading (reading involves busy patterns, particularly stripes. People with strong symptoms of the syndrome find it very difficult to read black text on white paper, particularly when the paper is slightly shiny.)
  • Text that appears to move (rise, fall, swirl, shake, etc.)
  • Losing text content and only seeing rivers of white through the text
  • Words moving together becoming one unrecognizable word
  • Attention and concentration difficulties
  • Seeing the part and losing the whole
  • Epileptic seizure related to strobing or pattern glare


To find out more about Irlen Syndrome or to find a certified tester, please visit the Irlen Institute's website.

 What is a typical tutoring session like?

All tutoring is done one-on-one. As your child's personal tutor, I will go at your child's pace using time-tested, multi-sensory methods, pinpointing your child's specific challenges and directly working to help your child make a significant improvement. I do progress monitoring and will have an active and open relationship with you, the parent, to regularly inform you of your child's progress, suggest ways to reinforce learning at home and give you professional advice on anything else that may assist your child's learning, such as homework accommodations.  I really try to make the tutoring sessions fun for the child. I know how hard they work all day at school. After-school tutoring just isn’t their idea of a good thing. I am sensitive to this and go out of my way to actively engage the child in their learning. 

 How long is a tutoring program?

If your child is moderately to severely dyslexic, please view tutoring as a long-term necessity rather than a short-term "quick fix". It generally takes a moderately ("classically") dyslexic student 2-3 years to make their way through most Orton-Gillingham based programs such as the Barton Reading & Spelling System.

Consistent, systematic instruction is the key. Your child will make progress and close the gap in his reading and spelling skills if you stay the course. I recommend tutoring at least twice a week. That is the minimum amount of time for the new skills taught to “stick.” It generally takes at least 24 tutoring sessions for noticeable improvement to take place. Improvement will continue to grow at a steady rate thereafter.