Structured literacy for dyslexia with Slingerland

What is Dyslexia?

According to the official definition adopted by the International Dyslexia Association in 2003, dyslexia is neurobiological in origin and its characteristics include poor phonological awareness, word recognition, spelling and decoding abilities, as well poor comprehension as a secondary symptom. It is also unrelated to intelligence or other cognitive abilities.  

Dyslexia is associated with specific cognitive deficits related to the brain’s ability to process and integrate visual and auditory input of linguistic nature and it occurs among approximately 17% to 20% of school-aged children. It is precisely related to visually presented linguistic information/ written language.

It is neurobiological in origin, because it involves the neural systems of the brain that process the auditory and visual aspects of language: the sound structure and orthographic coding. Reading involves many regions of the brain, but the regions associated with phonological processing are predominantly linked to dyslexia.

Children with dyslexia often resort to memorizing words instead of using phonetic decoding strategies.

What does the Science of Reading tell us?

The science of learning shows that the brain actively connects new information to existing knowledge stored in memory. The metalinguistic approach used in Orton-Gillingham—where learners engage in analyzing and manipulating language elements—is well aligned with the science of reading. In each lesson, the teacher builds on prior knowledge to introduce and reinforce new concepts.

The Slingerland Approach enables students to actively engage in the learning process rather than rely on rote memory.