The core of the argument concerning the reading wars is about methodology. This is HOW your child is being taught. Whole Language is one way or METHOD of teaching reading. Orton Gillingham is another. However, OG specifically addresses the needs of learners with dyslexia. Whole language learning does not.
Some children with Dyslexia memorize the shapes of words. This is because the letters could appear to the child in any order. If they memorize the shape of the word, they can give the impression they are reading. (You may have heard the phrase, “guessing is not reading”. This is where that phrase comes from.) In guided reading, we teach children to look at familiar parts of words. We teach them to use the pictures to help them. We teach them to use context clues. Children with Dyslexia will focus on “using the pictures” as their primary strategy. Take those pictures away, and suddenly they cannot read. They have a hard time using known parts of words or “chunks” because, again, the parts of the word or the letters may be processed in a different order in the brain. This strategy is not effective for them. Context clues also becomes a challenge because the reader is supposed to use the words around the unknown word to help it make sense. Again, the way words are processed in the dyslexic brain does not correlate with this method. Thus, a different method will be more effective. Using a method that utilizes phonemic awareness, with a focus on syllables and rules, is appropriate methodology for children with Dyslexia. We know this. Research has proven this. Yet, getting an IEP team understand this is usually a HUGE undertaking.
We know children with Dyslexia needs specialized instruction. This has been upheld in the court system. Research also shows they need a multi-sensory approach to reading. This is not whole language. This is OG, Barton, Wilson, and Lindamood Bell. But these are not the methods most public schools use, have access to, or are even trained in. Districts will not commit to the purchasing or the training of these programs because it can be expensive. Getting a district to financially commit is always a fight in the world of advocacy. Always.
The reason why IEP teams have a hard time with developing IEP’s for children with dyslexia comes down to methodology. IDEA does not say a school has to use a specific method at the parents’ request. IDEA just says they need specialized instruction to meet their unique needs. A school can offer specialized instruction without using OG or any other method you may suggest. Methodology then becomes a gray area in which IEP teams across the country debate about. It is rare to get a school to admit their methodology is not working. It takes an extensive amount of data collection, time, and debate.
My training influences my philosophy about methodology. If something is working for a child and allowing them to make gains towards their goals, it needs to be allowed. The Federal Department of Education states, “if an IEP Team determines that specific instructional methods are necessary for the child to receive FAPE, the instructional methods may be addressed in the IEP.” The decision is truly left to the state and local school districts. Unfortunately, it is easy for many districts to say “no”. They know you will have to file a state complaint, or due process, or obtain a lawyer. Most families give up at this point understanding it could take 2-3 years of legal proceedings to see any progress. It’s not personal, it is a systemic problem.
The true consequences, in the end, is that children with Dyslexia are not getting what they need to succeed in school. It is a fact and not up for debate in my mind. So… case by case, family by family, child by child, I do my best to prove METHODOLOGY MATTERS. www.inspire1learning.com
