Dyslexia Program - Reading Improvement Program

Do you know someone who:

• Guesses at words while reading, particularly based upon context or the first letter of the word?
• Simply skips the word if he does not know it, not even attempting to decode the word?
• Has learned to read by memorization, rather than decoding?
• Has learned to read by the shape of the word, rather than decoding, such as reading skate for shade?
• Adds sounds to words, deletes sounds in words, skips whole syllables, moves sounds around within words?
• Often misreads or skips small words such as: the, from, to and of?
• Lacks fluency in oral reading, and in turn the lack of fluency then interferes with comprehension?
• May appear to comprehend what they have read, especially if reading silently?
• Has better comprehension if they read silently rather than out loud?
• Is easily distracted when reading?
• Often skips whole lines and loses his place while reading?
• Has troubles with rapid naming tasks?
• Has difficulties with word retrieval skills in conversation, often using vague words such as “thing” and “stuff” and uses many “um’s” while trying to think of what the word is or possibly trying to formulate his thoughts in his head?
• Often misspeaks words such as: ‘fork for spoon’ or ‘pasghetti for spaghetti’ or ‘boat house for house boat’?
• Confuses similar sounding words in meaning?
• Does not understand jokes and takes language very literally?
• Homework takes an exceptionally long time to complete?
• Hates to read out loud?
• Has difficulties with pencil grip and handwriting skills?
• Has a low frustration tolerance when it comes to Reading, Writing and Spelling?
• Has had their self esteem impacted because of difficulties in Reading, Writing and Spelling?
• Has difficulties memorizing Math Facts, but understands the concepts of Math?
• Has or had a difficult time learning to tell time?
• Has difficulties distinguishing between left and right immediately ?
• Gets lost easily?
• Has difficulties with rhyming skills and remembering nursery rhymes, as well as difficulties with rhythms?
• Is past First Grade and still confuses letters and numbers with similar appearances, such as: /6/ and /9/, /b/ and /d/, /p/ and /q/, /u/ and /n/? (Reversals are typical in young children, but after completing First Grade, reversals have usually disappeared?)
• Has difficulties remembering sight words for Reading and Spelling?
• Has inconsistent spelling patterns, spelling the same word in different ways throughout a paper?
• Likes to be read to, but dislikes reading himself?
• Has or had unusual speech patterns? (Delayed speech is often the first sign of Dyslexia.)
• Started talking later than the typical child, despite developing typically in all other ways?
• Has difficulties sequencing and remembering long strings of words or numbers?
• Has difficulties doing story problems in Math class?
• Has had other outside tutoring or extra help at home and has not made the expected progress?
• Has been known to say often, “I have to work so much harder than everyone else! And then they still do better than me on the test!" Yet, this person can tell you the information?
• Has difficulties with test taking?
• Has At Least low average intelligence?
• Has decreased mechanics of writing in their written language skills such as spelling, capitalization, punctuation, sentence structure, use of tense, etc?

If so, this child or adult may benefit from the skilled teaching using, "The Wilson Reading Language Program," an Orton-Gillingham based program.

The Wilson Reading Language Program was designed for the following target population:

• Children and adults with Dyslexia,
• Students unable to decode accurately,
• Slow labored readers who lack fluency,
• Students who may have learned to read by memorizing sight words, but are unable to read NONSENSE words or decipher long words,
• Students who are able to understand and speak English, but not read and write English, (ESL students),
• Poor spellers,
• Students that have been unsuccessful in all other reading programs, but still have gaps in their decoding skills,
• Students that have weak phonological, morphological and semantic language skills,
• Students who have been diagnosed with any type of Language Learning Disability that may be effecting Reading and Spelling development,
• Students with ADD/ADHD that may be having difficulties with Reading and Spelling development.

A specific diagnosis of Dyslexia or any type of learning disability is NOT necessary to benefit from this program. Students from Second Grade through adulthood can benefit from this program.

THE WILSON LANGUAGE PROGRAM

The Wilson Language Program teaches English language word structure with a step by step process. It is an Orton Gillingham based approach. It moves from simple to complex concepts. The student does not move on to the next skill until mastery of that skill has been achieved. Thus, a student may be on one lesson for several sessions. Within each lesson, the skill being addressed is taught in ten different ways, (six for Reading and four for Spelling), using as many of our senses as possible. There is constant review of old skills. Each lesson is INDIVDUALIZED by constantly addressing the student’s particular weaknesses within each given lesson. There is a sound tapping system that is very successful and multi-sensory in scope. The Wilson Language Program is based upon six syllable types, with each having its own exception. Those syllable types are: The Closed Syllable, The Vowel Consonant Silent /e/ Syllable, The Open Syllable, The Consonant /le/ Syllable, The /R/ Controlled Syllable, and the Double Vowel Syllable. This program not only addresses decoding, (reading), and encoding, (spelling), but also reading comprehension, reading fluency, and expressive and receptive language skills, which are so often at the very core of the reading issue. It is also very easy to incorporate speech therapy into a session, which so often coincides with the reading issue. There are twelve books in the program. These books do NOT correspond with grade levels. The program can take anywhere from one to three years to complete, depending on individual student issues and needs. Research has proven that one time per week does not present enough repetition for success. This program requires a minimum of two one-hour sessions per week. Some students are seen more than two times per week, and some students benefit from longer sessions at two times per week. Research on this program has shown that in an average of 62 sessions, (basically one school year at two times per week), students had an average gain of 4.6 grade levels in Word Attack and Decoding skills, and an average increase in Passage Comprehension of 1.6 Grade Levels. This study was completed while studying the progress of 220 language learning disabled students, while being taught specifically with the WILSON LANGUAGE PROGRAM. This study was called, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE WILSON READING SYSTEM USED IN PUBLIC SCHOOL TRAINING. It is important to note that Spelling always lags somewhat behind actual decoding, but in the end the goal is that Spelling skills catch up by the completion of the program. Many students do not need this program in its entirety.

Specific Baseline testing is necessary to make sure that the student is an appropriate candidate for the Wilson Language Program. This data also serves as a measurement of comparison for progress at periodic intervals throughout the treatment. See Dyslexia Screening page for more information on baseline testing.  

	2008 Summer Program Orton Gillingham Based Small Group Reading Instruction
SIGN UP for SUMMER 2008- Small groups of specialized reading and spelling therapy using methodology of the research based Orton Gillingham approach for students who are at least two years behind in Reading or Spelling. Groups have five to six students and are availabale only in the Summer. Groups meet two times per week for two hours each session.

If you would like more information on the Dyslexia Program/Reading Improvement Program, please contact Dawn Werts Philbin, MA/CCC/SLP.

Dawn Werts Philbin, MA/CCC/SLP and Dyslexia Specialist, Director of:
THE SPEECH LANGUAGE DYSLEXIA CLINIC, P.C.
Serving the Metro Des Moines area and Central Iowa region
Waukee, Iowa
(515) 987-6532
Email:

Copyright 2006-2008 Dawn Werts Philbin, MA/CCC/SLP, Waukee, Iowa

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