Helping a child overcome reading challenges can be a confusing process given options like tutoring, school interventions or IEPs. In recent years, a helpful trend has started as reading experts are recommending parents seek a structured literacy approach to reading that follows the science of reading methodology. This means there is a greater focus on blending sounds and phonetics vs. common reading strategies like cuing or the whole language approach which focuses more on meaning and context vs. sounding out words.
According to the Science of Reading, a structured literacy approach to reading instruction is aligned with what we know about how the brain learns to read. Structured literacy programs include explicit, systematic teaching that focuses on phonological awareness, word recognition, phonics and decoding, spelling, and syntax at the sentence and paragraph levels.
One of the most common structured literacy approaches is the Orton-Gillingham methodology. The OG methodology emphasizes phonetics and auditory processing skills.
The LearningRx Woodbury reading training is also a structured literacy program.
The LearningRx reading program is a one-on-one, multi-sensory, structured literacy program delivered through a brain training approach.
What sets LearningRx Woodbury apart from all other structured literacy and reading interventions is our focus on building strong cognitive skills first because they are the foundation for all learning. Based on the Science of Reading and the Cattell-Horn-Carrol Theory of Cognition, the LearningRx reading program includes explicit and systematic instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. To our knowledge, we are the only reading program that trains phonemic awareness and phonics along with memory, processing speed, visual processing, attention, and reasoning skills.
Why is this important?
Because if a child has weak skills in areas like memory or processing speed, both reading fluency and reading comprehension will be impacted.
Memory is a critical reading skill as it enables word recognition – sight words and all the odd English rules and exceptions that drive non-phonetic words like “said” which cannot be sounded out, only memorized. Memory will also impact reading retention and comprehension.
Processing speed impacts reading fluency and the amount of information that can be absorbed while reading. Slow processing speed also makes reading much more labored and can lead to mental fatigue or frustration when reading.
If these root cause cognitive skills weaknesses exist and are not addressed, reading improvement will be stifled as other programs do not address the root cause and often focus on the symptom vs. the root cause of a reading struggle.
The LearningRx Woodbury reading training effectiveness is demonstrated in our overall results as well as recent peer-reviewed research published in the journal Psychology Research and Behavior Management which demonstrates significant reading improvements in just 24 weeks of training.
If you or a loved one has been struggling with reading and strategies like tutoring or school interventions are not helping, register for the FREE webinar, It’s the Brain, Not the Books: Rethinking the Reasons Kids Struggle to Read led by Cognitive Psychologist, Dr. Amy Moore.
Unable to make it? Feel free to call LearningRx Woodbury as we’d be happy to answer any questions or provide a free brain training demonstration.
Results are from surveys & studies of past clients. You or your loved ones may or may not achieve the same outcomes, but you can read more about our research and results here.