Is Orton-Gillingham or Lindamood-Bell better for my Struggling Reader?

At this point, you may have reviewed my thorough, wonky (and perhaps a bit boring) comparison of Lindamood-Bell and Orton-Gillingham. If not, please check it out here first.

You are likely asking yourself which students would benefit from which program or which program is right for my child.

The answer is that despite all of those differences, both programs work very well for most students with dyslexia or those who struggle with phonological ability and decoding. Finding an experienced and well-trained person to work with your student is more important than which program. If you must choose between a well-trained Orton-Gillingham tutor and a poorly trained Lindamood-Bell tutor, go with the well-trained person. Likewise, go with a Lindamood-Bell tutor if you are searching for an Orton-Gillingham tutor but can only find a Lindamood-Bell tutor who is well-trained or experienced. For most students, the nuanced differences will not make a difference.

There are a couple of exceptions: 

1) If you can catch reading difficulties in kindergarten or first grade, I believe Orton-Gillingham's instruction two to three times a week throughout elementary school can be very effective. The integration of handwriting aligns well with the K through 3 reading and writing instructions. Catching dyslexia early also allows ample time for orthographic ability (that is, the ability to picture letters in the mind's eye, which is needed for both spelling and fluent reading) to develop naturally. 

2) For older students, those with double deficit dyslexia or orthographic dyslexia, I strongly recommend using the Lindamood-Bell Seeing Stars program. The early incorporation of targeted orthographic techniques helps students who need a boost in those lagging abilities. Additionally, the program's nimbleness allows instructors to target teaching skill deficits without taking students through steps they already know.

3) Your child needs an intensive or concentrated intervention (they are more than two years behind in reading). Teaching reading to students who hate reading for many hours per day requires a lot of additional training not included in the Orton-Gillinham method. For this, I recommend Seeing Stars. Many of the steps of Seeing Stars feel like games or activities rather than skill drills, enabling tutors to teach for longer with less frustration or fatigue. 

At Pine State's reading center, our instructors utilize both programs. Each student's learning profile is examined (assessed first if needed), and a unique plan for that student is created that considers the verbal abilities, visual abilities, phonological awareness, rapid naming ability, and orthographic ability (along with age, attention, and behavioral needs) to find the best combination for our students.

If you are looking for a tutor using either (or both) of these methods, we would happily add you to our waiting list or get you signed up if we have room. Or, if you have some tutoring options available but need a quick consult to determine the best program for your child, we can do that, too!