Research demonstrates consistently positive outcomes for special needs students when teachers use:
Multi-sensory approaches:
- Wilson Approach
- Orton-Gillingham
- Spalding Approach – Writing Road to Reading
Direct Instruction:
- Open Court
- Corrective Reading — SRA
- Explode the Code – EPS
WHAT PROGRAMS MAY NOT WORK?
Some popular programs may cause some difficulty for special needs students with LD or dyslexia:
Abeka
- Great deal of drill at outset
- May not provide enough mix of good literature
- Requires a lot of memorization of letter sounds
Sing, Spell, Read and Write
- Difficulties with the sequence of skills introduced (e.g., short /e/ and short /i/ too close)
- Bunches up new skills in latter part with inadequate practice to achieve mastery
Hooked on Phonics
- Good use of music and rhythm
- Too little application of drilled sounds
- No reading content of substance