1. Why use an Orton-Gillingham Approach?

• Research shows that 95% of reading failure is preventable – by using appropriate reading systems and well-trained teachers. Dr. Orton and Anna Gillingham developed a unique method and sequence to significantly improve the reading and spelling skills of children and adults with dyslexia way back in the 1930’s.

 

2. How long does it take to go through the Barton Reading & Spelling Levels?

• Since no two people with dyslexia learn at exactly the same pace, we can only provide a range.

• If a student has classic, or moderate, dyslexia, and is tutored twice a week in a one-on-one setting for an hour each time, it will take from 2 to 3 years to complete the entire Barton System. So in just 2 to 3 years, you can take a struggling student to the mid-ninth-grade level in reading, spelling, and basic writing.

• Students with mild dyslexia may complete the system a bit faster, while students with more severe dyslexia may need 4 to 5 years.

• The only way a student can make faster progress is to be tutored more often. If a child can be tutored 3 or 4 times a week, they’ll complete the Barton System much faster.

 

3. What is the Barton Reading & Spelling System?

• The Barton Reading & Spelling System is an Orton-Gillingham influenced approach to reading and spelling. It is one of ten well-known Orton-Gillingham based systems. The Barton Reading & Spelling System is a one-on-one tutoring system that will greatly improve the spelling, reading, and writing skills of children, teenagers or adults who struggle due to dyslexia or a learning disability.

 

4. Does a student need a diagnosis of dyslexia before starting the Barton System?

• No. But you should suspect dyslexia.  It should be extremely hard for that student to master their weekly spelling list from school, they probably cannot retain their spelling words from one week to the next, and their spelling should be pretty bad when they write sentences and stories. Also, although that student can read, he is probably slow and inaccurate. And when he comes to a word he does not recognize, he cannot easily sound it out -- despite years of phonics instruction. Those are classic warning signs of dyslexia. Dyslexia is the most common reason a child with at least average intelligence will struggle with spelling, reading, or writing. Dyslexia affects 20% of people in the United States, some mildly, others severely.

 

5. Will it hurt people who are struggling for some other reason to go through the Barton System?

   No, as long as:

• They can speak and comprehend spoken English at the second-grade level or better. This is not an ESL program. To find out if a student from another country knows enough English to benefit from this system, please call and I'll give you a simple ESL screening. This system is also not appropriate for a student who has been diagnosed with a receptive or expressive language disorder.

• Their IQ is above 70.

• They are struggling with reading accuracy and/or speed and/or decoding (sounding out unknown words) and/or phonemic awareness. If a child can already read accurately and rapidly, but only has trouble with comprehension, the Barton System is NOT going to help.

• They can pass our 10-minute Barton Student Screening.

 

6. Who is Susan Barton?

• Ms. Barton is a frequent and popular speaker at conferences focusing on Dyslexia, Reading Instruction, Early Intervention and RTI, and Adult Literacy issues. Susan is also an instructor of Phonemic Awareness and Multisensory Teaching Techniques through the University of California, of Learning Disabilities at West Valley College, and of the graduate-level courses Screening for Dyslexia, Tutoring People with Dyslexia, and Understanding Dyslexia and ADHD through the University of San Diego. You can learn more about Susan Barton at www.brightsolutions.us.