A wide range of educators who wish to develop expertise in working with children and adults who have dyslexia and related written language disorders. Our graduates include:
general classroom teachers
reading specialists
special education teachers
early childhood teachers
speech and language pathologists
psychologists
parents
Where is this curriculum designed to be taught?
Teachers use the curriculum successfully in a classroom, resource room or in a tutoring situation. Our instructors assist classroom teachers to adapt and apply their knowledge, methods and materials to individual situations.
How does this course differ from other literacy courses?
For teaching reading to students with dyslexia and other language based disabilities it is necessary to learn a structured, multisensory phonics based program with strong research support. There is a range of programs from the cursory to the intensive. Our course falls at the intensive end of the spectrum and thus has been accredited by IMSLEC (see below), which holds literacy programs to the highest standards.
What is dyslexia?
The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as "a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge."
What is Orton-Gillingham?
The Orton-Gillingham approach to remedial teaching for students who have difficulty learning to read and spell is based on the work of Dr. Samuel T. Orton, a neurologist in the 1930's. It was developed by his associates, Anna Gillingham, a psychologist, and Bessie Stillman, a teacher and has evolved to include characteristics listed on our "Methods" page.
In her text, Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills (3rd ed. Paul H. Brookes, 2011), Dr. Judith Birsh writes: " The instruction was to be direct, explicit, sequenced, systematic, cumulative and intensive...[It] was based on the a close association of visual, auditory and kinesthetic elements to teach the phonetic units step by step. Teaching was responsive and intensive, with many opportunities for corrective feedback as each element was taught and practiced."
These basic techniques are still used successfully today with some adaptations based on current research.
What are multisensory techniques?
Multisensory means simultaneously engaging two or more of the senses (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) in learning about letters, sounds, and other aspects of language. One example is "sky writing" where a student uses a straight arm to write a letter in the air while saying the name or sound.
What is the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA)?
ALTA [www.altaread.org] is a national professional organization that has established standards of education, practice and professional conduct for Certified Academic Language Therapists. It describes Academic Language Therapy as "an educational, structured, comprehensive, phonetic, multisensory approach for the remediation of dyslexia and/or written-language disorders." ALTA administers the national exam and issues certification to graduates of our program.
What is the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC)?
IMSLEC is an organization that evaluates and accredits high-quality programs for preparing specialized teachers and therapists in multisensory structured language education. These programs, including ours, offer extensive coursework and supervised teaching experience in approaches that have been shown to help those with dyslexia and related disorders to gain literacy skills.
Where are classes held?
Classes are held at 461 W. 18th St. New York, New York 10011
Will these courses make me more employable?
The knowledge gained in both methodology and the English language will only serve to make you more valuable to any employer. If you choose to use this in a private situation or tutoring you will be extremely well prepared.