Orton-Gillingham Reading Instruction in San Diego, CA

As a classroom educator and literacy specialist, I worked with bright, capable students who continued to struggle with reading. I wanted a more systematic way to identify the specific skills causing difficulty and a clearer framework for explicitly teaching those skills, so I pursued Orton-Gillingham training and began working as an Orton-Gillingham tutor. 

That training strengthened my ability to look beneath a student’s reading performance, diagnose root causes, and design lessons that are sequential and intentional. Orton-Gillingham tutors not only give every student the same lesson but also pinpoint the specific skill that needs attention and provide clear, cumulative, and appropriately sequenced instruction. 

• Phonemic Awareness
• Sound-Symbol Relationships
• Letter-Sound Correspondence
• Blending and Segmenting
• Decoding Unfamiliar Words
• Short- and Long-Vowel Patterns
• Digraphs, Blends, and Syllable Types
• Spelling Patterns
• Multisyllabic Word Reading
• Word Structure and Meaningful Word Parts
• Reading Accuracy
• Fluency Development
• Encoding and Spelling

Orton-Gillingham instruction is especially useful when a student has persistent difficulty with foundational reading skills, including students who may show characteristics associated with dyslexia or other language-based learning differences. However, the approach can also benefit students who simply need more explicit, structured instruction in a particular area of reading. 

Online instruction is active and teacher-led. As an Orton-Gillingham tutor, I deliver multisensory lessons—direct explanation, modeling, phonemic practice, word building, controlled reading, spelling, and immediate feedback. Lessons are tailored to the student’s level. I may slow down, revisit a previously taught concept, provide additional modeling, or move forward when the student demonstrates readiness. 

The purpose is to help students become more accurate, confident, and independent readers—not simply to complete a worksheet or finish a list of words. 

Orton-Gillingham is an important instructional framework, but it is not a complete reading program on its own, nor a substitute for understanding the whole learner. 

Strong literacy instruction may also need to address: 

• Vocabulary 

• Oral Language 

• Reading Comprehension 

• Background Knowledge 

• Fluency 

• Written Expression 

• Sentence Structure 

• Organization of Ideas 

• Study Skills 

• Academic Confidence 

At Readiscover Literacy, I use my classroom experience, literacy intervention background, writing expertise, and specialized training to determine what each student needs next. 

Orton-Gillingham–informed instruction may be appropriate if your child: 

• Continues to guess at unfamiliar words. 

• Has difficulty connecting sounds and letters. 

• Struggles to blend or segment words. 

• Needs explicit instruction rather than repeated independent practice. 

• Has been identified with dyslexia or another language-based learning difference. 

The best starting point is an individualized conversation and assessment of the student’s current reading skills. From there, instruction can be designed around the specific areas that need strengthening. 

If you believe your child may benefit from structured, explicit reading instruction, I would be happy to discuss your concerns and help determine the next step.