Why Are Our Worksheets Inspired by Orton Gillingham?
Samuel Orton was a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist who started his career working with brain damaged adults. This got him to wondering why some children with no brain damage also struggled with reading. This led him to create an approach of working with students that included a variety of pathways to the brain: visual, audio, and kinesthetic (movement and touch).
Anna Gillingham was also a pathologist and an educator. She helped to fine-tune the steps in their approach to helping children with dyslexia learn how to read. She went on to write the Gillingham Manual and train teachers to use these steps.
The results were amazing. Many curricula were developed using the OG approach as the foundation. And now, almost a century later, many doctors will still recommend a reading program based on the OG approach for their young patients with dyslexia. It has truly withstood the test of time.