Reading program for dyslexia

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      • Emily
        May 19, 2026 at 5:12 pm #94172

        An email I received:

        I got the paperback of your reading program because I’m a huge Montessori reading nerd and my 7.5 yo is struggling with reading. We strongly suspect dyslexia because we’ve been doing all the Montessori things (mostly Dwyer) from a young age. Before I invest in your printables and print and cut them all, I was curious if you recommend it for children with dyslexia. I also was curious if you believe Orton-Gillingham can be helpful for these children or if it’s just too nitty-gritty in general. The syllable types drive me crazy too but it’s recommended by so many people for children like this!

        • Emily
          May 19, 2026 at 5:13 pm #94174

          I am not wild about Orton-Gillingham for anyone, but especially not for folks who are struggling readers. It’s way too much cognitive load. The syllable types are, honestly, nonsense!

          Montessori’s approach to reading is called “Linguistic Phonics” in modern terms, so you can search for that online. There are lots of programs and some specifically for homeschoolers.
          I recommend a Linguistic Phonics program for absolutely everyone, but especially folks who are struggling readers.

          EBLI, another Linguistic Phonics program but this one is designed for conventional school classrooms, had a great webinar and discussion about the differences between Linguistic Phonics (speech to print) and Orton Gillingham (print to speech). Here’s a link to the blog post, but I think you can get a recording of the actual discussion.
          Everything they say about EBLI in this article/webinar would apply for all Linguistic Phonics programs (including mine and the original Montessori program in Italian):

          EBLI and OG: How Are They Different?

          For homeschooling, my program materials might be overkill (but it certainly wouldn’t hurt!), I designed them for a full elementary class set up.

          This group on Facebook would be able to point you to something homeschool specific and even help you find a good tutor if you wanted:
          https://www.facebook.com/groups/987673948806353/

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