Running head: THE WHO, WHAT, AND HOW OF ORTON GILLINGHAM 1

The Who, What, and How of Orton Gillingham:

An Article Review

Alexandria Romine

University of North Alabama

THE WHO, WHAT, AND HOW ORTON GILLINGHAM 2

The Who, What, and How of Orton Gillingham:

An Article Review

As detailed in the article “Orton Gillingham: Who, What, and How” by Sayeski, Earle,

Davis, and Calamari (2019), the Orton Gillingham (OG) approach is one which is considered by

many to be the most effective approach to teaching and learning reading when working with

students with reading disabilities and is frequently tied to dyslexia specifically. While there are

programs and curriculums which are based on the principles essential to OG, OG itself is not a

program or curriculum, but rather it is an approach to teaching reading, originally established by

Dr. Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham. Although the acceptance of OG as a successful

approach to teaching students with dyslexia how to read is prevalent, OG-based curriculums and

programs are not always accessible to children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds;

additionally, many public school teachers do not have the necessary training or knowledge to

implement these types of programs or curriculums (Sayeski, Earlie, Davis, & Calamari, 2019, p.

241).

In the mid-1930’s, Dr. Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham both had a vested interest

in language and the acquisition of reading and language skills. During that same time period,

they researched and developed an approach to teaching reading that “(a) explicitly taught

students elements of language (e.g. phonology, syllabification, morphology) and (b) facilitated

students’ automaticity in applying this knowledge to the decoding (reading) and encoding

(spelling) of language” (Sayeski, Earlie, Davis, & Calamari, 2019, p. 241). In order to implement

OG-based techniques and strategies in the classroom, professionals frequently undergo extensive

and comprehensive training. While OG is not a program or curriculum, teaching strategies and
THE WHO, WHAT, AND HOW ORTON GILLINGHAM 3

techniques based on the principles of OG will resemble each other in structure when

implemented (Sayeski, Earlie, Davis, & Calamari, 2019, p. 241).

The authors of this article include five key characteristics of OG, which include “(a)

direct, systematic, incremental, and cumulative lessons; (b) cognitive explanations; (c) diagnostic

and prescriptive methods; (d) linguistics-based instruction; and (e) multisensory engagement”

(Sayeski, Earlie, Davis, & Calamari, 2019, p. 241). Research conducted in recent years supports

these characteristics in these features being part of a successful approach to teaching reading.

Critics of OG note that this approach does not focus on advanced phonemic awareness, and they

are also critical of the focus of OG on multisensory approaches to instruction and teaching

techniques. The authors note that there are also highly effective programs and curriculums for

teaching students with dyslexia to read that are not based on the principles of OG, and

understanding the differences between these programs and programs based on the principles of

OG is imperative to educators’ understanding of instruction in reading (Sayeski, Earlie, Davis, &

Calamari, 2019, p. 243). While research supports the use of the OG approach, there is a limit to

the internal and external validity of the research conducted on the use of specific programs and

curriculums, which is typically encountered in education. Therefore, educators should also

increase their knowledge and understanding of language and the development of reading in order

to better understand which programs may or may not be effective for the students in their

classroom (Sayeski, Earlie, Davis, & Calamari, 2019, p. 247).

OG and programs and curriculums based on the principles of OG can be highly effective

in aiding students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities in developing reading skills. The

explicit and systematic approach has been found to be highly beneficial for students with

dyslexia. However, due to the lack of knowledge and training available to some educators, as
THE WHO, WHAT, AND HOW ORTON GILLINGHAM 4

well as budget constraints, it may be more difficult for them to implement these types of

approaches in their classroom. As with any approach or teaching technique, it is imperative that

educators understand the similarities and differences between different approaches in order to

make an informed decision on which approach will best meet the needs of the students in their

respective classrooms.
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References

Sayeski, K. L., Earle, G. A., Davis, R., & Calamari, J. (2019). Orton gillingham: Who, what,

and how. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 51(3), 240–249.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059918816996