Results We See With Orton-Gillingham

And Why Is It Called the Gold Standard in Reading Instruction?

By Sarah Fudge, M.Ed., Reading Specialist and Founder of Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab

Last updated: August 7, 2026

Executive Summary

Orton-Gillingham works because it teaches reading the way the brain actually builds it: explicitly, in a set sequence, using multiple senses at once, with constant review until a skill is automatic. It is called the gold standard because it is the instructional approach that the National Reading Panel's five pillars of reading, the International Dyslexia Association's Knowledge and Practice Standards, and decades of neuroimaging research from institutions like Yale all point back to. It is not a curriculum you buy off a shelf. It is a diagnostic, prescriptive teaching approach, meaning the lesson is built around what a specific child needs, not a scripted page in a workbook. That is also why it takes real training to deliver well, and why not every program that claims to be “Orton-Gillingham based” actually is.

What Is Orton-Gillingham, Exactly?

Orton-Gillingham (OG) traces back to the work of neurologist Samuel Orton and educator Anna Gillingham in the 1930s. Orton was among the first to argue, based on his clinical work with struggling readers, that reading difficulty was often a difference in how the brain processes language, not a matter of intelligence or effort. Gillingham translated that theory into a teaching method: explicit instruction in the structure of language, delivered systematically, using sight, sound, and movement together.

That core idea has held up remarkably well. Modern neuroimaging research, including studies out of the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, shows that structured, multisensory reading instruction can actually change how the brain activates during reading tasks, building stronger connections in the areas responsible for phonological processing.

Why Does Orton-Gillingham Actually Work? Four Reasons

1. It Is Explicit, Not Incidental

Many children pick up reading skills simply by being exposed to books and print. Children with dyslexia typically do not. OG does not assume a child will absorb the rule that “silent e makes the vowel say its name.” It teaches that rule directly, names it, and practices it until it is automatic. The National Reading Panel's landmark 2000 report identified explicit phonics instruction as one of the five essential components of effective reading instruction, alongside phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

2. It Is Sequential and Cumulative

OG instruction follows a specific scope and sequence, moving from simple, high-frequency sound-symbol relationships to more complex syllable types and morphology, and it does not move forward until a skill is solid. Every new lesson reviews what came before it. This matters because reading skills are not learned in isolation. A child cannot reliably decode multisyllable words if the single-syllable patterns underneath them are still shaky.

3. It Is Multisensory

In an OG lesson, a student might trace a letter in sand while saying its sound, then write it while saying it again, then read it in a word. That simultaneous use of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways is not a gimmick. It is a way of building redundant routes to the same piece of information, so that if one pathway is weaker, others can support it.

4. It Is Diagnostic and Prescriptive

This is the piece that gets left out of a lot of conversations about OG, and it is the one I think matters most. A true OG lesson is not scripted from a manual regardless of who is sitting in front of you. The instructor continuously assesses what the student has and has not mastered and adjusts the next lesson accordingly. That is why OG lessons at OG Learning Lab and Saybrook Reading are built individually for every student, based on ongoing diagnostic teaching, not pulled from a fixed workbook page.

Why Is Orton-Gillingham Considered the Gold Standard?

“Gold standard” gets used loosely in education, but in this case, it has real backing:

The International Dyslexia Association identifies Structured Literacy, the umbrella term that includes Orton-Gillingham, as the instructional approach best supported by research for students with dyslexia (International Dyslexia Association).
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (OGA) maintains a formal certification pathway (Classroom Educator, Associate, Clinical, and Fellow levels) specifically because delivering OG well requires real training and supervised practice, not just a familiarity with phonics (OGA).
Peer-reviewed research, including studies published through the National Institutes of Health, has repeatedly found that structured, multisensory, explicit instruction produces measurable gains in decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension for students with dyslexia, and that those gains are associated with changes in brain activation patterns, not just test scores (NIH).

Put simply, OG is not one program's marketing claim. It is the approach that the research on how struggling readers actually learn keeps pointing back to.

Results We See with Orton-Gilligham

Here is where I want to be specific rather than abstract, because vague reassurance is not useful to a parent trying to decide whether this is worth the investment.

In our practice at Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab, we typically see students who begin one-to-one OG instruction in the below 10th percentile range on measures of phonemic decoding (using tools like DIBELS or QRI-7) move into the 40th to 60th percentile range within 9 to 12 months of consistent, twice-weekly instruction. Below is a recent student's progress. This is not a guarantee for every child; progress depends on frequency, consistency, and the specific profile involved, but it is a realistic range based on what we track across our own caseload, not a number pulled from a general claim about OG everywhere.

A Note From My Own Experience

“Today I wake up, and the only limit on what I can do for a child is my own capacity and creativity. If a student needs a different approach, I change it tomorrow. If a family needs advocacy support, I pick up the phone. If the research says something works, I implement it in the next session. The pace of impact in private practice is unlike anything I experienced in a school building, and that pace matters enormously when a child is losing ground every week they go without the right instruction.”

— Sarah Fudge, M.Ed.

I did not learn I had dyslexia and ADHD until third grade. I remember exactly what it felt like to sit in a reading group and know, without anyone saying it out loud, that I was behind. What changed things for me, and what changes things for the students I work with now, was not more practice at the same kind of instruction. It was different instruction. That is the piece I try to help parents understand when they ask why OG matters: it is not about trying harder at reading the way it has always been taught. It is about teaching reading in a way that actually matches how a struggling reader's brain takes in language.

Saybrook Reading offers comprehensive evaluations in order to best help families understand their child’s reading brains. Booking a free consultation is the quickest way to get started!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Orton-Gillingham only for children with dyslexia?

No. OG was developed with dyslexia in mind, but its explicit, structured approach benefits many struggling readers, including English language learners and students with other language-based learning differences.

How is Orton-Gillingham different from a general phonics program?

General phonics programs often follow a fixed scope and sequence for a whole class. OG is diagnostic and individualized, meaning the instructor continuously assesses a specific student's mastery and adjusts each lesson to that child, not the group.

How long does it take to see results?

It varies by student, but families in our practice typically begin to see measurable gains in decoding and fluency within 9 to 12 months of consistent, twice-weekly one-to-one instruction.

Do all tutors who say they use Orton-Gillingham have the same training?

No, and this is worth asking about directly. OGA certification has formal levels, Associate, Certified, and Clinical, each requiring documented supervised practice hours. Ask any provider what level of OGA certification they hold and who supervised their training.

Where can I learn more about getting my child evaluated?

Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab offer independent evaluations focused on reading, writing and spelling. Our team can walk you through what a dyslexia evaluation involves. You can also find upcoming webinars on this topic at saybrookreading.com/events.