Your Questions Answered:

A Parent's Guide to Getting Started at Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab

By Sarah Fudge, M.Ed.  |  Saybrook Reading and OG Learning Lab

When a family reaches out to us for the first time, they often come with a list of questions and a lot of uncertainty. That is completely understandable. Navigating a child's reading struggles can feel overwhelming, and knowing what to expect from a specialist makes all the difference. 

Below are answers to the questions we hear most often. If yours is not here, please reach out. Every consultation is free and we are always happy to talk.

How often should my child come, and is one session enough?

The honest answer is that frequency is completely dependent on the individual child. The OG approach meets  a child where they are at. A certified practitioner will be able to give more guidance on the frequency of instruction as it truly depends on the child and how impacted a child is.

Best practice, grounded in the science of reading research, recommends between two and five sessions per week depending on the severity of a child's dyslexia and the level of support they need. More frequent instruction, particularly in the early stages, produces faster and more durable results.

That said, we understand that financial circumstances are a real consideration for many families. We will always work with you to find a plan that fits your situation, and we can provide structured at-home practice activities between sessions to make every week as productive as possible.

Starting with one session per week is a comfortable starting point for most families . Dyslexia intervention requires consistency and repetition. We will be honest with you about what your child needs and help you build a realistic plan.

How do you share progress with us?

We share information with families after every session. You will never wonder how your child is doing because we believe in fluid, ongoing conversation rather than waiting for a formal report to tell you something you should have known weeks ago.

Every session includes data collection. We track what your child worked on, how they performed, and where we are headed next. That data is compiled into weekly or biweekly reports that can be shared with school teams, educational advocates, or anyone else supporting your child.

For families who need more formal documentation, we also compile comprehensive evaluations that can be presented at IEP, 504, or PPT meetings. Our goal is to make sure everyone on your child's team is working from the same accurate, up-to-date picture.

What can we do at home to support our child between sessions?

Home should feel safe. That is our first and most important principle when it comes to at-home practice. If your child is resistant to reading at home, we do not want that resistance to become a battle. Building a child's comfort and confidence with reading always comes first.

With that foundation in place, we send home targeted practice materials at your child's exact instructional level. These typically include word practice, sight word review, and decodable books that your child can read independently with success. We also send home authentic books for parents to read aloud to their child at night, because listening to a skilled reader model fluency and expression is one of the most powerful things a parent can do.

Everything we send home is intentional. If something is not working or your child is showing signs of frustration, tell us. We will adjust.

What are the steps in the process?

Here is exactly what to expect when you reach out to us:

• You contact us by phone or email. We respond within 24 to 48 hours.

• We schedule a free consultation. This is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We listen to your concerns, ask questions about your child, and offer honest guidance. Sometimes that means we provide resources and point you in a direction that does not involve us. We are here to help, not to sign you up.

• We build a plan together. This may include scheduling a comprehensive criterion-based assessment to understand exactly how your child is performing across all areas of reading and language. This assessment helps us build an accurate picture and identify where instruction should begin.

• We match your child with the right practitioner within our practice based on their needs, schedule, and learning profile.

• If you need us at a school meeting, we show up. We can present our assessment data and progress documentation at IEP, 504, or PPT meetings. We will help you understand the process and prepare you to advocate confidently for your child.

One thing we always tell families: we do not want to keep your child with us indefinitely. Our goal is to get them the skills and the services they need to make real, lasting progress, and ultimately to return to their school community stronger and more capable than before.

What should we be asking for at school?

There is a federal law called Child Find, established under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Child Find requires every public school district in the United States to actively identify, locate, and evaluate all children who may have a disability and need special education services. This includes children in private schools and homeschool settings. The evaluation is provided at no cost to the family.

What this means in practical terms is that you have the right to ask your school to evaluate your child. You do not have to wait for a teacher to bring it up. You do not have to wait for your child to fall far enough behind. You can request it.

Here is what we recommend:

• Ask your child's classroom teacher for data from any screeners or assessments the school has administered. Schools are required to conduct screening to identify students who may be struggling.

• Ask for an update on how your child is performing relative to grade-level benchmarks in reading and language arts.

• If the data suggests your child is struggling, ask about tiered intervention services under the school's Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework, or request a referral to special education for a formal evaluation.

We are happy to review any school data with you and help you understand what it means and what your next steps should be. That is part of what we do.

What assessments do you use?

We use a range of criterion-based assessments, and we go over each one with families before we administer it so you always understand the purpose and what we are looking for. Every assessment we use has a specific role in helping us build a complete picture of your child as a reader and a learner.

Our assessments typically evaluate:

• Single word reading, to see how accurately your child decodes known words

• Nonsense word reading, to assess their ability to apply phonics rules to unfamiliar words

• Phonological processing, which is the foundational skill underlying reading and one of the core areas affected by dyslexia

• Reading fluency, measuring the speed and accuracy with which your child reads connected text

• Reading comprehension, to understand what your child takes away from what they read

• Vocabulary and listening comprehension

• Spelling and basic writing skills

Depending on the child, we may go deeper in specific areas. Some students need a closer look at working memory, phonemic awareness, or written expression. We let the child's profile guide us and we always explain what we find and why it matters.

Still have questions? We would love to hear from you. Schedule a free consultation at 

saybrookreading.com or email us at info@saybrookreading.com. There is no pressure and no obligation. Just answers.

Every child deserves to feel confident in school.

Sarah Fudge, M.Ed. is a Connecticut-certified special education teacher and literacy specialist, trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach. She is the founder of Saybrook Reading (Old Saybrook, CT), OG Learning Lab (Portland, CT), The Learning Lab Foundation, and the Dyslexia Stories podcast.

References

Source: Child Find — Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Section 300.111

Source: International Dyslexia Association — Structured Literacy

Source: Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity — Early Identification