Learning to Read
Combining elements of the Orton Gillingham, Davis Correction, and Barton Reading Methodology.
More about the Methodology
At the DOBI Reading Program, we believe that every child learns differently, which is why we combine three of the most effective and proven approaches–– Davis Correction, Orton-Gillingham, and the Barton Reading & Spelling System.
Each method brings unique strengths, and together they create a holistic approach tailored to the diverse needs of our students. By addressing the root causes of learning challenges while building core literacy skills, our program goes beyond traditional tutoring to provide personalized, meaningful, and lasting results. These methods work in harmony to empower children to unlock their potential, thrive in school, and gain confidence in themselves.
Why Davis Correction?
The Davis method is grounded in the understanding that dyslexia, along with other learning disabilities, is not a deficit but rather a difference in how the brain processes information. This approach views dyslexia through a strengths-based lens, focusing on the unique abilities and talents that many individuals with dyslexia possess, such as creativity, problem-solving skills, and visual-spatial thinking. Instead of trying to "fix" the way a child learns, the Davis method embraces these strengths, using them as a foundation for building essential literacy skills.
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One of the core components of the Davis method is helping students regulate their focus and manage feelings of confusion that often arise during reading and writing tasks. By teaching children to recognize when they feel overwhelmed or frustrated, the program provides them with tools to regain control and refocus. This self-awareness and emotional regulation are critical for maintaining a positive and productive learning experience.
Another key element of the Davis method is mastering symbols, such as letters, numbers, and punctuation, which are often a source of difficulty for children with dyslexia. Through hands-on, multisensory techniques, students learn to understand these symbols in a way that aligns with their natural learning style. This allows them to form deeper, more meaningful connections to language, making reading and writing feel less daunting and more intuitive.
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Ultimately, the Davis method empowers children to unlock their full reading potential in a way that feels authentic and affirming. It doesn’t just teach literacy skills—it builds confidence, fosters independence, and helps children see their dyslexia as a unique way of thinking rather than a barrier to success. This approach resonates deeply with students, helping them thrive both academically and personally.
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Many Orton-Gillingham (OG) tutoring centers tend to overlook or even dismiss the Davis Dyslexia Correction method, often because it takes a different approach to addressing dyslexia. However, this perspective can be limiting. The Davis method focuses on understanding and leveraging the unique strengths of individuals with dyslexia, such as creativity and visual thinking, while addressing underlying challenges like focus and symbol mastery. Far from conflicting with OG principles, Davis complements them by addressing different aspects of learning and processing. Both methods have their merits, and when combined—as we do at DOBI—they create a more comprehensive approach that can benefit a broader range of students. Dismissing Davis overlooks the value it brings in helping children thrive in ways traditional methods do not fully address.
Why Orton-Gillingham?
The Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach is a highly structured, multisensory method designed to teach reading, writing, and spelling to individuals with dyslexia and other language-based learning challenges. It is rooted in decades of research and is widely regarded as one of the most effective approaches for building foundational literacy skills.​
What makes OG unique is its focus on multisensory learning, engaging students through sight, sound, and touch to help them make stronger connections with the material. For example, students might trace letters while saying their sounds aloud, combining physical movement with auditory and visual input. This approach strengthens memory pathways and ensures concepts are retained more effectively.​
The program is also sequential and cumulative, meaning it starts with the most basic language elements—like phonemes and letter-sound relationships—and gradually builds to more complex skills, such as syllable types, morphology, and fluency. Each new lesson builds on previous learning, ensuring students master each concept before moving on. This methodical progression provides a clear and reliable structure for students who may otherwise feel overwhelmed by the complexity of reading and writing.
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One of OG’s most significant strengths is its individualized nature. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach but rather one that is carefully adapted to meet the specific needs of each student. This flexibility allows instructors to pace lessons based on the child’s progress, offering targeted reinforcement where needed.​
Beyond just teaching reading and writing, OG also helps students develop a deeper understanding of the structure of language, empowering them with tools they can use independently. The result is not just better literacy skills but also increased confidence and a sense of achievement.​
The Orton-Gillingham approach has stood the test of time because it is thorough, effective, and designed with the learner in mind. It is particularly powerful when used alongside complementary methods, such as Davis and Barton, to provide a comprehensive and personalized pathway to literacy success.
Why Barton?
The Barton Reading & Spelling System is a highly effective, research-based program designed to support individuals with dyslexia and other reading challenges. Rooted in the principles of the Orton-Gillingham approach, Barton provides a structured, explicit, and multisensory framework that is accessible and adaptable to meet diverse learning needs.
What makes Barton unique is its user-friendly yet rigorous design, which allows for clear, systematic instruction without oversimplifying the complexities of language. The program is divided into ten sequential levels, each building on the last, ensuring students develop a deep and thorough understanding of critical reading and spelling skills. By breaking down the structure of language into manageable components, Barton eliminates learning gaps and helps students progress with confidence.
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Barton places a particular emphasis on spelling, addressing an area where many students with dyslexia struggle. Through explicit instruction in spelling rules, patterns, and word structure, the program helps students develop skills that not only improve their spelling but also reinforce their reading abilities. The multisensory techniques employed by Barton engage visual, auditory, and tactile learning, creating stronger connections in the brain and enhancing long-term retention.
Barton is designed for measurable success, with progress carefully tracked to ensure students achieve mastery at every level. It doesn’t just improve literacy skills—it also builds confidence, independence, and the foundational abilities students need to excel academically and beyond. When combined with complementary methods like Davis and Orton-Gillingham, Barton becomes an essential part of a comprehensive approach to literacy intervention.
Our Key Areas of Focus
Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic awareness refers to the recognition that words are made of separate sounds (phonemes) combined together. Phonemic skills are entirely based in the sound of a word. When children can hear a word and produce the sounds in isolation, they are mastering phonemic skills. Reading programs address phonemic awareness with rhyming activities and deleting or substituting phonemes to make new words. If readers do not have phonological awareness, they may spend an inordinate amount of time on pronunciation instead of remembering what they are reading.
Phonics & Decoding
Phonics instruction teaches the relationships between the written letters and the spoken sounds of a language. Instruction in phonics begins with letter naming and recognition and progresses to learning the sounds that letters make. Decoding is when we use letter-sound relationships to translate a printed word into speech. Eventually children will learn to look at a word, say the sound for each letter and then blend them to make the word. Phonics is essential for decoding (sounding out) words and spelling.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary development is the key to reading comprehension. Sounding out words is not enough. Readers cannot understand what they are reading without knowing what most of the words mean. Vocabulary is taught in two ways: explicitly and implicitly. Teachers use vocabulary lists and give direct instruction on the meaning and usage of each word in explicit instruction. Implicit instruction occurs during reading when children are able to figure out the meanings of words by looking at context clues from pictures or other words in the same sentence or paragraph often through everyday experiences with oral and written language.
Fluency
Fluency is the ability to read accurately and smoothly with expression and at a rate that enables readers to comprehend what they are reading. Reading fluency serves as a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding the words, they can focus their attention on what the text means. They can make connections among the ideas in the text and their background knowledge. In other words, fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same time. Fluency should become stronger as a student is exposed to more books and has frequent opportunities to read. Reading programs stress fluency through the use of activities like echo and choral reading.
Spelling
Learning to spell is built on a child's understanding that words are made up of separate speech sounds (phonemes) and that letters represent those sounds. As they get more experience with words, children begin to notice patterns in the way letters are used and recurring sequences of letters that form syllables, word endings, word roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Good spellers end up as better readers and writers.
Comprehension
Comprehension is the culmination of reading skills learned in the other four components of mastering reading and is essentially, the ability to understand what's being read. A student who can decode words, understand their meanings and read fluently will be able to comprehend a story. Comprehension can be assessed with questions that ask readers to identify basic story components like characters, setting and plot. Advanced comprehension, including predicting, summarizing and critical thinking, are introduced in more advanced grade levels after students have a firm grasp of the basics.