Have you ever noticed that some children learn better when they can touch, hear, or move while studying? This is the foundation of multisensory learning, a teaching method that engages multiple senses to help students absorb and retain information. The Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach relies heavily on multisensory techniques, making it especially effective for children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. But how does it work, and why does it help struggling readers?
What is Multisensory Learning?
Multisensory learning means engaging more than one sense at a time—sight, sound, touch, and movement. Instead of just seeing words on a page, students in an OG program will:
- Say a letter sound out loud.
- Trace it with their finger or in sand.
- Hear the correct pronunciation.
- Write it while verbalizing the sound.
By involving multiple senses, students form stronger neural connections in their brains, making reading and spelling easier to process and remember.
Why is Multisensory Learning Important for Dyslexia?
Children with dyslexia often struggle with phonemic awareness (understanding how sounds work in words) and decoding (sounding out words). Multisensory learning helps bridge this gap by reinforcing concepts in different ways.
Key Benefits of Multisensory Learning:
✅ Better Memory Retention: When students see, hear, and feel letters and words, they remember them more effectively.
✅ Increased Engagement: Hands-on learning keeps children focused and motivated.
✅ Stronger Reading and Spelling Skills: Multisensory techniques build connections between sounds and letters.
Multisensory Learning in Action: OG Techniques
OG tutors use a variety of hands-on methods to teach reading and spelling, including:
- Sand or Shaving Cream Writing: Students write letters or words in a textured surface while saying the sounds aloud.
- Sound Tiles: Moving letter tiles to physically build words.
- Tactile Letter Cards: Tracing raised letters with fingers while verbalizing the sound.
Conclusion
For students with dyslexia, reading can feel overwhelming. But with multisensory learning, literacy becomes more accessible and engaging. The Orton-Gillingham approach uses proven techniques that help struggling readers succeed by using sight, sound, and touch to reinforce skills. If your child finds reading difficult, multisensory learning could be the breakthrough they need!
