Dyslexia Help & Reading Therapy FAQ for Parents

How do I choose the best dyslexia program for my child?

Choose a program that matches your child’s exact missing skills and provides enough weekly practice to build automatic reading.

A strong program does these things, in order:

Speech and sound foundations

  • phonemic awareness, including segmenting and blending

  • strong recall of sounds without strain

  • systematic sound to letter mapping

Written code and advanced code

  • clear teaching of the alphabetic code

  • advanced code taught by mapping sounds to print, not by memorizing rules

Orthographic mapping

  • daily work that links sounds, letters, and meaning

  • reading and spelling taught as one system so words become stored for instant retrieval

Fluency and automaticity

  • practice that moves reading from accurate to fast and effortless

  • connected reading early enough to build real-world skill

You should see measurable change within a few weeks to a month. If the program cannot name your child’s missing skill and show progress quickly, it is not the right match.


How are Orton Gillingham programs different from speech to print programs?

Most Orton Gillingham based programs rely heavily on:

  • phonics rules and rule charts

  • memorizing sight words alongside phonics

  • syllable types and syllable routines

  • multisensory steps such as arm tapping or tracing

  • high mastery requirements before moving on

Because of that structure, grade level proficiency often moves slowly. Many families are told to expect one to three years of tutoring, and some require longer.

Speech to print programs focus on the written code and the sounds in spoken words, not rule memorization, syllable labels, or tapping routines. The goal is to rebuild the sound to print pathway directly, which usually produces faster decoding gains and stronger fluency earlier.

Large research reviews do not show stronger outcomes for Orton Gillingham over other explicit, systematic approaches, especially when OG is delivered at low intensity or without individualized targets.


What is a typical session frequency for dyslexia tutoring?

Most dyslexia tutoring in the market is one to two sessions per week for 45 to 60 minutes.

That can support mild readers, but far behind dyslexic readers usually need more intensity across the week plus daily home practice. Without that, progress often stalls even with a good tutor.


What does dyslexia tutoring usually cost?

Typical ranges in the U.S.:

General tutoring

  • about $25 to $80 per hour

Specialized dyslexia or science of reading tutoring

  • commonly $60 to $100 per hour or more

  • private packages can exceed $125 per hour depending on assessment, materials, and parent coaching

Price alone does not tell you if it will work. The match to root cause and intensity are what drive results.


How do I know if a dyslexia tutor is effective?

A strong tutor can tell you these things clearly:

  • what skill is missing

  • how they will rebuild it

  • how they will measure progress

  • what changes they make if your child stalls

  • what you will do at home between sessions

You should see early measurable improvement within weeks, then continued growth month by month. If accuracy improves but speed does not move for months, that is a stall signal.


What progress milestones should I expect?

First few weeks

  • less guessing

  • stronger blending and segmenting

  • improved decoding accuracy on taught patterns

By one month

  • faster recall of taught patterns

  • spelling starts matching instruction

  • reading rate begins to lift

By about 12 weeks

  • patterns become automatic

  • multisyllable words stabilize

  • fluency improves on real text

  • comprehension improves because decoding takes less effort

When the target is right and intensity is high enough, progress should not take years.


Are there free or low cost dyslexia resources?

Yes. Families can explore:

  • university reading clinics

  • public library tutoring partnerships

  • nonprofit dyslexia centers

  • structured literacy or linguistic phonics parent supports

  • decodable text libraries paired with guided routines

Low cost resources help most when they still target the correct missing skill and include consistent home practice.


Should I choose 1 to 1 online tutoring or in person tutoring?

Online tutoring works well when:

  • instruction is explicit and interactive

  • the tutor gives real time correction

  • lessons are structured and visual

  • your child can stay engaged on screen

  • daily home practice is supported

In person tutoring may be better when:

  • attention is fragile and needs physical presence

  • sensory regulation needs are high

  • handwriting or motor support is central

Location matters less than correct targets and enough weekly practice.


What qualifications should I look for in a reading tutor?

Titles do not guarantee results. The method matters more.

Look for a tutor who is trained in:

  • phonemic awareness and advanced sound work

  • sound to letter mapping

  • advanced code instruction

  • orthographic mapping

  • multisyllable decoding

  • fluency building and automaticity

Ask directly:

  • What skill is missing right now

  • How will you measure progress in the first month

  • What changes do you make if progress stalls

  • What daily home plan will you give me

Parent involvement and a clear daily practice plan matter more than a name on a certificate.


What does research say about Orton Gillingham versus structured literacy?

Structured literacy is the research aligned umbrella that includes explicit, systematic teaching of phonology, sound to symbol mapping, spelling, multisyllable reading, fluency, and meaning.

Orton Gillingham is one tradition inside that umbrella. Research supports the structured literacy principles, but large reviews have not shown Orton Gillingham interventions to be reliably stronger than comparison approaches, especially for fluency and spelling outcomes. Intensity and correct targeting are major drivers of success.


How do I choose between tutoring programs?

Use this quick checklist.

Choose the program that can show you:

  • a root cause target, not a generic label

  • a clear plan for daily practice

  • a way to measure change within weeks

  • a path from accuracy to fluency

  • parent guidance so intensity is high enough

If a program cannot do those things, it is unlikely to produce fast, lasting results.