Why Orton‑Gillingham Tutoring Isn’t Working for Your Child (and What to Do Next)
If OG is supposed to be “the gold standard” for dyslexia, why are so many kids still behind after years of tutoring, school intervention, and hard work at home? Many moms have tried Barton, Wilson, or OG‑style programs and their child is still stuck. The problem usually isn’t effort or intelligence. It is a missing root skill, not enough intensity, and not enough individualization.
The Big Picture Problem
Only 31% of U.S. 4th graders read at or above Proficient on the 2024 Nation’s Report Card, and about 40% score below Basic. Mainstream
approaches are not closing the gap for a large share of students, even
after years in school and intervention.
Donut chart illustrating that only 31% of 4th graders read at or above Proficient, while 40% are Below Basic on NAEP 2024
Quick Research Snapshot
Here is what large research reviews say about OG‑style instruction and struggling readers.
Large reviews of OG interventions have not found consistent, statistically strong gains over comparison approaches in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, or spelling.
The What Works Clearinghouse notes that many OG studies do not meet strong evidence standards, so claims often outpace the research base.
National data show that only about one‑third of 4th graders read proficiently, with a large group far below grade level even after years of traditional instruction.
Studies of early reading intervention find that a small group of children (often estimated around a few percent of students) do not respond adequately unless instruction changes in target or intensity.
Among students with learning disabilities, research suggests that a sizable minority do not benefit from standard school interventions without much higher‑dosage, targeted support.
In other words, OG principles are not “bad,” but OG as typically delivered often isn’t intense, individualized, or targeted enough for complex dyslexia profiles.
Why OG Tutoring Stalls (5 Real Reasons)
If your child made some early progress and then hit a wall, these are the most common reasons.
1. OG often teaches rules, not the missing brain pathway Many kids can talk about phonics rules but still cannot map sounds to print automatically. They keep guessing on longer or unfamiliar words.
2. Intensity is usually too low Most OG tutoring happens 1–2 times per week. Kids who are years behind often need much more frequent, focused practice across the week to build fluent, automatic reading instead of slow accuracy only.
3. One‑size‑fits‑all plans miss the root cause Different kids get stuck for very different reasons: phonemic awareness gaps, rapid naming and automaticity weaknesses, orthographic mapping issues, working‑memory overload, or visual/attentional patterns. When the true root cause is not found, tutoring can drag on for years without real fluency.
4. Early decoding improves, but fluency and comprehension lag Many children “know the code” in lessons but still read slowly and exhaustingly in real books. Fluency is one of the hardest areas to improve for severe readers unless it is explicitly targeted.
5. Some students are “inadequate responders” unless instruction changes Research on intensive reading intervention shows that a subset of students will not move without a shift in target and dose. A stalled child is not a hopeless child—they are a child who needs a different focus or higher intensity.
If your child has been working for months or years without real fluency, that is not a life sentence. It is a strong signal that the target needs to change.
What Works Instead
OG is the dominant dyslexia method in schools and tutoring, yet many children remain below grade level. For a large group of students, OG‑style instruction as usually delivered is simply not enough to build automatic, fluent reading.
Key elements of a more effective plan
Root‑cause snapshot first, so support targets the exact missing skills. - Speech‑to‑print pathway rebuilt (sounds → letters → words → meaning). - High‑intensity, short daily practice instead of one long weekly session. - Orthographic mapping and multisensory work used strategically, not as routines for their own sake. - Parent coaching so progress continues between sessions, not just during them.
Structured literacy and explicit, systematic instruction provide the backbone. For kids who are far behind, that structure has to be much more targeted and intensive.
Why Speech‑to‑Print Re‑Starts Progress
When OG stalls, it usually means your child needs the reading pathway rebuilt from the ground up—starting with speech. Speech‑to‑print (also called linguistic phonics) begins with the sounds in spoken words and teaches children to map those sounds to letters in a clear, systematic order.
This approach aligns with the research base for explicit phonemic awareness, blending and segmenting, and systematic phonics—the skills shown to drive real decoding growth. Speech‑to‑print influenced programs follow these principles because they match how the reading brain actually learns the alphabetic code.
If This Sounds Like Your Child, Here Are Your Next Steps
Option 1 – 12‑Week 1:1 Reading Therapy
If you want this root‑cause, speech‑to‑print approach done with you, learn how my 12‑week online reading therapy works and whether it is a fit for your child.
Option 2 – Lower‑Cost Parent Membership
If you want to start at home with more support but less cost, the Reading Clarity Membership gives you monthly toolkits and coaching so you can use these principles with one or more children.
Free First Step – Mini‑Assessment
Not sure which path is right? Start with the free Reading Clarity Mini‑Assessment to see why your child is stuck and which specific skill is missing. You will get clear next‑step suggestions either way.