“Multisensory teaching employs all pathways of learning at the same time – seeing, hearing, touching, writing, and speaking.”
Traditional educational methods are not usually effective for these students. Children with reading differences require a structured language program providing direct instruction in the code of written language. This code must be explicit, systematic and cumulative, structured, and multisensory. Multisensory teaching employs all pathways of learning at the same time—seeing, hearing, touching, writing, and speaking. This requires an instructor specifically trained in a proven, research based program.
What is meant by multisensory teaching?
Multisensory teaching is simultaneously visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile to enhance memory and learning. Links are consistently made between the visual (what we see), auditory (what we hear), and kinesthetic-tactile (what we feel) pathways in learning to read and spell. Teachers who use this approach teach children to link the sounds of the letters with the written symbol. Students then learn to put several sounds together to form words, then phrases and sentences using these patterns. Teachers and their students rely on a concrete reference for learning rather than focusing on a “sight-word” or memory method, a “tracing method,” or a “phonetic method” alone.
What is the rationale behind multisensory teaching?
Children with reading differences often exhibit weaknesses in auditory and/or visual processing. They may have weak phonemic awareness, meaning they are unaware of the individual sounds in words. They have difficulty rhyming words, blending sounds to make words, or segmenting words into sounds. They may also have difficulty acquiring a sight vocabulary. In general, they do not pick up the alphabetic code or system.
What should I do first?
It is essential that proper instruction be initiated as soon as possible for best results. As soon as a diagnosis is made, look for a program that is research-based and provides the following instruction:
- Explicit – directly teaches skills for reading, spelling, and writing
- Systematic & Cumulative – has a definite, logical sequence of concept introduction
- Structured – has step-by-step procedures for introducing, reviewing, and practicing concepts
- Multisensory – engages the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic channels simultaneously or in rapid succession
What can I expect?
Due to the cognitive nature of learning differences, it is difficult to provide standardized plans or results. Although students will be taught using the same methods, each student’s individual plan should be constantly monitored and adjusted to reflect their progress.
Different programs follow different schedules. In general, the more time devoted to learning, the faster you will see results. The recommended minimum is 4 hours per week of individualized instruction. Intensive programs of up to 20 hours a week offer the quickest route to success. However, it is important to remember, dyslexia is not a disease and therefore not curable. The goal is to teach students to become self-correcting, independent learners.
