Choosing the right professional to support your child can feel overwhelming—especially when terms like “OG,” “Wilson,” or “Take Flight” are used interchangeably. Let’s clear up a few common misconceptions so you can make an informed decision for your child.

First, Orton-Gillingham (OG) is not a program. It’s an instructional approach—a structured, multisensory, and explicit way of teaching reading and spelling. Programs like Wilson, Take Flight, and others are based on OG principles, but each has its own sequence, materials, and level of intensity.

Effective dyslexia intervention is not only about the program being used, it is also about the training, expertise, and clinical judgment of the professional delivering the instruction:

• CALT (Certified Academic Language Therapist): A CALT provides the highest level of clinical dyslexia intervention. This credential requires extensive graduate-level coursework, approximately 700 supervised practicum hours, and comprehensive examinations. CALTs are trained to assess, design, and deliver highly individualized intervention for students with dyslexia and related language-based learning differences. (A CALP (Certified Academic Language Practitioner) also completes structured training and supervised practice, though typically with fewer hours and a narrower scope than a CALT. They are well-prepared to provide intervention, often under guidance or within a structured framework.) They tipically also hold a Dyslexia Therapist Certification.

• Dyslexia Therapist: This title typically reflects extensive training and supervised clinical experience within a specific program. For example, a WDT (Wilson Dyslexia Therapist) has completed extensive Wilson certification requirements. Dyslexia therapists are trained to provide individualized, intensive intervention and to adjust instruction based on a student’s needs and progress. 

• OG-trained tutor/Reading tutor: This means the tutor has received some level of training in the Orton-Gillingham approach. However, the depth of that training can vary widely—from a short workshop to more comprehensive coursework.

Yes! A Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) is trained to provide Structured Literacy instruction that supports students with a variety of reading difficulties, not only students with dyslexia.

Reading comprehension depends on multiple foundational skills, including accurate word reading, fluency, vocabulary, language skills, and the ability to understand and analyze text. A child who reads slowly, struggles with accuracy, or does not use appropriate phrasing and punctuation may have difficulty understanding what they read because too much effort is spent figuring out the words.

Structured Literacy lessons are individualized and designed to target each student’s specific needs. Instruction may address skills such as phonological awareness, decoding, spelling patterns, fluency, and reading strategies to help students become more accurate, efficient, and confident readers.

Consistent, frequent practice is essential. Most structured literacy programs, including the Wilson Reading System, recommend 3–4 sessions per week (about 180 minutes total). Regular sessions help students build fluency, accuracy, and automatic reading skills more effectively than sporadic practice.

Online tutoring uses a computer and internet connection to deliver personalized, interactive lessons. Students work directly with a therapist in real time, practicing reading, spelling, and marking syllables. Lessons include multisensory activities, practice exercises, and progress tracking, giving the same benefits as in-person sessions. Online sessions are ideal for students who prefer or need remote therapy.

Yes! Dyslexia therapy for adults is highly effective. Adults who struggle with reading or spelling—or who were never diagnosed as children—can benefit from structured literacy tutoring to improve decoding strategies, spelling, and fluency. Lessons are tailored to adult learning styles and can be provided online or in person.