The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It involves difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition, poor spelling, and weak decoding skills. These challenges often arise from deficits in phonological processing and can affect reading comprehension and overall academic performance.

The updated definition reinforces what educators observe daily. Students with dyslexia do not struggle because they are unmotivated. They struggle because they need instruction that directly targets the foundational skills required for accurate word reading. Structured literacy, delivered systematically and explicitly, is essential for closing these gaps.

Really Great Reading programs provide this instruction through routines that strengthen phonology, sound symbol association, syllable instruction, morphology, syntax, and semantics. These components support accurate decoding, fluent reading, and improved comprehension across all subjects.

Really Great Reading programs use explicit, systematic, engaging, multisensory routines that help students become efficient and accurate decoders. Students learn the subskills required for successful word identification, which directly supports comprehension.

Instruction progresses through carefully sequenced skills, including phonological and phonemic awareness, sound symbol association, phonics concepts, encoding, decoding, and connected text practice. This approach aligns closely with what Kilpatrick (2015) identifies as essential for successful intervention. He explains that effective programs must eliminate phonological awareness deficits by teaching phonemic awareness to an advanced level, reinforce phonics and phonic decoding, and provide consistent opportunities to read connected text. These three components work together to build accurate, fluent readers who can anchor words securely in memory and access meaning more easily.

The International Dyslexia Association notes that dyslexia instruction should be systematic, cumulative, explicit, and diagnostic. This approach shapes every RGR program.

Student practice is cumulative and controlled. RGR’s programs begin by teaching the fundamental skills of phonological awareness and phonemic awareness, focusing on the initial instruction of segmenting and blending individual phonemes within words. Next are manipulation of phonemes and letter-sound fluency. Next steps include moving to encoding, decoding, and reading phrases, sentences, and passages.

Educators love using the complimentary diagnostic assessments to identify each student’s specific area of need. These assessments cover decoding, phonemic awareness, letter sound knowledge, and sight word knowledge, making it easier to target instruction.

The heart of Really Great Reading’s instruction is phonics. Students are taught to understand the systematic relationships between sounds and the spellings of those sounds. RGR’s digital and printable sound-spelling wall can be used to help students connect sounds they hear, speak, and write to the spellings that represent them in words. Systematic, explicit phonics instruction is critical for students with dyslexia. In fact, Eide (2011) explains that brain research has shown that “the use of intensive phonics is the only way to teach dyslexics and learning-disabled individuals how to read and is the best way for everyone to learn to read.”

As students learn to break multisyllabic words into decodable chunks, they strengthen both accuracy and comprehension. Patterns become easier to recognize; affixes appear naturally, and word meaning becomes more transparent.

Spear Swerling emphasizes the importance of explicit instruction in structural analysis, including prefixes, roots, suffixes, and spelling generalizations. RGR's lessons teach these elements directly. When prefixes and suffixes are isolated, base words and root words are exposed and explored in context.

Torgesen explains that fluent readers must have strong sound symbol knowledge, blending skills, and pattern recognition to decode unknown words accurately and efficiently.

Really Great Reading programs target true understanding rather than rote memorization. Students learn:

• Syllable types
• Common spelling patterns
• Prefixes, suffixes, and roots
• Strategic word attack routines

This intentional focus supports automaticity. The International Dyslexia Association also notes that instruction should integrate multiple senses at the same time. RGR’s lessons are multisensory, consistently incorporate hearing, seeing, speaking, touching, and movement.

Throughout RGR programs, students engage with concepts actively. They listen to phonemes, use physical movement to build phonemic awareness, and manipulate objects during phonics tasks. These multisensory routines help students learn faster and retain skills longer.

RGR solutions provide structured pathways to decoding success. Students develop strong foundational reading skills that support fluent reading, accurate word recognition, and overall comprehension.

References:

• Eide, D. (2011). Uncovering the logic of English: A common-sense approach to reading, spelling, and literacy. Minneapolis: Pedia Learning.
• International Dyslexia Association. (2015). Effective reading instruction for students with dyslexia. Retrieved from https://dyslexiaida.org/effective-reading-instruction
• International Dyslexia Association. (2017). Dyslexia basics fact sheet. Retrieved from https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-basics
• Kilpatrick, D. A. (2015). Essentials of assessing, preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
• Torgesen, J.K. & Hudson, R. (2006). Reading fluency: critical issues for struggling readers. In S.J. Samuels and A. Farstrup {Eds.}, Reading fluency: The forgotten dimension of reading success. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
• Shaywitz S. E., & Shaywitz B. A. (2008). Paying attention to reading: The neurobiology of reading and dyslexia. Development and Psychopathology, 20(4), 1329-49.
• Spear-Swerling, L. (2016). Instructional considerations for students with dyslexia.