Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024: How Mighty Doodle Helps Children With Dyslexia Learn to Read

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024, which highlights the need for a greater understanding of learning differences. There’s no better time to introduce children to Mighty Doodle, the AI-powered tutor for dyslexia. Specifically designed for learners in 1st through 4th grades, Mighty Doodle helps children master reading, writing, and spelling using the science of reading and the Orton-Gillingham tutoring approach. During Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024 and beyond, Mighty Doodle helps emerging readers who may be struggling or diagnosed with dyslexia who are ready to learn to read, write and spell. In this blog, you’ll learn:

• What Mighty Doodle is
• What the Orton-Gillingham approach is
• How Might Doodle uses the Orton-Gillingham approach to help children with dyslexia learn to read

What Is Mighty Doodle?

Mighty Doodle is the AI-powered tutor for dyslexia that teaches children how to read, write and spell in a 1:1 format directly connecting the child to the lessons taught by Mighty Doodle. The iPad-based platform teaches how all children learn, using evidence-based techniques – like the Orton-Gillingham method – and a whole child-centered approach.  Mighty Doodle is known as one of the best reading programs for children with dyslexia. In fact, children who engage with this program often achieve up to 4x better scores on national standardized tests compared to their peers. Children are engaged and develop a connection to their self-directed,, personalized avatar… Mighty Doodle is a friend, and their guide who teaches them the way they learn, with real time feedback and rewards! So, how does Mighty Doodle work? 

• This learning program for children leverages machine learning to create an adaptive and cumulative curriculum that customizes lessons to the needs of each child. 
• Voice and handwriting recognition, mobility and mindfulness exercises, and gamification make Mighty Doodle especially engaging for children. 
• Plus, parents love the real-time data and analytics they can access in the parent portal to understand and encourage their child’s progress.

Mighty Doodle is especially effective for readers who struggle with dyslexia or reading because it’s centered around the Orton-Gillingham tutoring method.

What Is the Orton-Gillingham Approach?

The Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach is a highly structured, evidence-based approach to teaching reading, particularly designed to help learners with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. It was developed in the 1930s by Dr. Samuel Orton, a neuropsychiatrist, and Anna Gillingham, an educator and psychologist.  The Orton-Gillingham method is widely recognized as one of the most effective approaches for teaching children with dyslexia, as it addresses the specific differences they experience with language processing.  The method centers on teaching the connections between letters and sounds in a direct, explicit, and multisensory way. By focusing on phonics and the structure of the English language, the OG approach helps students improve their reading fluency, comprehension, and spelling. While designed for dyslexic learners, the Orton-Gillingham method can be beneficial for any child struggling with reading and spelling. It is often used in one-on-one or small-group instruction, particularly in special education settings.

How Mighty Doodle Helps Children With Dyslexia Learn to Read During Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024 and Beyond

Now that you’re familiar with Mighty Doodle and the Orton-Gillingham method, let’s explore how this AI-powered tutor uses the OG method to help children with dyslexia learn to read.  Keep reading to learn how Mighty Doodle, the dyslexia learning tools for kids, incorporates the following Orton-Gillingham approach principles into its platform:

• Multi-sensory learning
• Sequential and cumulative lessons
• Explicit and direct instruction
• Focus on phonemic awareness
• Diagnostic-prescriptive instruction

Multi-Sensory Learning

Unlike other reading instruction methods, which primarily rely on sight and hearing, the Orton-Gillingham tutoring approach engages more senses, including sight, hearing, speech, touch, and movement, to reinforce learning. Specifically, the OG method requires children to say the letters and sounds they are writing, as well as listen to the sounds words make. Mighty Doodle embodies this approach by incorporating multi-sensory learning into its methodology through interactive games. For example, students might trace letters while saying their sounds aloud, combining visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning. Mighty Doodle’s® gamified learning for children with dyslexia makes learning to read fun and engaging.

Sequential and Cumulative Lessons

In the Orton-Gillingham approach, lessons follow a carefully structured sequence, starting with the simplest concepts, like letters and phonemes (sounds), and gradually progressing to more complex ones, like word structures and syllable types. This structured progression helps students develop a solid foundation before tackling more challenging material. Mighty Doodle mirrors the Orton-Gillingham method by designing each lesson to link back to what learners already know. Sequential, cumulative lessons ensure that as new concepts are introduced – like blending phonemes into words – children can draw on their existing skills.  This gradual approach makes it easier for new readers to grasp and retain new information. By continuously building on what they’ve learned, children gain confidence and a deeper understanding of language with the help of Mighty Doodle.

Explicit and Direct Instruction

As a parent, you have been reading for a long time, so it can be easy to forget what you didn’t know when you started your reading journey years ago and assume your child already knows them.  Assumptions can be detrimental to a dyslexic child’s progress and confidence, which is why the Orton-Gillingham approach and the Mighty Doodle program assume nothing. Instead, the method teaches every skill step by step, so no child gets left behind. Mighty Doodle incorporates this principle in its methodology by explicitly teaching phonics, spelling rules, and language structure. By assuming nothing, Mighty Doodle makes reading accessible to all children.

Focus on Phonemic Awareness

The Orton-Gillingham method emphasizes the importance of phonemic awareness, which is one of the five pillars of literacy. Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate phonemes: the individual sounds in words. Like the OG approach, Mighty Doodle focuses on teaching new readers to understand the sound structure of language. The program does this by teaching students to break down words into individual sounds and blend them together. Phonemic awareness is a crucial skill in early literacy development, as it lays the groundwork for reading and spelling fluency.

Diagnostic-Prescriptive Instruction

The Orton-Gillingham method understands that there is no one-size fits all approach to learning how to read, especially when it comes to dyslexia. Two children in the same classroom could learn at different speeds and face different challenges.  The OG method uses a diagnostic-prescriptive approach to respond to each learner’s specific challenges. This approach first diagnoses students to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and then prescribes the best strategies for overcoming struggles and leveraging strengths. Mighty Doodle takes a diagnostic-prescriptive approach by tailoring its lessons to children’s needs and progress. The program uses real-time tracking and analytics to assess your child’s progress while they read, and adapts the lessons to their individual needs.

Wrapping Up: Mighty Doodle Supports Readers During Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024

As we bring attention to dyslexia during Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024, it’s important to recognize the role that Mighty Doodle plays in helping young readers with dyslexia. By combining evidence-based pedagogical approaches like Orton-Gillingham with technology, Mighty Doodle empowers learners to build essential reading and writing skills. This holistic approach not only addresses the unique challenges of dyslexic readers, but also fosters confidence and a love of learning. Help your child improve their reading skills and confidence by downloading Mighty Doodle today; available in the Apple App store.