📚Why Our Approach Matters: Lessons from “Dyslexia and the Reading Wars”📚

In the New Yorker’s recent article “Dyslexia and the Reading Wars,” David Owen lays bare a frustrating truth: effective, scientifically supported methods for teaching struggling readers have existed for decades — yet far too many schools still don’t use them. The New Yorker

🧠 What the Article Reveals

The article pulls together research and expert voices showing that:

• Dyslexia is a real, neurological challenge that affects reading, spelling, and language processing, not a matter of intelligence or effort.

• Many common school literacy programs still rely on outdated or discredited methods that emphasize guessing from context or illustrations rather than teaching the sound-symbol relationships that make reading possible.

• Structured, systematic instruction — sometimes called the “science of reading” — is what actually works, especially for students with dyslexia.

• Improved training for teachers in these methods leads to real gains — and when schools adopt science-based reading programs, reading proficiency rises.

• There is a window early in a child’s life when intervention makes the biggest difference, and missing that opportunity can lead to years of struggle and compounding academic and emotional harm.

These findings echo what literacy researchers, neuroscientists, and advocates have been saying for years: reading is not a natural process that children will just “pick up.” It requires explicit instruction in how written language encodes spoken language — a core principle of structured literacy.

🌾 Connecting the Dots — Why My Learning Farm’s Approach Works

At My Learning Farm, we’ve built our literacy support around the same principles the article highlights as essential:

👍 1. Orton-Gillingham Multisensory, Structured Literacy

Structured literacy — Orton-Gillingham approach — emphasizes:

• Phonology & phonemic awareness — hearing and manipulating sounds in words

• Sound-symbol relationships (phonics) — how letters represent sounds

• Syllable types and morphology — understanding word parts

• Syntax and meaning — connecting reading with comprehension

This is exactly the kind of scientifically supported instruction the New Yorker article champions as the best practice for students with dyslexia and other reading struggles.

🧩 2. Explicit, Systematic Teaching

Rather than asking students to guess from context or pictures — a method shown to be ineffective, especially for dyslexic learners — our instruction breaks reading down into sequential, teachable parts. This matches what research says works best and what the article calls for.

🤝 3. Empowering Educators and Families

One reason schools lag is that many teachers never receive strong training in structured literacy. We change that through training, coaching, and parent support — equipping adult partners to understand and reinforce reading science at home and in instruction.

⚡ 4. Early Intervention Matters

The article emphasizes that there’s a critical window to help struggling readers before gaps widen. Our early screening and targeted support help catch difficulties before they become entrenched, which aligns with the best research on reading development.

These hearts are students at My Learning Farm who have benefitted by evidence-based instruction, curricula, training and love!

📌 Bottom Line

The New Yorker article isn’t just another commentary on dyslexia — it’s a wake-up call that what we already know from decades of research must finally be put into practice. The New Yorker

At My Learning Farm, our use of Orton-Gillingham structured literacy isn’t new or trendy — it reflects the very instructional framework that research shows gives struggling readers a real chance at success. By marrying brain-based literacy science with joyful, individualized learning, we help learners build confidence, skill, and lifelong reading ability.