OnTrack Reading

In the section of the Guide titled My Take on Dyslexia I discussed the developmental issues and their likely genetic cause that I relate to my definition of dyslexia. If you haven’t read that page yet, consider doing so before reading this page so that you understand where I’m coming from when I discuss dyslexia.

If a parent, not knowing whether a child has dyslexic tendencies or not, wants to have the best chance of overcoming any such tendencies with a reading program alone, I believe they should consider the method developed by Romalda Spalding in the 1950’s known as The Spalding Method. I say this because her program covers more developmental bases than any other parent-guided reading program that I’ve seen. Furthermore, she is continually stating in her own parent guide to her method, The Writing Road to Reading, that her reason for insisting on many of the procedures described in the book is that doing so will “overcome a tendency towards dyslexia.”

Whether or not Ms. Spalding was right in assuming that a “tendency towards dyslexia” could be overcome, children should be guided from the beginning towards proper posture, pencil grip and letter formation. If your child can’t perform the tasks appropriately by the age of six or so, then you should consider a visit to a developmental optometrist to rule out the sort of vision problems that can generate poor reading posture and poor handwriting. Other issues might also be present, of course, but a vision skills problem is at the top of the list.

I would also suggest that anyone who decides to use the Spalding Method, (sometimes referred to as just WRTR, short for Writing Road to Reading, the name of her book) should also consider reading the first two chapters of Reading Reflex, the parent guide to Phono-Graphix, to get a good understanding of the skills and information that you should be trying to impart with any reading curriculum.

Now, since my background in reading instruction began with the Phono-Graphix curriculum described in the book Reading Reflex, then progressed to incorporating various aspects of the Spalding Method, I have several suggestions where the Spalding Method might be improved by adopting some of the curriculum choices made when Phono-Graphix was developed. These are discussed in the following pages.

I would suggest you browse the next few pages before deciding whether to use the Spalding Method as originally designed or to instead incorporate the changes I’m suggesting. Just be aware that while I’ve used all of these changes in the OnTrack Reading Phonics Curriculum, they have not ever been incorporated directly into the Spalding Method as I’m suggesting here.

Next: Modifying the Spalding Method, or return to the OnTrack Home Page.