Structured, Multisensory Reading Help for Struggling Readers
Orton-Gillingham based instruction from trained educators, right here in Davidson, NC.
Your child is bright, curious, and capable. But reading feels like a battle, homework ends in tears, they guess at words, and they’re starting to say “I’m just not smart.” You know something isn’t clicking, and you’re right: struggling readers don’t need more of the same instruction, they need different instruction.
At Davidson Center, our Orton-Gillingham trained educators teach reading the way research says struggling readers, including students with dyslexia, learn best: explicitly, systematically, and through every sense.
Every week matters for a struggling reader. Schedule a free consult and find out exactly what’s getting in the way, and exactly how we’ll fix it.
Is This Your Child?
Reading difficulties rarely announce themselves. They look like:
- Guessing at words from the first letter or the pictures
- Reading slowly, word by word, with little expression
- Avoiding reading aloud, or avoiding books altogether
- Spelling the same word three different ways on one page
- Strong listening comprehension, but weak reading comprehension
- Homework battles, stomachaches on school days, “I hate reading”
- A bright, verbal child whose grades don’t match their ability
- Falling below benchmark on school assessments
If any of this sounds familiar, your child isn’t lazy and isn’t behind for lack of effort. They may simply need a structured literacy approach, and the earlier they get it, the faster confidence returns.
What Is Orton-Gillingham?
Orton-Gillingham (OG) is the gold-standard approach behind nearly every effective dyslexia intervention. Rather than asking students to memorize words or guess from context, OG teaches the structure of the English language itself, sounds, letters, syllables, and spelling rules, in a sequence that builds skill upon skill.
What makes it different:
- Multisensory. Students see it, say it, hear it, and write it — tracing letters in sand, tapping out sounds, building words with tiles. Multiple pathways to the brain make learning stick.
- Structured and sequential. Every lesson builds on the last. Nothing is assumed; nothing is skipped.
- Diagnostic and individualized. Instruction is one-on-one and constantly adjusted. We teach to mastery, not to a pacing guide.
- Explicit. We never ask a child to guess. We teach the why behind English, so reading finally makes sense.
OG is effective for students with dyslexia, and for any student who struggles with decoding, fluency, or spelling.
Davidson Center’s OG team leader and Center Director, Laurissa Ecker-Berkman and our therapy dog, Andi Rose
Our Team: Trained Specialists, Not Generalist Tutors
Reading remediation is only as good as the educator delivering it. Davidson Center’s literacy team includes:
- Orton-Gillingham trained educators, with training through IMSE, Wilson, and The Fletcher School in Charlotte
- LETRS®-trained instructors grounded in the science of reading
- Reading specialists with master’s degrees in Reading, Literacy, and Special Education, including educators with 20–30 years of experience
- Led by Laurissa Ecker-Berkman, M.A. in Literacy (K–12), who personally designs and oversees intervention plans
Several of our educators have supported children with dyslexia in their own families. We understand this journey personally, not just professionally.
How It Works
- Free consult. We listen. You tell us what you’re seeing at home and school, and share any evaluations or school reports.
- Individualized plan. Your child is matched with an OG-trained educator and a lesson sequence is built for their specific gaps.
- Reading assessment. We use the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment to find a baseline for instruction and track progress in phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension.
- One-on-one instruction. Structured, multisensory sessions in a warm environment where kids feel safe to try. (Yes, our therapy dog Andi Rose is part of the welcome committee.)
- Progress you can see. Regular progress monitoring, transparent communication with you, and collaboration with your child’s school and IEP/504 team when helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from regular tutoring? Tutoring re-teaches classroom content. It helps a student catch up on this week’s homework or prepare for a unit’s math test. Reading remediation is different: it rebuilds the foundation underneath reading itself. A student who struggles to decode won’t be fixed by homework help alone; they need systematic, sequential instruction grounded in an understanding of how people actually learn to read, delivered by someone specifically trained to provide it. At Davidson Center, that means Orton-Gillingham based instruction: multisensory, diagnostic, and built lesson by lesson so nothing is assumed and nothing is skipped. Think of tutoring as helping a student climb faster, and reading remediation as repairing the ladder.
What actually happens in a reading remediation session? Sessions are one-on-one and multisensory. Your child sees it, says it, hears it, and writes it, rather than just looking at a worksheet. We use the Orton-Gillingham approach, the gold-standard method behind nearly every effective dyslexia intervention. It teaches the logic of English explicitly and in order: how sounds and letters connect, why words are spelled the way they are, and how to blend and decode until it becomes automatic. Every lesson builds on the last, so a student is never expected to know something they haven’t actually been taught.
Will my child work one-on-one, or in a group? One-on-one. Every child’s reading profile is different…different gaps, different pace, different things getting in the way, so instruction is continuously adjusted to that one student rather than paced to a group.
Does my child need a dyslexia diagnosis to start? No. Many families come to us before or instead of a formal evaluation; sometimes because they’re on a waitlist, sometimes because they’d rather start building skills now. If you do want formal answers, which can be very valuable to guide instruction, Davidson Center also offers evaluations/testing, so an assessment and remediation can move forward side by side instead of one waiting on the other.
How do I know if my child needs reading remediation, and not just extra tutoring? A few common signs: your child can memorize sight words but struggles to sound out new ones; reading feels effortful or slow even though they’re clearly bright; they avoid reading aloud or avoid reading altogether; spelling doesn’t seem to follow any pattern they can hold onto; or they’ve had tutoring before, and the gains didn’t stick. No single sign means your child has dyslexia, but together they’re often a clue that the issue is foundational rather than situational, which is exactly what reading remediation is built to address. If you’re not sure, we’re happy to talk it through with you.
How long does reading remediation take? It depends on your child’s starting point and how often you’re able to schedule sessions. Structured literacy is a marathon, not a sprint; there’s no shortcut around systematic, cumulative instruction. That said, most families notice a shift in confidence within the first several weeks, well before every underlying skill has caught up; kids who used to dread reading start being willing to try. We track measurable progress throughout, so you’ll always have a clear picture of where your child stands, not just a feeling.
Who will be teaching my child? A tutor trained in Orton-Gillingham instruction. Our literacy team includes educators with master’s degrees in reading, literacy, and special education, additional training such as LETRS, IMSE, Wilson, and other OG based curriculums, and, for several of our team members, personal family experience with dyslexia. Davidson Center’s reading remediation program is led by Laurissa Ecker-Berkman, M.A. in Literacy (K–12).
Do you work with my child’s school? Yes. We see ourselves as part of your child’s support team, not a separate track. With parents’ permission, we communicate with teachers, share progress, and can support IEP and 504 conversations. If your child already has a plan in place at school, we coordinate our instruction to complement it rather than duplicate it.
What ages do you work with? We support struggling readers from early elementary through high school. Earlier is better, since gaps tend to compound year over year when foundational skills are missing, but it is never too late to become a reader, and we regularly work with middle and high schoolers who’ve spent years compensating and are ready for a different approach.
How much does reading remediation cost? We don’t publish a flat rate; every family’s plan looks a little different. The best next step is a consultation, where we’ll talk through your child’s needs, propose a schedule, and walk through the numbers with you.
Is financial help available? Yes. Davidson Center is registered with the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) as a direct payment school, so eligible families can apply ESA+ and Opportunity Scholarship funds toward reading remediation. Award amounts depend on your child’s documented needs, so we recommend checking with NCSEAA directly on eligibility and asking us how those funds can be applied to your child’s program.
How do we get started? Reach out to request a free consultation by phone or through our contact form. We’ll talk through what you’re seeing at home and at school, answer your questions, and if it seems like a good fit, outline a starting plan, including whether an evaluation alongside remediation makes sense for your child.