You don’t need to be a professional dyslexia tutor to improve your child’s reading. In this episode of The Literacy Keys, you’ll learn how to bring the Orton Gillingham method right into your home using simple, powerful tips that help your child make real progress.
If you’ve ever sat at the kitchen table watching your child avoid doing their homework, you’re not alone. That frustration is exactly why this episode exists. Tracy, an Orton Gillingham tutor, discusses the “fourth-grade slump;” explains why traditional reading instruction leaves dyslexic learners behind, and shows you ways to confidently use Orton Gillingham at home, even if you have zero teaching experience.
You’ll learn two practical OG strategies you can use immediately to help your child read and spell with less stress. These parent-friendly, multisensory techniques mirror what expert dyslexia tutors use during structured literacy lessons, but without the price tag.
If you homeschool, or if you’ve simply been looking for a way to use the Orton Gillingham method at home, this episode will ensure you do so with clarity and confidence. Listen now and discover how.
If your middle or high schooler avoids books, argues about homework, or insists they’re just not a reader, this episode is for you. We’re digging into reading motivation for older kids and, most importantly, how to motivate your kids to read without constant battles or guilt trips.
In this episode of The Literacy Keys, Tracy breaks down why so many secondary students are still struggling with foundational reading skills and what makes teens’ reading challenges very different from younger kids’. You’ll hear how low confidence, slow fluency, and intimidating multisyllabic words in subjects like science and social studies slowly drain motivation. Best of all, this episodes shares what you can do to rebuild reading motivation at home.
Drawing on a powerful Education Week article about secondary reading struggles and the book Know Better, Do Better by Meredith & David Liben, Tracy explains why it’s never too late to become a better reader, and why age-appropriate materials, targeted fluency work, and mindset shifts matter so much for teens. You’ll walk away with practical, realistic strategies you can start using right away.
Whether your child is barely reading, reading very slowly, or simply refusing to try, this episode on reading motivation shares how to motivate kids to read. If you’ve been feeling stuck, discouraged, or unsure where to start, this conversation will give you a concrete plan to help your older child see themselves as a reader.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
In this episode, Tracy and Alex discuss their personal experiences with parental guilt, anxiety, and the importance of therapy when seeing anxiety in teenagers. They explore the emotional journey of receiving a dyslexia diagnosis, the differing reactions between parent and child, and the complexities of parental guilt. They share their thoughts on helping teens with anxiety by finding the right child psychologist (or therapist) and the value of self-acceptance in the face of challenges.
Addressing the mental health aspect of being dyslexic is important.
It's important to also address the foundational reading issues when your child is struggling to read. If you are interested in improving your child's reading through a structured Orton Gillingham approach,
contact Tracy at The Literacy Keys.
Dive into the essential skills of reading fluency — what it is, why it matters, and how parents can strengthen it at home using multi-sensory techniques.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
What reading fluency actually means
Why fluency is the bridge between decoding and comprehension
How dyslexic learners uniquely benefit from structured fluency practice
The most effective multi-sensory reading fluency strategies parents can use at home
Echo reading
Phrase scooping
Repeated readings
Pressure-free timed readings
You'll also hear about a FREE opportunity to participate in a Spelling Program that Tracy has created for Struggling Spellers. Head over to: https://theliteracykeys.com/beta-tester-unlock-the-spelling-code/
Tracy Young is an Orton-Gillingham trained, ALTA Certified Practitioner and the founder of The Literacy Keys, where she tutors dyslexic students and teaches parents how to support literacy at home with confidence and clarity.
This Episode Is For:
If your child avoids reading, mixes up words, melts down over homework, or keeps saying, “I’m just not smart,” you may be wondering whether there’s something deeper happening beneath the surface. What if these challenges aren’t a phase, but signs of dyslexia symptoms that have been overlooked?
In this episode, Tracy Young, Orton-Gillingham practitioner and host of The Literacy Keys Podcast, walks you through the most common dyslexia symptoms across four age groups: toddlers, elementary students, teenagers, and adults.
You’ll hear parent-friendly explanations about the subtle signs that most families and teachers miss. Whether you're noticing reading struggles in your preschooler, inconsistent spelling in your middle schooler, or lingering confusion in a young adult, this episode will help you connect the dots.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Is essay writing a battle in your house? If the physical act of writing is draining all your child's mental energy, then you need a new tool.
Join Orton Gillingham Tutor Tracy Young as she explores mind maps, a visual and flexible planning tool that can turn writing frustration into celebration! This episode dives into why mind maps are especially effective for students with dyslexia and dysgraphia and provides practical, step-by-step guidance.
KEY MOMENTS
[04:25] What is a Mind Map? A description of the tool: starting with a central idea, main points radiating outwards as major lines, and details/examples as smaller sub-branches.
[07:10] Free Online Mind Maps: Discussion of resources like Zoom.com, Canva.com, and Mindmup.com that offer free online mind maps templates to create digital mind maps.
[08:55] The 5-Step Process: The main steps for creating a mind map, including starting with a central idea, brainstorming main points, adding details, connecting ideas, and refining.
[12:15] Mind Maps for Different Essay Types: Strategies for using mind maps to plan expository (informational), persuasive (argumentative), and narrative (story-telling) essays.
[16:00] Essay Planning Example: A detailed walkthrough of creating a mind map to plan an expository essay on the character transformation of Percy Jackson.
[22:00] Why Mind Maps Work: Explaining their effectiveness for students with dyslexia (visual organization) and dysgraphia (reduced writing load and non-linearity).
[25:30] Teaching the Tool: The "I do, we do, you do" scaffolding approach for teaching someone how to use mind maps effectively, emphasizing patience and not rushing the process.
3 Resources for Free Online Mind Maps:
https://www.zoom.com/
https://www.canva.com/templates
https://www.mindmup.com/
This conversation explores the connection between dyslexia and success, highlighting how many innovative thinkers and leaders have thrived despite their challenges. The discussion emphasizes recognizing and leveraging strengths, navigating educational paths, and the importance of continuous learning and adaptability in career choices.
The episode also shares one person's symptoms of dyslexia and what a "bad dyslexic day" really feels like.
Takeaways
Episode Keywords:
dyslexia, success, innovative thinkers, career paths, education, strengths, entrepreneurship, continuous learning, adaptability, dyslexic advantage, symptoms of dyslexia,
Does your child have Dyslexia and ADHD? Up to 40% of people with Dyslexia also have ADHD. Discover helpful hints to manage learning. You'll also want to ensure that ADHD doesn't mask their Dyslexia.
0:00 - Introduction Dyslexia and ADHD
1:53 - The Critical Question: ADHD, Dyslexia, or Both?
4:47 - Five Tips to Support Your Child
5:39 - Tip 1: Seek a Comprehensive Evaluation
9:55 - Tip 2: Structure, Structure, and More Structure
1:47 - Tip 3: Teach Organizational Skills Explicitly
14:38 - Tip 4: Leverage Technology
17:15 - Tip 5: Add Movement
Does your child struggle with math? There might be something going on in the brain that’s causing the struggle. In this episode we talk about a condition which is sometimes referred to as “math dyslexia.”
Learn about the neurological aspect, how it's diagnosed, along with practical strategies that can be used to help reduce the frustration. Best of all, we’ll share how to pronounce dyscalculia!
0:00 The Struggle and the Truth About "Math Dyslexia"
0:15 What the Episode Covers (Diagnosis, Strategies, Pronunciation)
0:40 Pronunciation of Dyscalculia and Word Morphology (Difficulty Counting)
1:30 What is Dyscalculia (Math Dyslexia) and separating it from Dyslexia
2:15 Analogy for Dyscalculia
3:00 Examples of Struggle
3:45 Common Symptoms of Dyscalculia
5:00 Impact on Daily Life
5:45 How is Dyscalculia Tested?
7:00 Comorbidity: The Connection to Dyslexia and Dysgraphia (The "3 Ds")
7:45 Strategies for Parents
The IDA definition of dyslexia is considered the gold standard. So why is the IDA changing the definition? What will it mean for your child? Listen to this podcast to discover what the change to the definition of dyslexia means for you and your child, and why the organization thought it necessary.
Links:
A mother and daughter’s journey with dyslexia as the daughter asks: “Am I dyslexic?” This episode offers a perspective on what many have said along the way, which hasn't always been pretty.
In this conversation, Tracy and Alex delve into the complexities of dyslexia, addressing common misconceptions and the importance of self-advocacy. They share personal experiences from high school to college, highlighting the challenges faced by dyslexics and the need for greater awareness and understanding in society. The discussion emphasizes that being dyslexic does not equate to a lack of intelligence and encourages listeners to advocate for themselves and others.
Do you have a story to share about your child? We'd love to hear it. Head over to The Literacy Keys website. Use the contact form to send us a message.
TAKEAWAYS
CHAPTERS
00:00 Understanding Dyslexia: Breaking Down Misconceptions
03:10 Personal Experiences: The Journey Through School
06:08 Advocacy and Self-Discovery in Education
08:51 The Impact of Labels and Societal Perceptions
12:03 Navigating College: A New Approach to Advocacy
15:06 Overcoming Challenges: The Role of Perseverance
17:50 Learning from Failure: The Path to Success
21:01 The Importance of Support and Understanding
24:05 Final Thoughts: Changing Perceptions of Dyslexia
Have you noticed signs of dysgraphia in your child and wondered, "What's the next step?" In this episode, we're here to share the process of testing for dysgraphia, and ensure your child has the dysgraphia treatment support they need to succeed.
The Zaner-Bloser Writing Frame can be found by clicking:
In this episode, we're cutting through the confusion of dysgraphia vs dyslexia. Discover why some kids struggle to write even though they're great at reading. Learn why some dyslexic children also struggle to write.
This is Part 1 of a 2-part series.
Are you searching for dyslexia resources for parents? Are you trying to understand your child’s diagnosis? This episode talks about 3 key things you can do to support your child.
Two of the resources mentioned in the episode include:
Is your child’s weekly spelling list a source of frustration? Learn how to teach spelling and why it's a critical workout for the brain. Discover how a focus on morphology, with a multisensory approach, can finally make it stick.
This episode is the second part of our multisensory approach to spelling. In this episode, you'll discover how an OG tutor teaches students to break the word into sounds in order to spell the word.
There are 4 specific examples: two vcv words, and a v-e word, and a 2-syllable word.
If you missed the first part, head over to the previous episode.
Is spelling a nightly battle in your home? In this episode, we explain how to use the Orton-Gillingham multisensory approach for struggling spellers to ensure learning sticks in long-term memory.
If you have a child who struggles to read, you may have heard the term Orton Gillingham, but you may not be exactly sure of what it means. This podcast explains what it is, and how to find a certified OG tutor.
What happens when a dyslexic diagnosis comes long after the early elementary grades? In this episode, host Tracy Young sits down with her daughter, Alexandrine, to share Alex’s journey of discovering she was dyslexic.
They explore the missed “red flags,” the frustration of being misunderstood by teachers, and the challenges of advanced coursework. Their conversation details the path to obtaining an evaluation in high school and the validating power of a dyslexic diagnosis. The message offers hope, encouragement, and practical strategies for both parents and teens navigating a similar path.
Has the excitement of a new school year turned into worry? In this episode, we'll pull back the curtain on the IEP meeting to help you navigate the process. Find out what to expect so you can become a confident advocate for your child. We’ll even share next steps if the school determines that “everything is normal,” and you disagree.
Click on the link below
From Emotions to Advocacy by Pam Wright and Pete Wright