In the 1920s, a pathologist and neuropsychologist, Dr. Samuel Orton, worked in Iowa to teach language skills to students with language-based learning disabilities resembling the modern diagnosis of dyslexia. Orton experimented with non-traditional learning techniques, including having students handle toy models of the letters of the alphabet, drawing letters in the air, sounding out letters and words simultaneously, and breaking down words into their separate syllables, prefixes and suffixes. Anna Gillingham studied under Orton at Columbia University and, with the help of Bessie Stillman, published a teaching manual for Orton-Gillingham methodology in 1935 entitled Remedial Training for Children with Specific Disability in Reading, Spelling and Penmanship.
Orton-Gillingham methodology is used to improve the efficacy of the learning process for students with language-based learning disabilities. Dyslexia is the most commonly associated disability; so much so that the International Dyslexic Association was formerly the the Orton Dyslexia Society. Though proponents of the methodology encourage intervention as early in development as possible, they claim it is useful for students of any age experiencing difficulty with reading and writing.
The teaching manual identifies several characteristics of the Orton-Gillingham approach. It is individualized. Tutors usually work with students one-on-one. It is multi-sensory. Students learn letters, syllables and words using visual, auditory and kinesthetic activities. It is logical and cumulative. Students begin by learning letters, move on to syllables and phonemes only after demonstrating they have learned letters, and move on to words only after finishing syllables and phonemes. The approach is emotionally sound. Practitioners focus on avoiding student embarrassment and other emotions that are counterproductive to the learning process.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators trains, certifies and accredits organizations and individuals in the use of Orton-Gillingham methodology. As of July 2009, it accredited nine schools, four clinics and three camps to use Orton-Gillingham techniques. It also accredited 14 schools to train practitioners. The academy certifies individuals to use the approach after completing hour requirements for time spent learning about the approach, time spent using the approach under the supervision of an accredited individual and time spent using the approach without supervision. The academy is located in New York state.
An article in the University of North Carolina's Journal of Special Education surveyed 12 studies on the efficacy of Orton-Gillingham methodology as compared to other interventions. In five of the 12 cases, Orton-Gillingham students performed better on all metrics. In four of the remaining cases, Orton-Gillingham students performed better on at least one metric. When addressing evidence for or against the efficacy of Orton-Gillingham methodology, the Florida Center for Reading Research notes that many successful approaches to language-based instruction draw techniques from Orton-Gillingham--including the Wilson Reading System, the Barton Reading System, Alphabetic Phonics and Project Read.