with
Nikhil & Angela Dally
Certified Phono-Graphix® Reading Therapists
 

“I used to be dyslexic, but now I can read.”
– Thomas, aged 7 years 11½ months

What is Phono-Graphix?

Phono-Graphix is a method of reading instruction developed in 1992 and 1993 by Carmen and Geoffrey McGuiness at ReadAmerica, Florida. It has been shown in clinical trials to have a superb success rate in remediating reading difficulties.

Why is Phono-Graphix so effective?

Phono-Graphix works because:

• It respects the nature of the sound-to-picture code of the English language.
• It respects the nature of children, the way they learn, and the way their minds develop.

Written English is a sound-to-picture code. Each sound in a word is represented by a symbol, or sound picture. Some phonics programmes start from the letters and then teach children what sounds they “make”: this is back-to-front logic, as children already know the sounds of their language. Therefore Phono-Graphix starts from the sounds and then teaches what sound pictures can be used to represent them.

Many phonics methods teach children the sound pictures in isolation. However, children learn things best in context; therefore in Phono-Graphix all the sound pictures are learnt and practised in the context of real words.

Some sound pictures contain one letter, others two or more. However, there is variation in the code, which means that many sounds can be represented by a number of different sound pictures (e.g. the sound ‘s’ in “say”, “city”, “house”, “voice”, “miss”). And there is overlap in the code, which means that the same sound picture can represent a number of different sounds (e.g. the sound picture <ea> in “bread”, “steak”, “each”). Many phonics programmes teach “rules” to help children negotiate these complexities. Most of these rules are unreliable, and rely on a type of propositional logic which is developmentally beyond the grasp of most young children; this can cause untold confusion. Therefore Phono-Graphix avoids rules, instead teaching children the various possibilities, and giving them effective and coherent strategies to choose between them.

Some teaching methods add further unnecessary complexities to the process of reading: “consonant blends”, “‘long’ and ‘short’ vowels”, “silent letters”, “word families”, “sight words”, “context clues”, “reading for meaning”, actions, songs etc. – all of which can confuse or mislead the young reader. Phono-Graphix eschews all of these, teaching only those skills, concepts and information which genuinely help children to decode text.

How can we help you?

If your child is having difficulty with reading, a short course (12-18 hours) of Phono-Graphix reading therapy may help. Therapy is something which induces a permanent shift in someone’s capabilities. If your child has been following a pattern of reading instruction for three or more years and is still failing, then the method of instruction, rather than your child, may be the problem. With the right support from you (the parent), Phono-Graphix can give your child a coherent, complete and effective method of tackling reading which may transform his capabilities.

Read what our clients say about Phono-Graphix (PDF file, 400 kB)

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