Every time literacy science begins to move forward, the same thing happens. Someone from the speech-to-print world, this time Jan Wasowicz of Spell-Links in her ListServ, steps in to “agree,”…
For decades, the dominant story about how babies learn to speak has centered on phonemes,those tiny, abstract sound units that make up words. Textbooks, teacher training, and most reading interventions…
Understanding Dyslexia as a Language Difference
A Quick Guide to Early Identification and Support
By Shawna Pope-Jefferson, M.S., CCC-SLP
Rethinking Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a language-based difference,…
When traditional interventions like Orton-Gillingham (OG) fall short, especially for students with oral language deficits or complex learning profiles, the solution isn’t to drill harder—it’s to teach smarter. Structured Word…
How a Classroom Experiment Sparked a Literacy Revolution
Dr. Peter Bowers created the framework of Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) while pursuing his Ph.D. at Queen’s University (Canada). Inspired by a 2001…
In recent years, the "Science of Reading" movement has become synonymous, in the minds of many educators and policymakers, with phonics instruction. Phonics programs promise clear, measurable results and seem…
One day, a student of mine approached me with a puzzled expression and asked, "Miss Shawna, I asked my teacher why 'sign' has a <g> , and she told me…
It's important to understand that many English words cannot be sounded out, and many dyslexic learners can't learn by sounding out at all. This is why it's crucial to be…
Have you heard of the concept of mathematical laws, which are principles that govern the behavior of numbers and operations in mathematics?
Just as mathematical laws dictate the rules and principles…
The English writing system is logical and predictable.
Many of the children I have worked with have difficulty spelling “said.” They sound it out, as they were told to do, and…
Did you know that Noah Webster invented the six written syllable types so people could understand how he wrote his pronunciation key in his dictionary? Until Noah Webster set out…
The only replaceable grapheme in the English writing system is potential single final non-syllabic < e >. I know, you’re thinking, “What!?” Yes, that single < e > at the…