Reading & Spelling Tutoring for Students with Dyslexia
Barton Reading & Spelling System + Orton-Gillingham Based Interventions
Research-Backed Support for Struggling Readers
Struggling to read or spell can hold a child back in every subject — and chip away at their confidence. At Hammond Bell, we use research-based, multisensory programs like Barton, Orton-Gillingham, and Foundations in Sounds to give students the tools they need to decode words, spell with accuracy, and finally become successful readers and spellers.
​"So grateful we found Hammond Bell. I am thrilled with the progress my children have made in a very short time. My daughter absolutely adores her tutor and looks forward to the classes...This school year is a total game changer thanks to our sessions with Hammond Bell."
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- M. Sanders, Parent of 4th & 5th Grader
How Our Program Helps
Here’s how our reading and spelling program supports students at every step:
Develop Auditory Skills
Foundations in Sounds builds discrimination, sequencing, and memory to prepare students for reading.
Connect Reading & Spelling
Students learn both skills together, reinforcing literacy growth in every lesson.
Strengthen Sound Awareness
Twelve lessons with multisensory activities ensure mastery of essential pre-reading skills.
Master Phonics
Direct, explicit, multisensory instruction ensures no gaps in foundational skills.
Build Core Literacy Skills
The Barton system teaches reading and spelling through ten structured, sequential levels.
Grow Confidence & Independence
Step-by-step progress helps students see themselves as capable readers and spellers.
What Students Learn
Each unit builds on the last, helping students grow steadily in independence, and skill.
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Phonemic awareness & phonics
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Spelling rules and patterns
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High-frequency sight words
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Reading fluency and vocabulary
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Comprehension strategies
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Writing connections to reinforce literacy
What is Orton-Gillingham?
There’s a common misconception that Orton-Gillingham is a program. It’s actually a methodology — an approach to teaching reading and spelling that has been proven to be highly effective for students with dyslexia and others who struggle with reading.
Orton-Gillingham falls under the umbrella of Structured Literacy, a science-backed approach that emphasizes:
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Multisensory learning – using sight, sound, touch, and movement to strengthen memory and learning.
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Structured & sequential lessons – concepts are introduced in a logical order, building from simple to more complex.
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Explicit instruction – nothing is left to chance; every rule and pattern is directly taught.
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Cumulative teaching – each lesson builds on what came before, reinforcing mastery.
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Diagnostic & individualized – lessons are adapted based on student progress and needs.
Together, these programs create a clear path from early sound awareness to confident reading and spelling.
Programs That Use the Orton-Gillingham Approach
There are several structured literacy programs that fall under the Orton-Gillingham umbrella, such as:
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The Barton Reading & Spelling System
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The Wilson Reading System
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SPIRE
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All About Reading
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IMSE’s OG+ Program
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At Hammond Bell, we primarily use The Barton Reading & Spelling System because of its strong focus on teaching reading and spelling together in a way that closes foundational gaps and builds lifelong literacy skills. For some students, we also use Foundations in Sounds as a prerequisite program.
The Barton Reading & Spelling System
An Orton-Gillingham Based Intervention
The Barton system is a structured literacy program designed for struggling readers, including those with dyslexia. It teaches reading and spelling together in a clear, logical sequence.
Barton is:
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Multisensory
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Structured
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Systematic & direct
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Sequential
It is not a “quick-fix” program — it is an intensive intervention that should be completed in full for maximum benefit. Students are required to work with a tutor at least twice per week.
The 10 Barton Levels:
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Phonemic Awareness
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Consonants & Short Vowels
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Closed & Unit Syllables
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Multi-Syllable Words & Vowel Teams
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Prefixes & Suffixes
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Six Reasons for Silent-E
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Vowel-R’s
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Advanced Vowel Teams
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Influence of Foreign Languages
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Latin Roots & Greek Combining Forms
Learn more about the Barton Reading & Spelling System here
Foundation in Sounds
A pre-reading program for dyslexic children and adults, preschoolers, and struggling students.
Foundations in Sounds is a pre-reading program that is used to gain the foundational skills that are required prior to reading. Students who don't pass the Barton screener. FIS develops auditory discrimination, auditory memory size, and auditory sequencing skills.
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It is is structured similarly to Barton in that it is; multisensory, structured, systematic and direct it its instruction, and sequential.
FIS is broken into 12 lessons with 9 procedures in each lesson.
The sounds are taught in this order:
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1. /m/ and /n/
2: /f/ and /v/
3: /th/
4: /k/ and /g/
5: /s/ and /sh/
6: /i/ and /e/
7: /u/
8: /a/ and /o/
9: /l/ and /r/
10: /d/ and /t/
11: /ch/ and /j/
12: /b/ and /p/
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Learn more about Foundation in Sounds here
Our Approach to Reading & Spelling
At Hammond Bell, we use proven, research-based programs that build literacy step by step.
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Foundations in Sounds (FIS): Pre-reading program that develops auditory skills for students not yet ready for Barton.
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Barton Reading & Spelling: A structured, Orton-Gillingham–influenced system that teaches reading and spelling together through 10 cumulative levels.
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Orton-Gillingham (OG): The gold standard for dyslexia intervention, using explicit, multisensory instruction to ensure lasting success.
Together, these programs create a clear path from early sound awareness to confident reading and spelling.