FAQs Dyslexia Intervention

In a nutshell, struggling readers gain the tools and confidence to become skilled readers and life-long learners. Most children with newly diagnosed Dyslexia are one to two years behind their peers in reading. The goal of our core program is to close that gap as quickly as possible.

We understand that the biggest obstacle for children to receive quality O-G therapy is the lack of affordable services. Public schools do not provide this intervention, so it's usually up to the parents to find help outside of school. Depending on where you live, O-G therapy can cost anywhere from $65-$100+ per hour of instruction, and most tutors work with children just one or two days a week. This kind of intervention can be long term and very costly.

Our goal is to help your child make the most gains in the shortest amount of time possible without causing a financial strain to your family. As we know, repetition and practice is essential for proper intervention, and that is why The Dyslexia Code provides direct instruction for your child 4 days a week. In addition, your child will have access to the Digital Playground to practice skills from our lessons in between sessions.  Children in each of our programs average 270+ minutes per week of effective intervention as opposed to just 60-120 minutes per week with other programs. 

One of the other advantages of working with TDC is that children work in dynamic teams of 3.  Children enjoy this structure as they learn with and from one another. There is a spirit of unity and encouragement as well as a small spark of friendly competition that allows children to feel safe and to gain confidence.

You don’t need a formal diagnosis to begin improving your child’s outcomes.  If you are looking for information about dyslexia, chances are your child is struggling with reading.  While a diagnosis will give us some information about why he or she is having a hard time, we can start improving reading without a diagnosis. 

If your primary goal is to find out in great detail what is going on in your child’s brain, testing is the way to get that information. But, if your priority is to get your child reading and learning in a way that makes sense to them, then I highly suggest you seek intervention sooner rather than later. As a result you can save you and your child time and frustration and start celebrating their improvement! Start getting help now and get a diagnosis later if you feel it’s still necessary. 

The amount of time depends on your child's individual needs, but with our structured literacy core flow of Boost, Essentials, and Linguistics, your child may be remediated in a matter of 5-12 months.  Children who complete all three programs typically improve in reading by two grade levels, on average.

Boost is far more efficient than traditional Orton-Gillingham tutoring because your child engages in multi-sensory, explicit instruction 4 days a week and practices on the digital playground in between sessions.  This results in 260 minutes of explicit instruction and practice per week as opposed to just 50-120 minutes per week with traditional OG tutoring. 

Any child age 7-12, who has an average IQ, and who speaks English. A non-native English speaker must be able to speak and understand spoken English at a second-grade level. 

This is not for children with a receptive or expressive language disorder. An expressive language disorder is one in which the child struggles to get their meaning or messages across to other people. A receptive language disorder is one in which a child struggles to understand and process the messages and information they receive from others. 

Yes. To do this you will need to follow the IRS Publication for medical and dental expenses and have a physician’s recommendation. See the section in the IRS Publication on Special Education for details.

In 2016 the Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses (pdf), the section on Special Education said “You can include in medical expenses fees you pay on a doctor’s recommendation for a child’s tutoring by a teacher who is specially trained and qualified to work with children who have learning disabilities caused by mental or physical impairments, including nervous system disorders.”

When preparing your taxes, it may help to make a copy of Publication 502, circle the pertinent section and send it along, with your physician’s note to your tax preparer.

Potentially, yes. The IRS definition of a qualified medical expense is quite broad and includes therapy for “learning disabilities” (AKA: dyslexia). See page 13 of this IRS publication (pdf).  We suggest that customers contact their accountant or tax preparer to determine if they qualify for this deduction. If it appears you will qualify, note that a physician’s recommendation is required.  

A physician’s recommendation is generally very easy to get. Here’s how:

• Make an appointment with your child’s primary care provider.
• During the appointment, explain that you would like to get reading therapy for your child and that the IRS requires a physician’s written recommendation.
• Explain that the type of therapy you want to use is the same type recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (We’d be happy to respond to your physician’s questions about these guidelines.)
• The physician can write this recommendation on a prescription pad or in a letter.
• File the physician’s letter with your taxes.

Of course! Call Danielle at 561.517.0420