Has your child struggled with reading despite extra help, intervention, or other tutoring? If so, the Wilson Reading System is an extremely effective method for teaching students who are struggling with reading or are dyslexic. 

Wilson Reading System is based on more than three decades of data, WRS is designed for students in grades 2–12 and adults with word-level deficits who are not making sufficient progress through their current intervention; have been unable to learn with other teaching strategies; or who require more intensive structured literacy instruction due to a language-based learning disability, such as dyslexia.

The principles of instruction have been identified by research as effective teaching principles found to increase student achievement. WRS also aligns with the International Dyslexia Association’s (IDA) guidelines for working with students with dyslexia (IDA, 2008). Success is achieved through greater intensity, duration, and smaller group sizes.

Unique characteristics set WRS apart from other programs:

A systematic, explicit, cumulative, intensive, and focused approach is used to teach the structure of the English language/total word structure for decoding and encoding.

A systematic and integrated approach to decoding, morphology and the study of word elements, encoding and orthography (internalizing the rules that govern English), high frequency word instruction, oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Orton-Gillingham principles make all instruction direct, multisensory, and interactive. Consistent links are made between visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways to enhance memory and learning of written language.

Unique “sound-tapping system” attunes students to the separate phonemes in a word, develops the understanding that the sounds of spoken language work together to make words, and facilitates segmentation and blending of sounds.

Material is presented in 12 Steps, not corresponding to school grade levels, that are further divided into 63 incremental substeps, each building upon the previous one. Mastery of each substep is required before progressing to the next one, making the demands of the subsequent substep manageable and achievable. 

A ten-part lesson plan that addresses the following in a sensible and logical fashion: decoding, morphology and the study of word elements, encoding and orthography (internalizing the rules that govern English), high frequency word instruction, oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

A penciling technique for scooping sentences and passages into meaningful phrases facilitates reading with prosody.

Concepts are taught through the manipulation of sound, syllable, and word element (prefix, base element, and suffix) cards.

One of the most extensive collections of controlled and readable text (wordlists, sentences, stories) for students beyond the primary grades provided.

Criterion-based assessments are built into the program to measure student progress and success.

In Wilson Reading System® (WRS), word-level instruction includes all English language letter-sound correspondences, syllable patterns (single and multisyllabic), common prefixes, suffixes, Latin/Greek-base elements, and skilled practice with high frequency words—including irregular words. Furthermore, WRS word study incorporates a focus on sounds, patterns, and meaning, while systematically and concurrently developing students’ phonemic awareness, morphological awareness, and orthographic awareness skills. Word structure for both reading (decoding) and spelling (encoding) is taught simultaneously to reinforce learning.