As a small child I spent a few months in California and at the school they used to the Montessori method. A technique that takes a multi-sensory approach to teaching. I can’t remember learning anything specific but I do remember that being a friendly and happy period of my school life. Over on Myomancy, the Montessori method is being examined and assessed to see how effective it is for children with dysleixa.

Another way that Montessori and dyslexia go together is the teaching materials used. Montessori has always used a multi-sensory approach to teaching involving wooden letters to handle and sandpaper letters that children trace out with their figures for a strong tactile feedback. Lots of the Montessori teaching uses physical objects for teaching basic number skills. Making learning movement based, rather than purely paper-and-pencil, increases the opportunities for hand / eye coordination and cross lateral movement.

What the traditional Montessori methods lacks is a strong phonetic element to its teaching. Dyslexics generally struggle to hear the different sounds that make up our language and this undoubtedly plays a significant part in a dyslexic child’s problems with reading and spelling. However many Montessori schools do include phonetic approaches but the emphasis placed on it varies from school to school.

Read more in Montessori and Dyslexia from Myomancy. Part of its continual coverage of dyslexia.