Language Training

The Language Training Program at University Prep is appropriate for Middle and Upper School students who fall within a spectrum of diagnosed specific language disabilities. This two-year program is based on the Orton-Gillingham multisensory, sequential approach to the acquisition of literacy skills. There is an additional tuition fee for the program.

Our program is based on the principle that learners need to move step-by-step from simple to more complex material in a sequential, logical manner that enables students to master important literacy skills. This method was developed by Dr. Samuel T. Orton and educator Anna Gillingham, and is the oldest and most successful method of teaching students with specific language disabilities.

Multisensory teaching utilizes the three main brain pathways to deeply understand language: visual, kinesthetic, and auditory. All of our Language Training teachers are trained in Orton-Gillingham and Linguistic Remedies. Both curricula utilize an intensive, repetitive, multisensory, linguistically based methodology which builds a strong foundation in reading, writing, and spelling that enables our students to thrive at University Prep.

Each student enrolled in the Language Training Program meets one-to-one with his or her Language Training teacher several times a week. Initial lessons focus on the phonetic elements of language, vocabulary development, spelling, and practice in oral reading. As the student strengthens his/her phonetic ability, more time is spent on reading comprehension, organized expository writing, and the decoding and encoding processes involved in reading and spelling. In addition, the Language Training Program supports students in organizational and self-advocacy skills. Instruction in Language Training is adjusted and designed to the individual student's strengths and weaknesses.

Faculty

• Connie Blair, Language Training Teacher and Department Head
• Gregory Conlin, Language Training Teacher