MULTISENSORY METHODS MATTER
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”-Benjamin Franklin
“Multisensory teaching is one important aspect of instruction for dyslexic students that
is used by clinically trained teachers. Effective instruction for students with dyslexia is
also explicit, direct, cumulative, intensive and focused on the structure of language.
Multisensory learning involves the use of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile
pathways simultaneously to enhance memory and learning of written language. Links
are consistently made between the visual (language we see), auditory (language we
hear), and kinesthetic-tactile (language symbols we feel) pathways in learning to read
and spell.” (International Dyslexia Association)
A multisensory structured language program is concerned with both what is being
taught and how it is taught. (Birsh, 2000)
CONTENT*
METHODS
1. Phonology and Phonological
Awareness
2. Sound-Symbol Association
3. Syllable Instruction
4. Morphology
5. Syntax
6. Semantics
1. Simultaneous, Multisensory
(VAKT)
2. Systematic and Cumulative
3. Direct Instruction
4. Diagnostic Teaching
5. Synthetic and Analytic Instruction
* Different authors list the essential components in a variety ways, but agree with the general body of
information that needs to be taught.
CONTENT
1. Phonology and phonological awareness are fancy ways of saying “being
aware of the sounds of words.”
 How many times does my mouth open in the word – or how many syllables are
there?
Dash out syllables _____ ______ _______
 Where do the sounds occur in a word – Initial, Medial and Final?
I M F
 How many sounds are in that word?
Pull down blocks for each sound
 What sound opens my mouth?
Use a different colored block for the vowel sound

What makes a word rhyme?
Everything from the vowel sound to the end
 Can I change the first sound and come up with another word?
Say slip, change s to c = clip
 Can I change the vowel sound – clean to clown
Change the vowel block
2. Sound –Symbol Association is matching the sound to all the symbols that
make that sound, and then looking at a symbol and knowing all the ways it can
be pronounced….and when it makes each sound.
(Phoneme = sound grapheme = written symbol)
 The grapheme “e” = can make 2 different sounds (phonemes)
Sped

equal
The phoneme long /e/ can be spelled 10 different ways (graphemes)
Initial or Medial = These, equal, radio, feet, team, chief, ceiling
Final = bee (1 syllable word), happy(most words) , donkey (uncommon), Allie (uncommon)
3. Syllable Introduction is teaching the 6 different kinds of syllables.
Open – no
Closed – not
Vowel consonant e – note
vowel pair – noon
vowel-R - nor
final stable syllable – noble
4. Morphology – A morpheme is the smallest unit of language that has meaning.
 M means nothing by itself.
But S means “more than one”

Cat/cats
dog/dogs
This means we study base words, roots, and affixes with their meanings.
at
dis
pro
in
con
ex
de
sub
tract
ing
ed
ive
s
able
or
er
tion
5. Syntax includes the order of words in a sentence. It’s the study of grammar how sentences are put together, and what we need to have to make a sentence.
6. Semantics means that we teach the meaning of words, such as vocabulary,
comprehension, figures of speech.
METHODS
1. VAKT – Simultaneous Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic Tactile. This combines the
use of sounds, visuals, movement, music, rhythm, tactile input, etc., in order to
teach language.
2. Systematic and cumulative is having an organized progression of concepts,
where one concept leads to the next and we don’t teach a new concept until we
have reviewed all the steps that lead to it.
 Scope and sequence
 Card deck to review - trace, say, and see all of our sound-symbols. Review
spelling rules that pertain to the new concept.
3. Direct instruction means we don’t assume a child is going to pick up
information. We teach it directly.
 Digraph th. We usually teach that th says th as in “thin”. But we rarely teach th
is voiced as in “this”. So how does the struggling child know to use th in “this”?
o Put your hand on your throat. Say th/th. Does your mouth change?
Does the vibration in your throat change?
4. Diagnostic teaching. No boxed lesson fits every child. Children need small
group or individual instruction so that their individual needs can be addressed.
Each child’s lesson plan needs to be unique to some extent. Use periodic reviews
to see if concepts are retained.
5. Synthetic and Analytic Instruction –


Synthetic instruction is taking individual sounds and putting them together to
create words, just as synthetic oil is created from different chemicals.
Analytic instruction is taking a word and pulling it apart just as an analyst looks
at the whole and pulls it apart to see how it works. Underline digraphs, code
the vowels and tell them what to say, link combined sounds, divide the word into
syllables and syllable types.
MULTISENSORY TEACHING IDEAS
Finger spell
Pull down blocks
Feel our mouths/throats
Dash out syllables
Trace, and say phonemes
Trace in clay, in beans, on screens
Feel the shapes of letters and link them with the sounds
Add rhythm and movement – short vowel, ck
“What do you hear” “What do you see” “This is how it feels” when discovering new
patterns
Use magnets to pull the sounds together
“Code” words to pull them apart
Birsh, J. (2000). Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills. Baltimore, MA. Paul H. Brookes
Publishing Co.
IDA Just the Facts: Multisensory Structured Language Program International Dyslexia Association Fact
Sheets. International Dyslexia Association. Web. 6 Oct 2014
For more information on multisensory teaching methods, visit
http://www.interdys.org/FactSheets.htm