ABC dEcode®:

Toronto Remedial Reading Program

Unlike language, reading is not innate, it must be taught.

ABC dEcode® is a comprehensive set of exercises that has been developed over 30 years at Dr. Debby Chesnie Cooper’s Education and Remediation Centre in Toronto. Learning disabilities and processing deficits in children and adults can be successfully overcome through the application of a systematic method of teaching that relies on breaking down information into very small units.

dEcode® is the remarkable philosophy that has grown from this, which combines both a method and a program and is supported by the latest neurological research. It is a comprehensive literacy intervention tool that makes reading a rewarding adventure for individuals with a learning disability.

ABC dEcode® establishes a sense of success even if certain steps require an intensive amount of time to fully address particular difficulties. It includes a comprehensive set of more than 3,500 pages of reading exercises, however each student does only those that he or she needs; no one does them all. The exercises are important, but it is the way they are individually chosen, structured, and delivered, that makes them really work.

dEcode® is unique in that it addresses the underlying processing problems inherent in the development of reading and numeracy skills, and permits students to enjoy satisfying, progressive success.

There is nothing more empowering than being able to read! Secrets are gone and the child’s self esteem blossoms. There is no feeling “stupid” any longer.

What does ABC dEcode® teach?

ABC dEcode® is the beginning of reading. It is the place to start.

Before you can “sound out” a word, you have to have a fast automatic association between letters and sounds. Most learners pick this up quickly, but anyone who doesn't pick up decoding automatically needs to be taught. In particular, students with problems such as Central Auditory Processing Deficit (CAPD), visual reversal and visual spatial difficulties, will experience enormous difficulties that traditional teaching simply cannot address because it doesn't teach in enough depth.

You might describe this program as “pre-phonetics,” because it is the part of reading that comes before traditional phonetics. A better description might be to say that ABC dEcode® is a special systematic method of teaching. The exercises are important, but it is the way they are individually chosen, structured, and delivered that makes them really work.

One of our students described it as “brain gym” — a set of exercises that focuses on strengthening the “weak muscles” around skills in sound discrimination or short-term memory. These skills are the foundation of literacy, and once they are in place the student is ready to embark on a lifetime of reading success.

How does ABC dEcode® differ from traditional phonics programs?

In its simplest form, a letter is a visual shape coded to a single auditory sound. A child must master that system of coding before he or she can move past it to understand the meaning of words coded in letters. Most phonics programs present one sound with all its different symbol representations. For anyone with a visual or auditory problem, these rules are overwhelming. The fragile reader needs to learn consistency and this is where dEcode® begins.

In ABC dEcode®, the focus is on the consistency between sound and its letter symbol. As students learn and test this consistency, they understand they can rely on it. Automaticity is developed, empowering the individual to transfer this learning to reading.

ABC dEcode® is truly an individualized program with paths defined by the sounds each individual finds easiest to master and retain. Not only is the process instantly gratifying, results are achieved in a minimal amount of time. ABC dEcode® has proven to be more motivating and reliable than traditional phonics programs by laying a solid foundation for reading.

What are the tangible results?

Success is rapidly achieved.

Students of at least average intelligence and normal hearing, who follow the requirements of the program consistently, repeatedly demonstrate significant reading improvement, averaging 3 grade levels in 3 to 5 months.

What kind of commitment is required?

ABC dEcode® requires a time commitment of 10 - 20 minutes per day, 4 - 5 days per week. More allotment than this becomes counterproductive. Travel time back and forth and parking costs are eliminated after the initial testing and training, since most families work on dEcode® at home with intermittent facilitator help by phone.

Instead of having to make several appointments at learning centers, this system allows appointments to be made while you are at home, and programming can be instructed so that you can be working individually until the next instructional date.

When literacy remediation is not enough, ABC dEcode® can be paired with 123 dEcode®, our numeracy education tool.

Are you dealing with a learning disability in Toronto? Literacy intervention with ABC dEcode can help! Contact us for more information.