What is the Multisensory Teaching Approach (MTA)?

This Orton-Gillingham Teaching approach is a remedial program designed for reading mediation and meets all Texas Education Association criteria of an exemplary and effective Dyslexia reading program.

Teacher Training Required

According to Texas Dyslexia Law: Revised 2018, certified teachers must be trained in the components of a dyslexia program.  All participants must work in a school where Multisensory Teaching Approach (MTA) will be used to instruct students during the school year. The training is offered to public or charter school teachers for five- full days during the spring of 2023. Participants are required to attend and complete all nine days of instruction and satisfy all components of the training before earning a certificate of completion through Educational Service Center Region 4.  This certificate will confirm your training to meet state requirements.

The training will consist of daily manipulation of the MTA materials to find resources for phonological awareness, verbal expression, alphabet/dictionary skills, reading, reading fluency, reading comprehension, cursive handwriting, and spelling. Daily lesson demonstrations, lesson planning, and practicum lessons are also part of the virtual training to assure program success.

History

MTA follows research begun at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in 1965 by Aylett R. Cox and Dr. Lucius Waites who developed the Alphabetic Phonics program. Alphabetic Phonics incorporates the Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic/Tactile (large and small muscle) senses in it’s daily instruction. It is based on the alphabet symbols system and teaches the science of the written language and addresses reading, handwriting, and spelling.

Margaret Taylor Smith from Forney, Texas, developed Multisensory Teaching Approach (MTA) in the mid 1980’s as a refined and more ‘teacher friendly’ curriculum that enhances and further develops Alphabet Phonics by teaching for mastery.

Research

The research of a four-year study (Reynold, V., Vickery, K., and Cochran,S, Annals of Dyslexia, 1987) showed highly significant gains for all remedial students while students in regular classrooms also showed gains.