Assessment, Intervention, Advocacy, and Training

The English code,
explicitly taught.

One-on-one Orton-Gillingham reading instruction with Dr. Walter E. Dunson, Ph.D., B.C.A.S.E. From our office in Montgomery Village, Maryland, we have worked nationally and internationally with students who require either primary instruction or remediation in reading and spelling.

Book a reading assessment See lessons and prices
The English Code Closed syllable

A word, coded the Orton-Gillingham way

Tap a word: we mark it the way Dr. Dunson codes it in a lesson, sound by sound and syllable by syllable.

What families say

5.0 on Google

After working with my daughter during the pandemic, his methods narrowed my child's reading gap from being 2 years behind to on grade level. My son closed his reading gaps and mastered spelling.

Jessica Schierloh Parent of two, Google review

In our world, we believe Dr. Dunson taught our grandson to speak! He teaches his student why words sound the way they do.

Steven Slifko, Jr. Grandfather

We received a written evaluation about a week later, and Dr. Dunson also spent roughly 30 minutes discussing with us about what our child needs.

Dr. Theresa Kim Parent, reading assessment

My daughter made tremendous progress! I was so inspired that I have received training myself so that I may offer the same reading improvements to other struggling readers.

Karyn Robson Parent, then trainee

Lessons, assessments, and advocacy

Orton-Gillingham is an intensive, sequential, and cumulative approach that teaches the basics of word formation before whole meaning. We teach to a student's strengths while improving their weaknesses through explicit and systematic phonics instruction.

  1. Language Training

    One-on-one, evidence-based reading instruction

    $90per hour

    Word attack skills · Phonemic awareness · Morphology · Reading fluency · Reading comprehension

    Ask about lessons

  2. Reading Assessment Battery

    Validated, norm-referenced tests and a written evaluation

    $650complete battery

    GORT-5 · TOWRE-2 · CTOPP-2 · ASSC

    Book an assessment

  3. Advocacy

    A board-certified advocate at the table

    $250per hour

    Early intervention services · IEP review and development · Attendance at IEP and 504 meetings · Direct observation in school settings · Web and phone consultations · Referrals to outside professionals

    Ask about advocacy

  4. Parent/Instructor Training Course

    The English Code Language Training System

    $2,950full course

    39 hours of course work · Instructor's and Student's Manuals · Phonics Deck with audio · 117 interactive presentations · Practicum with observations

    See the course

“Reading is the most complex of human functions.” Sally Shaywitz, M.D., Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity

Dr. Walter E. Dunson

Walter E. Dunson, Ph.D., B.C.A.S.E.

The Founder and Executive Director of Cardinal Reading Strategies who has nearly thirty years of experience working with students internationally in language-based learning and language acquisition.

My mentor was the co-founder of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE). She guided me through a 2760-hour practicum in the Orton-Gillingham approach. I had five students per day, every day, with an OG Fellow scrutinizing everything that I did and said, for years. Can the person who is teaching your child to read say that?

  • Trained and taughtFormer language training instructor at the Kildonan School, Amenia, NY, and the Briarwood School, Houston, TX
  • Board-certifiedBy the American Academy of Special Education Professionals and the National Association of Special Education Teachers
  • Taught teachersAdjunct assistant professor, Loyola University Maryland Graduate School of Education; guest lecturer, University of Maryland
  • Shaped the coursesFormer member of the Maryland State Department of Education Elementary Literacy Work Group
  • Expert witnessCases involving the District of Columbia Public Schools and county school districts in Maryland and Virginia
  • Editorial boardsJAASEP and Special Education Research, Policy & Practice

My Books

Published by Routledge, for the parents, teachers and schools who stand beside a struggling or gifted reader.

School Success for Kids with Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties, cover

School Success for Kids with Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties

Routledge · Prufrock Press

“Through understanding the disorder, Dr. Walter E. Dunson advises readers on how to train dyslexic students and encourage greater literacy among these students. “School Success for Kids with Dyslexia & Other Reading Difficulties” is a core addition to any educational reference collection focusing on learning disabilities.”

Midwest Book Review October 10, 2012

Who it helps

This book provides parents and teachers with goals that will meet the needs of students who are struggling with reading, leading them to work through their difficulties and enjoy reading. It includes information, assessments, and techniques that parents, teachers, and school administrators can use immediately to foster reading success.

Routledge Amazon
Understanding Twice-Exceptional Learners, Connecting Research to Practice, cover

Understanding Twice-Exceptional Learners Connecting Research to Practice

Routledge · Co-author

“The book is an expert-driven guide that focuses on dual-exceptionality (2e) in children—specifically those who demonstrate giftedness alongside learning challenges or co-occurring conditions such as dyslexia, ADHD, executive function issues, dyscalculia, autism spectrum disorder, and anxiety.”

The Academy of Education Therapists Spring, 2022

Who it helps

This book pairs theoretical research on how these conditions obscure a student's true giftedness with highly practical classroom strategies. These strategies teach educators how to accommodate a child's learning challenges without diminishing their opportunities for advanced, high-strength acceleration.

Routledge Amazon

He is also the developer of Rigor Mortis®, a multisensory Orton-Gillingham reading app built on The English Code. Visit rigormortis.online

On the record

Dr. Dunson has presented on evidence-based reading instruction before the Maryland State Board of Education, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the House of Delegates and the Senate. Press play to hear him make the case.

Maryland Senate, Annapolis · 1 March 2018 · with Right to Read-Maryland, advocating Senate Bill 638

For parents, tutors and teachers

The English Code Language Training System

Cardinal Reading Strategies' own Orton-Gillingham training course, designed for dedicated parents in home school environments as well as educational specialists, language specialists and English departments. A certificate is issued on successful completion, allowing participants to provide one-on-one academic language therapy.

The only requirements for success in our training course are dedication, determination, and a desire to teach everyone how to read. Enough of the gatekeeping.

Course application (PDF) What the kit includes
39 hours
Course work, 3 hours a week for thirteen weeks
60+ hours
Course reading, with written summaries
100 hours
Practicum using The English Code
5 observations
Online, $50 per observation
$2,950
Course cost, materials included

I walked away with a deeper understanding of the English language and the confidence to use my new skill set to help my family member (and others) tackle reading.

Sarah Guroff Parent Course, May to July 2026

Phonemic Awareness

Word Attack Skills

Phonology

Syllable Division

Spelling Rules

Morphology

The French Code

The Greek Code

Latinate Roots

Reading Fluency

Reading Comprehension

Writing Skills

Handwriting

Study Skills

You are not alone.

We would love to speak with you about your needs. Tell us a little about the reader, and your note goes straight to Dr. Dunson.

Opens your email with everything filled in, ready to send.

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