Our mission is to help all individuals learn to read and comprehend to their potential.
We have changed the lives of thousands of children and adults all over the world and I hope we can do the same for you or your loved ones.
Thank you for your interest. We believe in you and you can believe in us!
Nanci Bell Co-founder & Author
PS – Please note we are based in the US and our content is presented with US spelling and grammar.
Our instruction addresses the cause of weakness in literacy, comprehension, and maths. We work directly with students to make school easier.
Educators, parents, and practitioners partner with us to help their students reach their learning potential.
While we do help students who have a previous diagnosis, such as dyslexia or CAPD, we also make a difference for those who just need school to be easier.
Learn more about our approach here:
Response to Intervention (RtI) always seems simple: in Tier 1, classroom teachers present core curriculum through differentiated instruction. Students who are not making adequate progress receive more targeted help a few times a week. Intervention effectiveness is checked out through progress monitoring and students either move on from needing the extra help, or their needs are addressed in a more intensive Tier 3 setting. Simple, right? Not always!
The challenge for many schools lies in the common practice of choosing a Tier 2 intervention that will address the learning issues that most students students face, by grade level. For example, Tier 2 interventions in primary grades are often reading (decoding) remediations. The flaw in this protocol is that students may be struggling in the classroom for different reasons. While some students may, in fact, benefit from decoding help, others may be struggling because of a comprehension weakness that will not improve, no matter how much extra “help” a student may be receiving.
Clinical research over the last thirty years indicates there is a separate comprehension weakness that is rarely identified. This weakness often undermines the reading process. It is a weakness, based in the sensory system, in creating an imaged gestalt or “whole.”
Schools can use the results from assessments to choose interventions that will address the cause of learning weaknesses.
Of course, some students will need decoding instruction. The small group learning environment in Tier 2 is a perfect opportunity to separate students by learning issue—comprehension or decoding—and target the area that is making school difficult.
In a small group learning environment, teachers can address a primary cause of language comprehension problems: difficulty creating an imagined gestalt. This is called weak concept imagery. This weakness causes individuals to get only “parts” of information they read or hear, but not the whole.
The Visualizing and Verbalizing program develops concept imagery—the ability to create an imagined or imaged gestalt from language—as a basis for comprehension and higher order thinking. The development of concept imagery improves reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing—essential skills for students to gain access to core standards curriculum in the classroom.
If you have students who are demonstrating weak reading or language comprehension skills, you can learn the steps of the Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking program by attending one of our workshops for teachers: Schedule and Locations.
CLICK HERE to view our recent webinar – Assessments Matter: Transform RtI at Your School
The end of the marking period is a time for parents to assess their child’s progress—to make sure they’re on track, improving in subjects, or to see if they need help. This is the time to note any areas of difficulty. It’s important to look carefully at each area of your child’s progress report—how are her math skills progressing? What about language arts—is decoding the material difficult for her or is she unable to correctly answer questions about what she’s read? Is science giving her trouble? Do you see areas that could be stronger? Is it possible she’s struggling due to an underlying weakness you’re unaware of?
It’s important for parents to have answers to these questions in order for your student to be successful in the classroom. Talk to your child’s teacher to get feedback about her performance in the classroom. What kind of resources are available? What can you be doing at home to help? Poor grades on your child’s progress report are a red flag signalling that actions need to be taken now to get back on track.
First things first. What might be causing the difficulties in her studies? You need to determine what’s causing the weakness in order for her to reach her potential. If her progress report shows poor performance in the areas of language arts and spelling, she may be suffering from an underlying weakness in her language processing skills. A cause of difficulty in establishing sight words and contextual fluency is difficulty in visualizing letters in words. This is called weak symbol imagery—the ability to create mental imagery for sounds and letters within words. A significant number of students have difficulty with rapidly perceiving sounds in words and are slow to self-correct their reading errors. This causes weakness in:
If her progress report shows poor performance in science, history/social studies, math, writing, and homework, she may have weak concept imagery—the ability to create an imagined or imaged gestalt (whole) from language. This weakness causes individuals to get only “parts” of information they read or hear, but not the whole. It’s important to note, weak decoding skills can also affect her grades in subjects that require a lot of reading. Weak concept imagery causes weakness in:
These underlying sensory-cognitive functions must be intact in order for your child to achieve academic success. If not, there will be a breakdown in her reading and language comprehension skills, resulting in frustration, stress, and poor grades on her progress report.
Don’t wait! Get extra help and get her on track before the next progress report arrives. The first step is to see what may be affecting your child’s performance in the classroom. At our learning centers, we identify strengths and weaknesses that may be affecting school performance in reading, comprehension, and math. Our instruction is based on an individual’s learning needs. During the consultation, we will discuss an individualized learning plan to help improve her grades and make learning easier. We offer several options for instruction:
To find out more about what might be causing poor grades on your child’s progress report, and to learn more about instruction options for your child, please contact one of our learning centers at 800.300.1818. We look forward to hearing from you.
The end of the marking period is a time for parents to assess their child’s progress—to make sure they’re on track, improving in subjects, or to see if they need help. But how do you decipher your child’s progress based on a simple letter grade? Does a B mean she truly understands History, or is she only getting parts of what she’s reading or hearing? Does she have the potential for an A but continues to receive Bs despite the long hours spent studying the material? Does a C in Maths mean he’s struggling with the concepts? Is he lazy or not making an effort to do well? Or, is he doing well on the homework yet performing poorly on the tests?
Your child’s struggles in school may be due to a language processing problem. If your C student is spending hours reading the chapter and studying their notes, there is a possibility he is only processing parts of what he’s reading or studying. If he’s not understanding the “whole” of what he’s reading, his comprehension will be affected and can lead to a lower grade than you would expect.
If you have a child who is frustrated by low grades despite hours of hard work, you may want to consider having her evaluated. An evaluation will identify strengths and weaknesses that may be affecting school performance in reading, comprehension, and maths.
It’s important to know your child’s potential in order to gauge their performance in the classroom. Can that B in History be an A? And what about that C in Maths? Should it be a B? It’s time to see what your child is capable of when it comes to their grades so you can correctly evaluate their report cards.
Learn more about our evaluation process here.
Lindamood-Bell is proud to participate in Socktober this month, which is a nationwide community outreach effort to make a difference in the lives of the homeless. The estimated population of the homeless community in the United States is 600,000 people.
Socktober is an easy way to support those in need in your community. Participation is as easy as donating a pair of socks.
Here’s how you can get involved. Find a Learning Center near you and drop-off a pair of socks.
Students and families will have the opportunity to donate socks at our learning centers, which will be sent to local homeless shelters at the end of the month.
If you’re active on social media, you can help spread awareness by including #socktober in your posts.
Additional information is found on the official event website and in this special message from Kid President:
For Dyslexia Awareness Month we are sharing our belief that all individuals can be taught to read to their potential—including those who have a previous diagnosis of dyslexia.
Over the course of nearly three decades, Lindamood-Bell has worked with thousands of individuals. Sitting with a child or an adult who struggles to read a word provides unique insight into the learning process. Our success with students is due to our unique approach, including our research-validated, sensory-cognitive instruction.
We internally monitor the results for students at our learning centers and school partnerships to ensure our exceptional standard of quality. At Lindamood-Bell Learning Centers, students receive individualized instruction, utilizing one or more of our research-validated programs. Our Seeing Stars program addresses the needs of many students who have been previously diagnosed with dyslexia. On average, students with dyslexia who received Seeing Stars instruction at our learning centers achieved significant improvements in reading. They made large (significant) standard score changes on nearly all measures. The 38-point percentile increase in word attack put these students well within the normal range (25th–75th percentile). The large average standard score change in word recognition should be noted, as students now performed within the normal range on this measure. Their pre- to posttest results were statistically significant on all measures.
Students With Dyslexia Who Received Decoding Instruction
Years: 2008-2015
Number of Students: 1,234
Average Age: 10
Average Hours of Instruction: 110
Lindamood-Bell Instruction Implemented: Seeing Stars
View results for students with other diagnoses, such as ADHD, here.
We actively participate in peer-reviewed studies of our programs and instruction. Numerous peer-reviewed articles based on studies examining the effectiveness of the Lindamood-Bell programs with dyslexic students have been published in scholarly journals.
In one such study, researchers at Wake Forest University and the Child Study Center at Georgetown University, published conclusions about the effects of Lindamood-Bell instruction on the brain activity and reading ability of dyslexic students.
This research noted significant improvements in reading associated with gray matter volume increases following Seeing Stars instruction with dyslexic students—and the neurological changes held or increased after the intervention. To view the results and download the study: click here.
More independent research on the effect of Lindamood-Bell programs with students previously diagnosed with dyslexia can be found here.
When a student has been diagnosed with dyslexia, extra help typically focuses on phonics, or sounding out words, and spelling rules. Unfortunately, many students, even those who have had years of extra help, continue to struggle with grade level text.
Perhaps they sound out a word eventually—but it is slow and labored. They may take so long to sound out the word that they miss the meaning of the text altogether. Or, they may substitute words when reading a paragraph. For example, they may read ‘production’ instead of ‘perfection.’
For many individuals, even those who have received extensive reading support, sight word recognition remains difficult. They may attempt to use phonics strategies for most words—such as reading /pee/ /oh/ /plee/ for the word ‘people.’ When they finally conquer a word, they might not recognize that same word when they encounter it in the next paragraph.
Also, while a student may be able to spell words phonetically, they are unable to remember the visual patterns of words (orthography). For example, they may spell the word “friend” as “f-r-e-n-d.”
What is the missing connection for these students?
An important aspect of reading and spelling is symbol imagery, which underlies both phonological and orthographic processing. Symbol imagery is the ability to visualize letters in your mind’s eye. This connection of imagery and language is necessary for sounding out new words, as well as quickly recognizing letters and common words.
Students who read fluently, and are able to self-correct their errors, have strong symbol imagery.
Traditional reading help focuses on how to sound out words as well as reading and spelling rules. While these activities have value, they do not affect the necessary imagery-language connection. They do not change how a student is processing language. This is why reading may still be extremely difficult for a child.
We help make this connection for students at our learning centers. Our teachers’ language stimulates an individual’s symbol imagery. For example, when a teacher says, “What letters do you see for ‘top’?” she is prompting the student to picture the letters t-o-p. By applying this skill to phonological and orthographic processing, reading and spelling skills are improved.
Improved symbol imagery changes how a student reads and spells, regardless of their age or struggle with literacy—including those with a previous diagnosis of dyslexia.
Learn how symbol imagery can change learning—Seeing Stars Program: Symbol Imagery for Phonological and Orthographic Processing for Reading and Spelling.
If you would like further information or have questions regarding our instruction for students with a previous diagnosis of dyslexia, please contact us at 800.300.1818.
Our approach is featured in several stories of the the NPR series, Unlocking Dyslexia.
The series includes Millions Have Dyslexia, Few Understand It. The reporter, who was a student at Lindamood-Bell when she was younger, visited our Washington, DC Learning Center this past summer and interviewed Center Director Nancy Gregerson and some of our students. Our students and their families were also interviewed for the piece, How Parents Can Help Kids With Dyslexia Succeed In School.
In How Science Is Rewiring The Dyslexic Brain, Guinevere Eden, director of Georgetown University’s Center for the Study of Learning, explains what is happening in the brain of someone with dyslexia when they read and how the brain can be “rewired” with intensive intervention. Instruction using the Seeing Stars program is featured.
Get the series here.
Parents often can see that their child is struggling with reading—especially if there is an older sibling or friend who seemed to, comparatively, breeze through the process. It is not always so clear, however, whether a child has a weakness that needs to be checked out, or if reading simply hasn’t “clicked” for them yet.
Students might avoid reading, or say they “are bad” at it, or even that they dislike it. While these concerns do need to be addressed and could be related to a real reading difficulty, there are specific reading behaviours that every parent can look out for.
Check out the following symptoms that are typical of a reading weakness. Not sure about one? During homework tonight, have your child read grade-level text aloud to you.
Some students have a difficult time decoding words, even if they are phonetically accurate. They might add or omit sounds. They might, for example, read steam for stream.
Many common words, like eye and thought “don’t play fair”— so recognising them is the only way to read them. And because they are common, they should be recognised quickly. A student who has difficulty may attempt to sound out common words, or may do a lot of guessing (e.g. purple for people).
Phonics and phoneme awareness curricula are now commonplace in early education. While necessary, if over-emphasised, a struggling student can get mired down in sounding out every word—and not recognise the same word when they encounter it in the next paragraph.
Some students may be able to sound out words but they are not able to put it all together on the page. This student’s reading is choppy; their lack of fluency might interfere with reading comprehension.
Some students have difficulty including all of the needed phonemes (optnrty for opportunity); and some students can spell phonetically but cannot retain spelling patterns (opertunity for opportunity).
If your child is currently showing one or more of these signs, there may be a weakness that is affecting reading skills. For many students, a cause of reading difficulties is weak symbol imagery: the ability to visualise letters in words. Learn more about symbol imagery and solutions for reading difficulties here.
School at any grade can include the kind of good challenges that foster learning: discovering a solution in science lab, writing a poem, or even studying for a big test, can all be positive learning experiences. However, if a student has a weakness that affects learning to begin with, they may not be getting everything they should from school. Their challenges with reading or comprehension may be hindering their ability to fully participate in schoolwork. And, rather than catch up eventually, a struggling student will typically fall farther and farther behind as the year goes on.
Students who are ready to learn are global, independent readers and thinkers. Reading is an integration of processing skills: word attack, sight word recognition, contextual fluency, oral vocabulary, and comprehension. Students with poor comprehension, critical thinking, writing and memory may have weak concept imagery—the ability to create an imagined gestalt (whole) from language. Students who are poor decoders and spellers, or slow readers, may have weak symbol imagery—the ability to visualize letters in words. These difficulties are not only frustrating for a student, but prevent them from accessing school curriculum.
We can change learning for students to help make school easier. Those who are new to Lindamood-Bell instruction may be more familiar with traditional tutoring and accommodations which are generally conducted over the course of semesters or years. Therefore, our typical recommendations for daily instruction to change learning may be a new concept.
Why daily? Nanci Bell provides reasoning for daily intensive instruction in the following excerpt from Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking:
“The rate of learning gain can be improved with intensive intervention. Students with severe weakness in concept imagery may be years behind in language comprehension. For example, Johnny, a student in the fifth grade with reading comprehension at the second-grade level, has a three-year gap between his grade level and his reading comprehension. Even with adequate oral vocabulary and decoding skills, Johnny didn’t gain a year in reading comprehension for each year in school…intervention has to decrease the learning gap by increasing the rate of learning. To increase the rate of learning, you need to provide the right diagnosis and the right instruction, in the right environment. The last is often intensive intervention, four hours a day, five days a week, which results in years of gain in weeks of instruction.”
Parents often worry that their child will not be able to maintain focus for so many hours. Lindamood-Bell sessions are organized to involve a high level of interaction, movement, games, and motivational rewards. Students work with a different tutor every hour to keep the levels of attention and intensity high and the sessions interesting. Further, our students see the success quickly and realize they can learn given the right tools!
Hear from a family:
New to Lindamood-Bell? The first step is to see what may be affecting your child’s performance in the classroom. At our learning centers, we identify strengths and weaknesses that may be affecting school performance in reading, comprehension, and math. Our instruction is based on an individual’s learning needs. Daily instruction can happen after school or as part of a child’s school day. Students can make years of progress in just a few weeks.
Some students come to us with previous diagnoses such as dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders, or general learning challenges—and we make a difference for each of them.
Some students seek our help to enhance their skills or to just make learning easier—and we do.
If school is hard for your child, you need to know why and how to help. Identifying strengths and weaknesses is the first step toward helping your child finish the school year successfully.
A learning evaluation will uncover the strengths and weaknesses that are affecting school. In a thorough results consultation, we will discuss an individualized learning plan to make school easier. Contact us to discuss how school year instruction can make an impact on your child’s learning: 800-233-1819.
Nearly all the volumes written on memory include references to imagery. Memory is often referred to as a mental impression. When we remember something, we access a mental representation of it.
-Nanci Bell, Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking
Students are expected to learn new information, in topic areas they may or may not be interested in, every day. Students then need to hold on to all these new things they are learning, and use the information in context. Unfortunately, students may lack the memory skills critical for school success. Note how weak memory skills can affect student performance:
Many students with weak memory have difficulty creating mental images for language. This weakness causes individuals to get only “parts” of information they read or hear, but not the whole. Students with weak language comprehension can seem like they are just not trying, or that they are distractible. In fact, they may be trying very hard to memorize everything they have heard or read. And they need help.
Teachers can develop their students’ memory by using language that connects to what they visualize. Check out our tips for helping your struggling students and the whole class remember what they are learning:
Student planners, teacher web pages or weekly newsletters often look to us like they have everything needed to complete an assignment. Yet day after day, there are those students who somehow missed the message. For example, a student may copy the following into her day planner from the board:
However, if the student was not visualizing the assignment as the teacher discussed it, she may be unsure whether or not the teacher expects written responses to the questions. Or, she may have even gone home without her World History book! Make sure your class understands the directions for every assignment. Ask your class, “What does that look like?” or “What do you picture for that?” to help them create imagery for each task.
Teachers can use language that stimulates imagery when lessons include new, essential vocabulary. For example, during a lesson on photosynthesis, ask questions like, “What are you picturing for what the sunlight is doing?” and, “What do you see happening?”
To commit new terms to memory, flashcards are a great tool for practice that you can send home or use in groups. Have students write the word on one side of the card. The other side should include the definition, a hand drawn picture, and a brief sentence using the word in context. During practice, use language that prompts her to draw on her images. Instead of, “Do you remember the steps of photosynthesis?” ask, “What are you picturing for photosynthesis?” and “What do you see happening next?” If a term is unstable, flip over the card for her definition and drawing to discuss. Create piles for “fast,” “medium,” and “slow” cards to help focus practice sessions.
Teachers are developing imagery and memory when they ask students to verbalize their images from a previous lesson, or a reading assignment. This also helps students experience how imagery helps them remember.
You can teach students to image and recall maps, names, dates, and numerals with the help of air-writing or air-drawing to establish imagery. Some examples:
Imagery for a Map
You can use language to help students connect with the visual image of a map you are introducing (e.g. an outline of the continent of Africa). Start by having your students look at a simple map together and describe what they see. Take it away and have your students visualize the map, and call on students to verbalize what they are seeing as they air-draw it, “It is large on top, like this. . .” Show your students the map again and discuss any key shapes or landmarks. A thorough orientation like this is an excellent precursor to drawing maps with paper and pencil.
Imagery for Symbols
Memorizing important dates, formulas and more is easier when you have students visualize, verbalize and air-write the information. For example, if students are using flashcards to study chemical formulas, have them write the name of the compound on one side of a card and the formula on the other, for example, carbon dioxide → CO2 H.
To memorize, have students read the name of the compound and formula aloud: “Carbon dioxide, CO2”. Cover the card and have students visualize and verbalize the formula as they write it in the air with their finger, as if on an invisible chalkboard: “CO2”.
Let them check the stimulus to see if they got it right.
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Imagery is key to accessing our memory for information. If you have students with weak concept imagery—the ability to create an imagined gestalt (whole) from language, you may want to explore the Visualizing and Verbalizing Program. The development of concept imagery improves reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing. Find the Visualizing and Verbalizing Teacher Workshop Schedule here.
AVAILABLE NOW: A major savings for students who need help closing the achievement gap
If you have a child who is suffering from a weakness in language processing skills and needs to close a substantial gap between his academic performance and potential, we are offering a school year savings plan for you.
Intensive one-to-one instruction is currently available and presents a unique opportunity to receive a sizable discount for those students who need a significant amount of instruction. Now is the time to make a difference for your child! Please see below for details:
For more information on our School Year Savings Plan, please contact your local learning center.
Back-to-School Literacy Workshops for Teachers: Save Now!
-Get 10% off any online workshop with code BACK2SCHOOL10
-20% off custom team in-services (min. 10 participants)
Transform your literacy instruction and help struggling readers thrive.
📅 View the schedule or request a proposal via the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial
Hurry, this offer ends September 30, 2025.
We’re in Shenandoah County, Virginia, this week, training a fantastic group of teachers in the Visualizing and Verbalizing program! 📖✨ We can’t wait to see their students thrive with stronger comprehension and critical thinking skills.
💡🎓
🎧 New Podcast Episode: Beyond the Diagnosis: Autism, Advocacy, and Learning Success 🌟
Hear how Lindamood-Bell’s Visualizing and Verbalizing® instruction helped a child with autism go from struggling with comprehension to reading at a high school level by age eleven. This inspiring journey shows the power of evidence-based instruction to unlock potential.
👉 Listen now at the link in bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
Educators: struggling readers need instruction that targets the root causes of their challenges.
Since 1986, Lindamood-Bell has partnered with schools to deliver proven reading interventions and teacher training that build essential skills.
Tap the link in our bio to discover 5 key strategies to improve reading intervention at your school! @lindamoodbellofficial
Big news for Educators!
Seeing Stars® by Lindamood-Bell co-founder Nanci Bell is officially recognized by the What Works Clearinghouse, a trusted U.S. Department of Education resource. This research-backed program helps students with reading fluency, comprehension, and spelling, including those with dyslexia,
become confident readers. Tap the link in bio to learn more, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🎒 Start the school year strong!
New routines mean new opportunities, and a strong start can make all the difference.
At Lindamood-Bell, our evidence-based approach has helped thousands of students thrive. Today on our blog we’re sharing a few simple strategies to help your child start the year with focus and confidence.
Tap the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
Let’s make this their best year yet.
Thinking about school options or how to support a struggling learner? Our latest blog posts offer helpful guidance:
🔹 What to Consider in an Online School
🔹 Support for Dyslexia and Other Reading Disorders
🔹 What is ADHD?
🔹 Reading Programs for Struggling Readers
Visit our blog for these articles and more! Follow the ink in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
Reading challenges can hold students back in school and in life. At Lindamood-Bell, we provide personalized, one-to-one instruction that addresses the root causes of reading difficulties.
Our new blog explains how our approach builds the skills and confidence students need to succeed.
📖 New on the blog: A Reading Program That Works for Struggling Readers
🔗 Link in bio, @lindamoodbellofficial
Imagine a school designed around one student: your child.
At Lindamood-Bell Academy, one-to-one instruction and a customized learning plan help students thrive.
🎓 “I’m getting the education that I need, and I’m going to graduate!” – Ian, Academy student
👉 Tap the link in our bio to watch Ian’s story and learn more about our unique approach.
📣 Now enrolling for the upcoming school year!
Enroll by August 18 and save 20% on one month of tuition.
ADHD can affect much more than focus; it can also make learning to read and comprehend more difficult.
In our latest blog post, we explore how ADHD impacts learning and how the right support can make a real difference.
📖 Learn how personalized instruction at Lindamood-Bell helps students with ADHD succeed.
Read more at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
“Is his reading going to improve?”
Jody used to lie awake at night, worrying about her bright second grader, Drew, who was struggling to read.
Visit our website to watch an inspiring conversation with Jody as she shares Drew’s incredible journey and the remarkable progress he made with Lindamood-Bell.
You’ll see powerful before-and-after clips and hear answers to questions many parents have about our learning center instruction.
👉 Watch now at the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
Unlock your child’s potential with Lindamood-Bell Academy!
Our accredited K–12 private school goes beyond academics by strengthening each student’s underlying learning ability, while delivering a full curriculum.
Enrollment is now open for the upcoming school year — save 20% on one month of tuition!
Contact us today to learn more and get started! Tap the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
🍂 Attention Educators! Our Fall Workshop Schedule is here!
Join our live online workshops grounded in the cognitive science of learning and aligned with the science of reading and structured literacy.
Discover evidence-based programs to help struggling students, including those with dyslexia, ADHD, and autism.
Gain practical strategies for teaching reading, comprehension, and math that you can use right away.
Reserve your spot today! Follow the link in our bio, @lindamoodbellofficial.
Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸
We hope your 4th of July is filled with friends, family, and loved ones—enjoy a safe celebration!
