Lindamood-Bell and Orton-Gillingham | Understanding the Difference

Families and educators comparing Lindamood-Bell and Orton-Gillingham are often looking for the right approach to support reading and language development, whether for individualized instruction, school-based intervention, or professional development. Both provide explicit, systematic instruction, actively engage students in the learning process, and align with the principles of Structured Literacy. Both also develop foundational reading skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, and spelling.

The primary difference lies in instructional emphasis. Orton-Gillingham focuses on Structured Literacy instruction for written language. Along with developing decoding and spelling, it also addresses vocabulary and reading comprehension within language and literacy instruction. Lindamood-Bell also develops these foundational reading skills but places a unique emphasis on developing the sensory-cognitive processes that underlie literacy and learning. Through Seeing Stars®, students explicitly develop symbol imagery, a foundational skill for orthographic mapping, automatic word recognition, spelling, and fluent reading. Through Visualizing and Verbalizing®, students develop concept imagery as a foundation for oral and written language comprehension, memory, and higher-order thinking. Through Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing®, students discover and label the oral-motor movements of phonemes. Students can then verify the identity, number, and sequence of sounds in words. This emphasis on imagery is consistent with decades of cognitive science, including Dual Coding Theory, which demonstrates that language and mental imagery work together to support learning and memory.

Sensory-Cognitive Instruction Aligned with Structured Literacy

Lindamood-Bell complements Structured Literacy by addressing the sensory-cognitive processes that help make reading, spelling, and comprehension more automatic and meaningful. For students who continue to struggle despite previous reading instruction, this additional focus can help identify and develop the underlying skills that may be limiting progress.

Programs Developed by Lindamood-Bell’s Founders

Lindamood-Bell’s founders developed evidence-based programs that target the sensory-cognitive skills underlying reading, language, and math. Together, these programs develop the foundational learning processes that support literacy, comprehension, and academic success.

Reading and Spelling

Seeing Stars® by Nanci Bell
Develops symbol imagery to strengthen orthographic mapping, automatic word recognition, reading fluency, spelling, phonemic awareness, and orthographic processing.

Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing® (LiPS®) by Patricia Lindamood and Phyllis Lindamood
Develops phonemic awareness through articulatory feedback, helping students perceive, produce, sequence, and manipulate sounds for reading and spelling.

Language Comprehension

Visualizing and Verbalizing® (V/V®) by Nanci Bell
Develops concept imagery as a foundation for oral and written language comprehension, vocabulary, memory, critical thinking, and higher-order thinking.

Talkies® by Nanci Bell and Christy Bonetti
Develops oral language and concept imagery to strengthen vocabulary, sentence structure, expressive language, and comprehension.

Math

On Cloud Nine® by Nanci Bell and Kimberly Tuley
Develops imagery for mathematics to strengthen number sense, mathematical reasoning, problem-solving, and conceptual understanding.

Lindamood-Bell and Orton-Gillingham: Key Differences

When comparing Lindamood-Bell and Orton-Gillingham, it is important to recognize that both approaches are explicit and systematic, but they address learning in different ways.

What Makes Lindamood-Bell Unique

One way to understand the distinction is to differentiate between what is being taught and how the brain processes it. This distinction is grounded in Dual Coding Theory, which proposes that literacy depends on the interaction of verbal and nonverbal mental representations, rather than on language alone. (Google Books)

As Sadoski and Paivio (2001) explain:

“Cognition in reading and writing consists of the activity of two separate coding systems of mental representation, one system specialized for language (the verbal coding system) and one system specialized for dealing with nonverbal objects and events (the nonverbal coding system).”

Mental representations are the internal forms of information stored in memory, while processing refers to the activation and interaction of those representations during learning, reading, and thinking. (Google Books)

Traditional structured literacy approaches primarily organize instruction around the component skills of reading—phonics, decoding, spelling, vocabulary, morphology, syntax, and comprehension. Lindamood-Bell teaches these same reading components while also directly developing three sensory-cognitive processes that support skilled reading:

• Phoneme awareness – perceiving and manipulating the identity, number, and order of sounds
• Symbol imagery – creating stable mental representations of sounds, letters, and spelling patterns to support orthographic processing and automatic word recognition
• Concept imagery – creating mental representations for language to support vocabulary, comprehension, reasoning, memory, and critical thinking (Lindamood-Bell)

Examples

Vocabulary Instruction

Content-focused instruction

• Learn the definition.
• Use the word in a sentence.
• Practice the word in conversation.
• Review multiple exposures to strengthen retention.

Process-focused instruction

• Create a mental image representing the meaning of the word.
• Describe and expand the image with sensory detail.
• Draw or sketch the image.
• Use the image to generate sentences, compare concepts, infer meaning, and improve recall.

The instructional goal extends beyond learning the definition to strengthening concept imagery as a basis for vocabulary, memory, and comprehension.

Word Reading

Content-focused instruction

• Learn syllable types.
• Apply phonics rules.
• Decode unfamiliar words.
• Practice spelling patterns and word families.

Process-focused instruction

• Develop symbol imagery for sounds and letters.
• Visualize the sequence of letters within words.
• Manipulate phonemes and graphemes mentally (e.g., “Change the a in plant to i. What word do you picture now?”)
• Store stable orthographic representations that support rapid, automatic word recognition rather than relying on repeated analytical decoding.

Here, phonics instruction is integrated with explicit development of the mental representations that support orthographic mapping and fluent reading. (Lindamood-Bell)

Reading Comprehension

Content-focused instruction

• Identify the main idea.
• Answer literal and inferential questions.
• Learn comprehension strategies such as summarizing, predicting, and questioning.

Process-focused instruction

• Create detailed mental imagery while reading.
• Integrate individual images into an “imaged gestalt” of the entire passage.
• Use imagery to support inference, recall, sequencing, problem solving, and critical thinking.

Rather than treating visualization as a reading strategy, concept imagery becomes the cognitive foundation upon which comprehension is built. (Lindamood-Bell)

Why This Distinction Matters

For many students, explicit instruction in phonics and other reading components is sufficient. Others continue to struggle because weaknesses in phoneme awareness, symbol imagery, or concept imagery interfere with how they store, retrieve, and integrate information during reading.

Lindamood-Bell’s diagnostic approach identifies which sensory-cognitive processes and academic skills are limiting performance. Instruction is then individualized and continuously adjusted, so each student receives the emphasis most likely to improve reading, spelling, comprehension, and confidence.

For Parents: Getting Started with Lindamood-Bell Instruction

If your child continues to struggle with reading, comprehension, or learning despite previous instruction, it can be difficult to know what to try next. At Lindamood-Bell, the first step is understanding why your child is struggling.

A comprehensive Learning Ability Evaluation goes beyond measuring academic performance to identify the sensory-cognitive skills that support reading, spelling, language comprehension, and learning. The evaluation examines areas such as phonemic awareness, word recognition, reading fluency, spelling, oral language comprehension, and reading comprehension to provide a clear picture of your child’s strengths and learning needs.

Using these results, our team develops an individualized learning plan focused on the skills that will have the greatest impact on your child’s progress. Instruction is available in person at Lindamood-Bell Learning Centers and through live online instruction. Throughout the process, families receive regular updates, and instruction is continuously adjusted as new skills develop and learning accelerates.

If you’re ready to learn more about your child’s learning profile, contact your nearest Lindamood-Bell Learning Center or schedule a Learning Ability Evaluation (slide-out form). Together, we can determine the instruction that best supports your child’s path to stronger reading, comprehension, and lifelong learning.

For Educators: Partnering with Lindamood-Bell

Since 1986, Lindamood-Bell has partnered with educators, schools, and districts to improve student outcomes through evidence-based instruction, professional development, and customized school partnerships. Whether you’re looking to strengthen classroom instruction, provide intensive intervention, or build schoolwide capacity, Lindamood-Bell offers flexible solutions tailored to your goals.

Professional development workshops prepare educators, speech-language pathologists, and intervention specialists to implement the founders’ programs, including Seeing Stars®, Visualizing and Verbalizing®, Talkies®, LiPS®, and On Cloud Nine® math. Through hands-on learning, demonstrations, guided practice, and implementation support, participants gain practical strategies for developing the sensory-cognitive skills that support reading, language, and math. Schools and districts can also receive customized coaching, consultation, in-service training, and job-embedded professional learning.

For schools seeking additional intervention, the Learning Center on Campus model brings Lindamood-Bell instructional staff directly to the school site, allowing students to receive intensive one-to-one instruction during the school day while remaining part of their school community. This partnership provides direct student services while giving educators the opportunity to observe instruction and deepen their understanding of sensory-cognitive learning.

Explore our professional development workshops and school partnership options, or call 800-233-1819 to speak with a program expert about how Lindamood-Bell can support your educators, students, and school community.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Lindamood-Bell and Orton-Gillingham?

Lindamood-Bell’s approach has similarities to Orton-Gillingham, such as explicit, systematic, multisensory instruction in the component parts of reading—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Our approach differs in its focus on the underlying sensory-cognitive processes of symbol imagery and concept imagery. These skills may be an important missing piece for some students who continue to struggle despite receiving high-quality reading instruction. 

Does Lindamood-Bell include phonics instruction?

Yes. Like Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood-Bell includes explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics as part of a comprehensive approach to developing reading and spelling. Lindamood-Bell also develops the sensory-cognitive processes that support orthographic processing, fluent reading, and language comprehension.

Is Lindamood-Bell effective for students with dyslexia?

Yes. Lindamood-Bell instruction helps many students with dyslexia as well as other students who struggle with reading. Instruction is individualized to address each student’s specific learning needs by developing the sensory-cognitive skills that support reading, spelling, and language comprehension.

Research supports this individualized approach. In a groundbreaking study published in Nature Communications, researchers at Stanford University found that Lindamood-Bell reading intervention significantly improved reading skills in children with dyslexia while also strengthening the brain networks that support reading. These findings provide evidence that instruction targeting the underlying learning processes can improve reading while strengthening the neural systems involved in reading.

Can Lindamood-Bell be used alongside Orton-Gillingham?

Yes. Many students who continue to struggle with reading after receiving Orton-Gillingham or other reading instruction benefit from instruction that develops the underlying sensory-cognitive skills affecting reading. For example, Seeing Stars® explicitly develops symbol imagery, a foundational skill for orthographic mapping, automatic word recognition, spelling, and reading fluency.

Separately, some students struggle primarily with language comprehension, memory, or higher-order thinking due to weak concept imagery. Visualizing and Verbalizing® explicitly develops concept imagery to strengthen comprehension, critical thinking, and learning from language. This instruction can benefit students whether or not they have previously received Orton-Gillingham or other reading intervention.

How can families determine what instruction their child needs?

Every student has a unique learning profile. A comprehensive assessment can identify the underlying skills affecting reading, comprehension, and learning. Lindamood-Bell’s Learning Ability Evaluation identifies sensory-cognitive strengths and weaknesses and provides individualized instructional recommendations based on each student’s needs.

Is Lindamood-Bell instruction available online?

Yes. Lindamood-Bell’s live online instruction mirrors the individualized instruction provided in our Learning Centers, making the same evidence-based instruction available to students wherever they live.

Why Families and Educators Choose Lindamood-Bell

Whether you’re a parent seeking answers for a child who continues to struggle with reading or an educator looking to strengthen literacy instruction and student outcomes, Lindamood-Bell offers individualized solutions backed by decades of experience and research.

Wherever you are in your journey, Lindamood-Bell is committed to helping students develop the skills that make learning possible.

Get in Touch to learn more.