Lindamood-Bell Review: A Comprehensive Look at the Dyslexia Intervention
Amy Yacoub CCC-SLP
February 06, 2024
In the world of dyslexia intervention, one of the most well-established teaching programs available is Lindamood Bell.
What is Lindamood Bell? Lindamood Bell is a structured approach that aims to improve reading and reading comprehension skills through its set of unique, multisensory programs.
In this comprehensive review, I delve into a Lindamood Bell review from my perspective as a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist. Follow along as I cover all of the need-to-know information about the Lindamood Bell program. I’ll cover what the Lindamood Bell reading program is, break down Lindamood Bell parent reviews, and give an expert analysis of the Lindamood Bell method.
What is the Lindamood Bell Program?
The Lindamood Bell program is an evidence-based reading intervention method that was established over 35 years ago. The techniques used aim to enhance the cognitive processes that are essential for reading and reading comprehension.
Lindamood Bell offers a set of structured programs including:
- LiPS (Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program for Reading, Spelling, and Speech)
These programs teach a hierarchy of concrete skills such as phonemic awareness as students progress. The programs incorporate unique techniques aimed at improving Dyslexia symptoms.
Who is it for?
The Lindamood Bell reading program is designed to be used with a range of individuals who have difficulty with reading and reading comprehension. The program can address the needs of individuals with the following:
- Dyslexia
- Auditory processing disorder
- Language disorders
- Dyscalculia (a learning disability in math)
- English Language Learners (ELLs)
- Difficulties with reading fluency, comprehension, or spelling
The Lindamood Bell program therefore can be used to improve literacy skills and language processing in individuals, from children to adults.
How it Works
Lindamood Bell utilizes a unique multisensory approach that includes the following structure:
1. Assessment
Students start by undergoing a comprehensive assessment. This helps identify their strengths, areas of difficulty, and learning goals. The results allow the instructor to create an individualized intervention plan.
2. Individualized Learning Plan
Sessions are typically completed individually with a Lindamood Bell instructor. They range in length according to the unique needs of the student, and can be anywhere between 30 minutes to several hours daily for a recommended number of weeks. Group instruction with peers may also be completed, such as in a school setting.
The instructor chooses the appropriate Lindamood Bell program to fit the child’s needs. For example, children who struggle with reading comprehension may benefit from completing the Visualizing and Verbalizing Language Comprehension and Thinking program.
3. Multisensory Instruction
Like other multisensory reading approaches, such as Orton-Gillingham, the Lindamood Bell method consists of activities that engage students’ visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses. This allows them to actively build connections between sounds, letters, words and meaning.
4. Phonemic Awareness
The Lindamood Bell reading program emphasizes developing phonemic awareness skills. These skills are crucial for proficient reading and understanding sound-symbol relationships.
The Lindamood Bell Seeing Stars program develops symbol imagery for reading and spelling, the ability to visualize letters in words. This can help children better memorize sight words, sound out words, and improve phonemic and orthographic awareness.
5. Concept Imagery
The Visualizing and Verbalizing program can improve a child’s concept imagery. The student is asked to create a mental image of a word they read. This helps develop concept imagery, which can improve reading and listening comprehension, memory, and oral vocabulary.
6. Explicit Instruction and Feedback
Instruction is provided in an explicit and systematic manner. The Lindamood Bell instructor provides clear explanations and immediate feedback to ensure the student understands and has mastered a skill.
7. Progression and Mastery
The instructor follows the structured curriculum presented in the specific Lindamood Bell being used. Students complete lessons and advance at their own pace. Once the student masters a skill, he or she progresses to more complex tasks.
8. Ongoing Assessment and Adjustment
Lindamood Bell learning programs involve continuous monitoring of student progress. This allows the instructor to adjust instruction as needed to address the student’s evolving needs.
Is Lindamood Bell Evidence-Based?
Yes, Lindamood Bell is considered to be evidence-based. The Lindamood Bell reading programs are grounded in research and supported by evidence. The reading program’s approach to address reading difficulties such as dyslexia incorporates concepts from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and educational theory.
Research has proven the effectiveness of the Lindamood Bell reading intervention on improving skills such as reading accuracy, decoding skills, comprehension, and academic performance over time.
Who Can Become a Provider?
In order to become a certified Lindamood Bell provider, individuals typically undergo intensive, specialized training. For certain training courses, this may be several hours a day over a period of 2 weeks.
Lindamood Bell offers comprehensive training programs for individuals interested in becoming instructors. These are typically professionals such as teachers or Speech-Language Pathologists.
In the training, individuals learn the methodologies, techniques, and materials used in Lindamood Bell programs. The schedule for in-person and online training workshops can be found on the Lindamood Bell Learning Processes website.
After completing the training, certified Lindamood Bell instructors may provide intervention at Lindamood Bell Learning Centers, independent practices, or through tutoring services.
Students can also receive instruction through the Lindamood Bell Academy. This is an accredited private school that offers personalized instruction for children in grades K-12. Students can attend instruction in person at a Lindamood Bell Learning Center, online, or through a combination of both.
Lindamood Bell Method: An SLP’s Review
I have reviewed the Lindamood Bell method and here will provide an in-depth analysis of the program from my perspective as a Speech-Language Pathologist. Let’s take a look at the methodology, teaching strategies, impact, cost, and other components of the Lindamood Bell dyslexia program.
Methodology & Process
I believe that one of the highlights of the Lindamood Bell reading program is the research that has proven its effectiveness on supporting students with reading difficulties. Not only was the program developed over 30 years ago, but current research continues to support its ability to improve reading skills.
One 2024 study reported that the Lindamood Bell intervention impacted students’ reading proficiency, including their decoding skills, reading accuracy, comprehension, and long-term academic performance.
In my opinion, the techniques in Lindamood Bell that support a multisensory approach are unique and effective. For example, in the Visualizing Verbalizing curriculum, students air-write words to help them visualize the letters they see in front of them while also saying the letters out loud. In this exercise, I see that students gain solidification of letter formation and the sounds associated with letters.
I’ve also found the Lindamood Bell LiPS program to be effective in developing a child’s phonemic awareness skills through multisensory techniques. For example, students might learn to use physical movement (such as nad movements or gestures) to represent certain sounds or syllables in words. The kinesthetic feedback that students receive seems to enhance his or her engagement and retention of concepts, in my experience.
Other areas of the program’s processes I see as strengths are its explicit instruction and structured, systematic curriculum.
Teaching Strategies
Individualization: Lindamood Bell implements highly personalized, flexible teaching strategies. The strategies can be tailored to address the unique needs of a learner. This personalized instruction, I believe, is key to an effective reading intervention program.
Impact Across Skills: I also believe that these individualized strategies can improve not only a child’s literacy skills, but can also be generalized by the student to improve other skills impacting their daily life. For example, the concept imagery taught in the Visualizing Verbalizing program can also help children engage in conversation, follow directions, and think critically during everyday situations.
Availability of Materials: From my experience and research, there is a wide range of materials and resources that are available to support this widely used intervention. This is helpful for instructors providing the intervention, as they are able to easily incorporate motivating activities and tools to support the Lindamood Bell curriculum.
Impact
According to my research and clinical experience, the use of the Lindamood Bell program can yield significant improvements in a child’s reading comprehension, fluency, and phonemic awareness skills.
The impacts of Lindamood Bell interventions are long term. In examining research, I have found studies reporting that the use of intensive reading instruction such as Lindamood Bell can actually change functions in the white matter of the brain associated with reading (through brain plasticity).
Students demonstrate sustained progress in reading skills well beyond the completion of the program. The strategies learned in the program seem to stay with students, allowing them to continue using them over time.
Cost
The cost of the Lindamood Bell program varies depending on factors such as program duration and location. For example, a size week summer program may cost over $10,000. Private instruction may cost approximately $75 per hour, though this can vary greatly depending on the instructor’s rate.
The Lindamood Bell Academy tuition varies depending on the package, according to the Lindamood Bell Academy website. An enrollment fee and a $2000 deposit are required to hold your child’s spot in the academy.
Despite the financial commitment, the long-term benefits and impact on a student’s literacy development often appear to make Lindamood Bell an invaluable investment in the child’s educational success.
Support
Lindamood Bell programs offer support for both students and parents/caregivers. The instructors are trained to ensure that they provide personalized guidance and assistance throughout the intervention process.
Instructors are typically readily available to address concerns, offer feedback, provide encouragement, and foster a supportive learning environment.
The Lindamood Bell reading intervention does provide opportunities for peer interaction and ongoing support after the program is completed. Through this, students are able to generalize their skills and apply them within a group setting.
User Reviews
In researching and analyzing user reviews of the Lindamood Bell program, feedback overwhelmingly highlights positive experiences and outcomes.
On platforms such as DC Urban Mom, Lindamood Bell parent reviews express satisfaction with their child’s progress in both literacy and language skills after participating in the interventions.
Reviews on Berkeley Parents Network site experiences support the effectiveness of Lindamood Bell interventions in addressing dyslexia and improving students’ literacy skills. Other parent reviews praise the Lindamood-Bell Academy for its personalized instruction and comprehensive curriculum.
Parents mention that the cost of the program can be high. However, they seem to agree that the potential improvements to a child’s reading abilities can outweigh this. Overall, Lindamood Bell appears to have a reputation for delivering strong, positive interventions for students with reading difficulties.
Strengths of the Lindamood-Bell Program
I believe that the volume of research supporting the effectiveness of Lindamood Bell, and the specific multisensory techniques used (such as using visualization during reading to improve comprehension) are what make the program unique and effective.
My students seem to retain the multi-kinesthetic techniques taught in the Lindamood Bell programs, and continue to use them over time. For example, mnemonic devices, such as catchy phrases like “magic E” seem to help students remember certain phonemic patterns or rules. The “magic E” helps students remember that adding an “E” at the end of a word can make the vowel in the word “say its name,”
In my opinion, these techniques, in addition to the amount of materials that are widely available to therapists using the Lindamood Bell approach, are some of the most valuable benefits associated with the program.
Areas for Improvement
Lindamood Bell criticism I have come across typically involves the financial components of the program. Lindamood Bell’s cost can be high and may cause a strain for many families. More students and families may be able to comfortably access these intervention services if the cost were able to be lowered.
Lindamood Bell already utilizes technology in its interventions (i.e., through computer-based activities and digital resources). However, the program could improve by further integrating technology. This could be done through mobile apps to provide additional practice opportunities or web-based platforms offering support for students.
Bottom Line
Lindamood Bell was developed over 30 years ago and is backed by a strong body of current research demonstrating its effectiveness. I believe that Lindamood Bell reading interventions offer unique, multisensory techniques through a structured curriculum that can benefit children with Dyslexia and other reading difficulties. It’s important for families to consider the potentially high cost when considering the program for their child.
Our Methodology: How We Reviewed the Lindamood-Bell Program
When completing a comprehensive review of the Lindamood Bell program, I ensured a thorough evaluation by using a multifaceted approach. I integrated diverse perspectives from a range of sources to deliver an impartial and comprehensive analysis of the program’s efficacy.
It’s important to note that this review is independent and free from any financial affiliations with Lindamood Bell. The insights presented are based solely on my professional expertise and experience with the program.
Outlined below is the methodology I used to assess the effectiveness and value of the Lindamood Bell program:
- Evaluation Criteria: My review was guided by clearly defined criteria, focusing on several key areas, including:
- Educational effectiveness
- Usability
- Accessibility for diverse users
- Level of support and resources provided
- Research-Based Analysis: The information presented here reflects an in-depth examination of how the Lindamood Bell program can enhance reading skills. This analysis draws upon research from reputable sources such as research journals and case studies.
- User Feedback: Direct feedback was obtained from individuals who have utilized the Lindamood Bell program. This feedback enabled a comprehensive assessment of the program’s impact.
- Expert Analysis: Leveraging my expertise as a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist, I synthesized my professional experience in working with children with reading difficulties with the opinions of other professionals in the field, ensuring a well-rounded and informed evaluation.
Forbrain and Lindamood-Bell as Complementary Dyslexia Tools
Forbrain, a speech and language enhancement device that utilizes bone conduction technology, can effectively complement the Lindamood Bell program.
Forbrain transmits sound vibrations through specialized headphones, amplifying sounds to enhance auditory processing, attention, and communication skills.
Integrating Forbrain with the Lindamood Bell curriculum may enhance the effectiveness of intervention for individuals with Dyslexia. Combining these tools can address the underlying cognitive skills that are crucial for reading and language development, such as auditory processing.
Forbrain may aid in processing and retaining information while students engage in Lindamood Bell instruction (either computer-based or in-person) by slightly amplifying the user’s voice. Overall, Forbrain can offer several benefits when used as a tool to complement Lindamood Bell instruction in the treatment of Dyslexia.
Final Words
The Lindamood Bell reading program is widely used and its effectiveness is strongly supported by research. The program aims to improve a child’s reading skills, including decoding, reading proficiency, and comprehension.
Pros of the Lindamood Bell are the research supporting the program, the positive body of user reviews, and its wide availability of materials.
Potential downfalls of the program include the potentially high cost and the room for growth with the digital materials available.
To potentially complement the effectiveness of the Lindamood Bell reading program, individuals can use Forbrain, an auditory stimulation headset. Building strong reading skills can provide students with impacts that last a lifetime.
References
Meisler, S. L., Gabrieli, J. D., & Christodoulou, J. A. (2024). White matter microstructural plasticity associated with educational intervention in reading disability. Imaging Neuroscience; 2, 1-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/imag_a_00108
Sun, Y., Wang, J., Dong, Y., Zheng, H., Yang, J., Zhao, Y., & Dong, W. (2021). The relationship between reading strategy and reading comprehension: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 635289. DOI: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635289/full
Tomarong, L., Abendan, C. F., Kilag, O. K., Apas, M., Undalok, V., & Alcorcon, J. J. (2023). The Lindamood-Bell Reading Intervention: A Pathway to Enhanced Reading Skills in Pupils. Excellencia: International Multi-disciplinary Journal of Education (2994-9521), 1(5), 322-332. DOI: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376646167_The_Lindamood-Bell_Reading_Intervention_A_Pathway_to_Enhanced_Reading_Skills_in_Pupils
Amy Yacoub
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More Reviews on Dyslexia Programs:
| Wilson Reading LearningRX Orton Gillingham | Barton Reading Neuralign Cellfield | Fast ForWord Interactive Metronome Learning Breakthrough |