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Take Flight
Structured literacy for students 7+ with dyslexia. Multi-sensory instruction that builds decoding, reading, spelling, fluency, and comprehension.
Why Take Flight works
Take Flight isn't another phonics program. It's a clinically proven intervention designed by the Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital specifically for how dyslexic brains learn to read. Every lesson follows the Orton-Gillingham methodology—multi-sensory, structured, sequential, and diagnostic.
Students see the letter, say the sound, write the pattern, and feel the formation— engaging visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile pathways simultaneously.
Each lesson builds on previously taught skills. Nothing is skipped and no gaps are left behind. Students master one concept before moving to the next creating strong, lasting reading foundations.
Nothing is left to guesswork. Every phoneme, morpheme, and syllable type is taught clearly with consistent rules and guided practice so students understand exactly how reading works.
Instruction is constantly adjusted based on how each student performs. Our therapists monitor progress in real time and adapt lessons to meet the needs of every learner.
Students learn why English works the way it does. Understanding spelling patterns and language structure helps students become independent, confident readers.
Take Flight is backed by decades of research from Scottish Rite Children's Hospital and replicated studies showing measurable improvement in decoding, word reading, spelling, fluency, and comprehension.
What your child will learn
Students who struggle with reading often feel frustrated or behind in school. Take Flight gives them the tools, structure, and confidence they need to finally understand reading.
With the right instruction and consistent practice, struggling readers can become capable, confident learners.
- All 44 speech sounds (phonemes)
- Letter sound relationships and keyword associations
- Short vowls and closed syllables
- Consonant blend and digraphs
- Reading an spelling single syllable words
Timeline: 1-24 weeks
- Long vowels and vowel teams
- R controlled vowels
- Six syllable types
- Multisyllabic decoding
Timeline: 25-48 weeks
- Prefixes, suffixes, and base words
- Greek and Latin roots
- Advanced spelling patterns
- Comprehension integration
Timeline: 49-72+ weeks
The Take Flight program includes 132 carefully sequenced lessons designed to systematically build reading and spelling skills.
For best results, students typically attend four sessions per week, allowing them to practice new concepts consistently and build momentum in their learning.
Provided materials
You don't need to purchase specialized curriculum materials. DysConnections provides the instructional resources needed to support your child throughout the program.
Our therapists carefully monitor progress and adjust instruction based on student performance so families always understand how their child is developing as a reader.
Materials included
- Take Flight student books used throughout the program
- Mouth pictures and lip cards that support phonological awareness by helping students see how sounds are formed
- Letter line and blue alphabet letters used for word building and spelling practice
- Dry erase board and marker for interactive reading and spelling activities
- Spelling paper and handwriting practice pages to reinforce writing and encoding skills
- Instant Word materials used to build automatic word recognition
As students progress, we may also send additional materials or chapter books to support reading development at the appropriate level.
Families will need to provide a few simple household items for lessons, such as a cookie sheet and small mirror, which help support our multisensory learning activities.
The Dysconnections Resource hub
Families also receive access to our Resource HUB, an online library designed to support learning between sessions.Inside the HUB, families will find hundreds of additional activities tailored to their child’s current reading level and skill needs.These activities include practice for:
- Phonological awareness
- Phonics and decoding
- Syllable patterns and spelling rules
- Morphology and vocabulary
- Review activities to reinforce previously learned skills
The Resource HUB allows students to practice between sessions, strengthening new skills and helping build confidence as readers.
Progress we track
At DysConnections, student growth is carefully monitored to ensure reading skills are developing in a meaningful and lasting way.
Our instruction follows a diagnostic teaching model, meaning lessons are continually adjusted based on student performance to meet each child’s specific needs.
In addition to ongoing observation during lessons, we conduct formal progress monitoring every 6 weeks to evaluate student growth and guide instruction.
The percentage of words a student reads correctly in isolation and connected text. This helps us measure how well students are applying the phonics patterns they have been taught.
Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM) measured through controlled reading passages. Fluency helps us monitor how efficiently and confidently students are reading as their skills develop.
The percentage of words spelled correctly during dictation activities. Encoding shows whether students truly understand the sound symbol patterns they are learning.
Families receive a progress update every 6 weeks outlining growth in decoding accuracy, reading fluency, and spelling mastery.
If a student needs additional support, our therapists adjust instruction to meet their needs to ensure continued progress.
Is Take Flight right for your child?
Take Flight is specifically designed for students diagnosed with dyslexia or significant reading disabilities. It works best when started early, but older students see meaningful gains too.
Your child just received a dyslexia diagnosis and needs structured literacy intervention immediately. Take Flight builds the foundation from the ground up.
Generic tutoring hasn't worked. Your child needs systematic, explicit phonics designed for dyslexic learners—not just "more practice."
Older students benefit from finally understanding English structure. Take Flight works through middle school and beyond.
The earlier Take Flight begins after a diagnosis, the better but there's no age where it's too late. Students in middle school still make significant gains with consistent, structured practice.