Authors: Melissa Sager, Associate Director of Learning Support at Learning Disabilities Society, with support from Dr. Nancy Perry, Professor and Dorothy Lam Chair in Special Education, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education  

At Learning Disabilities Society (LDS), our instruction programs follow our unique Research-informed Individualized Student Education methodology (RISE Method). Developed from our intake process, BC’s Curricular Core Competencies, a broad array  of research-based instructional strategies, and ongoing assessment of student learning, our RISE Method supports the learning strengths and stretches of each of our students through customized programming.  

Our Instructors offer a wide range of teaching and tutoring experiences in our centres, online learning platforms, and host schools. Our staff includes BC Certified Teachers, Special Education Assistants, Orton-Gillingham certified instructors, Speech-Language Pathologists, graduate-level subject matter specialists, and experienced inclusive education tutors.  

LDS Instructors are passionate about teaching and gifted in building rapport with students. The Learning Support Team works closely with them to design programs that encourage growth and mastery of specific skills, with the goal of helping students move more confidently towards independence, and gain empowerment through self-regulated learning.  

One of the core principles of our RISE programming is the high level of importance placed on really getting to know the students we support. We learn about our students’ unique interests, develop a comprehensive understanding of their learning profiles, and work as a team to make informed and meaningful decisions on their behalf. These decisions range from making Instructor-student placements, to choosing the most appropriate research-based curricula and/or effective teaching frameworks to promote optimal engagement through learning.  

As learning and teaching theories evolve over time to keep up with a world that is constantly changing, LDS conducts ongoing research to stay current on the most effective, research- and evidence-based methodologies and programs. We offer numerous programs and curricular options to our Instructors, and they receive ongoing training and case management from our Learning Support team, from internal and external professional learning opportunities, and from each other.  

Most importantly, we understand there is no one-size-fits-all approach to setting students up for success. LDS always considers requests from families or schools regarding specific instructional strategies, including Orton-Gillingham approach, but recognizes there also are other programming options that may be equally or more effective for students, depending on their unique learning profile and interests.  

“Learning Disabilities Society draws from a deep pool of instructors with diverse training and experienced learning support managers to provide their multi-method RISE programming that is grounded in current education research. I commend their offering of a wide range of programming options that are current, ‘state of the field’ and enable optimization of each remedial program design. Importantly, Learning Disabilities Society has diligently followed a holistic approach to instructor training, remedial program development and student assessment to deliver comprehensive individualized support that is ideally suited to each student’s needs.” – Dr. Nancy Perry, University of British Columbia Professor and Dorothy Lam Chair in Special Education  

LDS is proud to do customized intake and program design to match the unique literacy, numeracy, and executive functioning needs of our students. 

LDS’s portfolio of program and curriculum options include:  

• Sound Partners – A research-based tutoring program that provides individual instruction in early reading skills.  
• REWARDS – A powerful research-based, short-term, and specialized program for adolescent students in grades 4–12 who struggle reading long, multisyllabic words and comprehending content-area text.  
• Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) – The Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model combines instructional strategies with a means to self-regulate. The goal is to teach the strategies that students need in order to write, while supporting them to be motivated.  
• Orton-Gillingham – A direct, explicit, multisensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive way to teach literacy when reading, writing, and spelling does not come easily to individuals, such as those with dyslexia. 
• Step Up to Writing – A multisensory, explicit, and systematic approach to teaching writing that is designed to provide clear strategies, methods, and supports for increased student success.  
• Words Their Way – Based on years of research into invented and developmental spelling, the classroom-proven framework of this successful series is keyed to the five stages of spelling and orthographic development.  
• Making Words – Making Words fosters high-order thinking skills and requires students to apply phonemic learning. This strategy builds holistic understanding of language by exploring how sounds form words and words form ideas.  
• JUMP Math – An evidence-based program that has produced significant improvements in students’ achievement and attitudes in math.  
• PR1ME Math – PR1ME Mathematics is a world-class program based on effective teaching and learning practices of Singapore, Republic of Korea and Hong Kong – consistent top performers in international studies.  
• Dynamic Math – Guided workbooks and practice material that supports the BC Math Curriculum.  
• The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) – World-renowned for providing evidence-based social skills treatment to preschoolers, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, and other socio-emotional problems.