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The Wilson® History
Barbara Wilson developed the Wilson Reading System® while working with adults at Massachusetts General Hospital's Language Disorders Unit, and with students in her private tutoring practice. After several years as a special educator in public schools in Massachusetts, Barbara completed training in the Orton-Gillingham approach at the MGH Language Disorders Unit. She remained at the hospital for five years working with adults with dyslexia. In 1985 she and her husband, Edward, founded the Wilson Learning Center and three years later published the Wilson Reading System.
In the course of her work, Barbara observed that many students disbelieved that English could be made understandable to them. She developed the Wilson Reading System to teach students the structure of words in a systematic and cumulative manner. Following this system helps students to trust that they can learn English within the system, and ultimately, deal with the irregularities of the language.
By 1992, because of the success of the program, the primary focus changed to teacher training. Wilson Language Training offers extensive professional development to teachers in schools throughout the world. WLT offers ongoing supervision for educators interested in completing an intensive certification program in the Wilson Reading System. The certification program includes coursework as well as supervised work with a student for a minimum of sixty (60) lessons of instruction during Level I certification, and one hundred (100) lessons plus 10 seminar hours and an online course for advanced word structure and multisensory teaching in groups (Level II). A certified Wilson Trainer observes lessons and provides feedback throughout the year.
Ten years of data collection from school districts experiencing success using WRS led to the creation of Fundations®, a research-based program designed to bring explicit, cumulative, systematic, and multisensory reading instruction to K-3 general education classrooms. Published in 2002, Fundations has been implemented as a prevention and early intervention program in school districts across the country.
Demand for a program that targeted older students (grades 4-12 and adults) with literacy challenges but who do not require intensive intervention but do require explicit decoding and spelling instruction due to word-level deficits encouraged the development of a new program, Just Words®. Just Words accelerates the delivery of the content of Wilson Reading System in a context and style suitable for older populations. Just Words, published in 2009, is implemented as a second tier intervention in schools or as a standalone program in adult learning centers.
The Wilson Fluency®/ Basic program provides supplemental explicit fluency instruction and reading practice to develop the application of skills with connected text. This fluency program aligns with WRS, Fundations and Just Words and provides practice with 200- 250 word passages with 90% controlled text that students need to develop rate-appropriate independent reading with ease and expression.
Wilson Language Training Corporation was incorporated in Massachusetts in 1988. Its primary location is in Oxford, Massachusetts where the majority of its 90+ employees work.
From the beginning, the goal was to make this type of specialized instruction available in the public setting. Wilson works collaboratively with school districts to implement successful and sustainable plans.
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