What scientific evidence supports ReadingDoctor®?

ReadingDoctor® is supported by both the broader research evidence for explicit, systematic synthetic phonics and independent studies that have evaluated ReadingDoctor® directly.

Independent research has found improvements in foundational skills including phoneme blending, phoneme segmentation, letter-sound knowledge, phonemic awareness, decoding and word reading.

For example:

• Carson (2019) studied 24 preschool children with Developmental Language Disorder. After eight weeks, children using ReadingDoctor® performed significantly better than the comparison group in phoneme blending, phoneme segmentation, letter-sound knowledge and early decoding skills.
• Winn, Miller and van Steenbrugge (2020) studied children aged 5 to 13 years with reading difficulties. After 12 weeks, the study reported significant improvements in phonological awareness, phonemic awareness and word-reading efficiency, with gains still evident three months later.

More recent independent Flinders University research into ReadingDoctor® Online letter-sound activities has also reported strong gains in letter-sound knowledge, including for children who started with weaker skills.

ReadingDoctor® is designed to build foundational word-reading and spelling skills. It works best alongside broader literacy experiences such as reading aloud, oral language and vocabulary development, decodable and connected-text reading, fluency practice, writing, comprehension support and regular assessment.

You can read the full evidence summary here: Evidence supporting ReadingDoctor®.