Explode the Code: Why It Works for Neurodivergent Kids

I LOVE Explode the Code workbooks for neurodivergent students. This phonics, reading, and spelling workbook series is one of the best Orton-Gillingham tools for several reasons.

They can be used independently to support your child’s phonics, reading, and spelling skills. This is especially helpful for learners with a PDA (demand-avoidant) profile common in autism and ADHD. Let’s take a look at the benefits of Explode the Code.

Explode the Code for PDA

Explode the Code workbooks are fantastic learning tools for students who present as PDA. PDA or Pathological Demand Avoidance is most often described as a profile of autism. However, many ADHD kids (and adults) struggle with demand avoidance and do better as independent learners.

This is why those with a neuroaffirming lens use Pervasive Drive for Autonomy to describe this need for independence.

If your child loses it when told what to do, Explode the Code may be the perfect solution.

Why? Because these literacy workbooks can be used independently by your student. All three of my kids have used Explode the Code workbooks independently. And this includes my son who is highly demand-avoidant.

Phonics and Orton-Gillingham Based

My three neurodivergent learners all have different forms of dyslexia. This has made finding Orton-Gillingham learning tools an absolute must.

Like All About Reading, Explode the Code workbooks use a research-based multisensory method of literacy instruction. Unlike AAR, ETC does not require a lot of teacher involvement. As stated previously, this is a win for independent learners.

(When I say “independent”, I’m referring to kids who want to get school done and over with at all costs.)

However, unlike many reading workbooks, ETC uses incremental phonics instruction. This means it focuses and builds on each phonogram one at a time. (Phonograms are letters or combinations of letters that make sounds.)

It’s a step-by-step approach the builds your child’s learning of both reading and spelling.

Explode the Code for Visual Learners

Another thing we love about Explode the Code is that each workbook contains engaging illustrations. These illustrations are not an afterthought, but provide essential visual input to solidify abstract concepts.

Multisensory learning is not a fluff term, but can be the difference between learning and forgetting a concept.

The drawings in ETC are minimalistic and yet engaging to help children create meaning for vocabulary words.

Multisensory Learning

In the above example pages from Explode the Code Level 3, you can see that the instructions ask children to use multiple forms of sensory input to learn.

• Read the word aloud
  • Visual-motor (scanning the text with the eyes)
  • Speech-motor (saying the word aloud)
  • Auditory (hearing the word)
• Write the word
  • Fine motor skills
• Circle the correct illustration
  • Fine motor
  • Visual (scanning the image with the visual motor cortex)

Each of these steps hits different areas of the brain, making this a multisensory learning experience. Thus, your learner is more likely to process and remember.

Gentle and Silly Reading Comprehension

While ETC does not dive deeply into reading comprehension, it does offer gentle reading comprehension. Workbooks contain simple comprehension questions for students with short attention spans. This allows them to develop comprehension skills at a more attainable pace.

A gentle approach to comprehension is essential for students with speech and language processing challenges. For example, dyslexia or auditory processing disorders.

As you can see from the above example, students are asked yes or no comprehension questions. However, each question is silly and requires that the student process what the question is asking.

Can a toad blow his nose?

Will soap fly on a dry road?

Outlandish questions such as these require kids to think and engage in a fun way.

Spelling Rules Made Simple

As mentioned earlier, Explode the Code takes a research-based approach to teaching foundational reading and spelling skills. Like all Orton-Gillingham reading programs, ETC teaches syllable division rules. This helps children develop many important literacy skills.

• Phonological and phonemic awareness
  • The ability to hear sounds
  • Rhyming is an essential phonological awareness skill often missing in even older students
• Phonics
  • Identify sounds and phonograms that go with each sound
• Syllable division
  • Break up words into their component sounds (parts) for easier spelling or reading

Again, the use of illustrations is critical for visually-based learners. Reading text on a page with no illustrations can be detrimental to a child’s growing vocabulary especially if they’re neurodivergent in some way.