A tutoring system for children, teenagers, or adults
who struggle with spelling, reading, and writing
due to dyslexia or a learning difference.

The Barton System is an explicit and highly structured approach for learning to read based on the Orton-Gillingham technique. Orton–Gillingham was the first teaching approach specifically designed to help struggling readers by explicitly teaching the connections between letters and sounds. Today, many reading programs, including The Barton System, are influenced by Orton–Gillingham ideas.

The Barton System uses the concept of breaking reading and spelling down into smaller skills involving letters and sounds and then building on these skills over time. It uses a “multisensory” approach to teaching reading, which is effective for teaching students with dyslexia. This means that instructors use sight, hearing, touch, and movement to help students connect language with letters and words.