It’s been years since Jo-Anne Gross first hit the block button on me—LinkedIn, then Twitter (now X). At the time, it stung. But mostly, it felt like a badge of honour. Here was a self-proclaimed remediation expert, founder of Remediation Plus Systems, selling phonics-heavy interventions for dyslexic kids, suddenly deciding my free lessons and alternative views were too dangerous to engage with.
Why? Because I dared to say what my classroom evidence—and a growing chorus of parent testimonials—keeps proving: Phonological awareness deficits aren’t the root cause of dyslexia. The real problem is the way phonics is taught—chopping words into confusing “buh-le-oo” sounds that shut kids down before they even start.
Not Personal, But About the Kids
Jo-Anne, if you’re reading this (unlikely, since you’re still blocking me), this isn’t personal. It’s about the children we both claim to champion.
Your system promises “scientifically proven” decoding fixes, marketed to schools, private practices, even Zoom sessions on the “Right to Read.” Noble on paper. But when someone like me shares free methods that get kids reading fluently in months—using rote sight-word mapping and pattern recognition, not endless phoneme drills—dialogue dies. Blocks go up. Comments vanish.
How It Started
Back in 2021, I posted a simple challenge: Dyslexia isn’t a “sound-blending disorder.” Kids who “fail” phonics in English often read Malay and Pinyin with ease.
Your response wasn’t a counter-argument, but a curt dismissal:
“I speak to reading researchers… I am not on social media to discuss your views but to solidify and grow my research knowledge… That’s my job. You have been blocked by many.”
Ouch. And telling. Admitting you’ve been blocked by others? That’s the pot calling the kettle blocked.
The Reading Wars Continue
This isn’t isolated. My blog is dotted with echoes of the “reading wars”—that 45-year slog you yourself lamented in 2017.
Remember my post Practice Makes Perfect – REALLY?? You acknowledged the egos and assumptions propping up bad phonics.
In Blind Leading the Blind on Orthographic Mapping, I showed how kids can map words via rote spelling (Dolch lists with letter names, not sounds). One of my certified-dyslexic students mastered 220 words cold—no phonological awareness required. Your reply? Calling Ehri “the Goddess of Reading Decoding Research.” Then—another block.
Fast-Forward to 2025
Your X feed (@RplusDyslexia) still pumps out phonics positivity: “Right to Read” training, IDA endorsements, familiar names like Reid Lyon and Timothy Shanahan. Structured literacy sells.
Meanwhile, I’m still here, four years post-block, with parents sending me progress reports. One recent gem: a 9-year-old labeled “severe dyslexic” now devouring chapter books after just 12 weeks of my sight-word + analogy method. No apps. No Orton-Gillingham binders. Just patterns and practice that fit the brain instead of fighting it.
The Irony
Your own field is cracking open. Recent Substack pieces (June 2025) question blanket dyslexia screening—echoing my early calls. Not every decoding hiccup is neurobiological; most are just poor teaching.
Yet blocks persist, because alternatives threaten the status quo.
Final Word
So, Jo-Anne, unblock if you dare. Debate in the comments. Or keep curating your echo chamber—it’s your call.
Parents: If phonics has your child in tears, drop a comment. Free consults are still open. Let’s map words their way.
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