SummaryA survey of remedial teaching based on a particular method and carried out in an NHS clinic over 2 years has been presented. The findings suggest a differential pattern of improvement both for reading and spelling as well as for type of learning difficulty, whether ‘backward’ or ‘specifically retarded’. A plea for early recognition of specific learning difficulties and the provision of appropriate remedial teaching is made as the present findings suggest that a structured method of teaching can lead to improvement in both reading and s