The Borel-Maisonny Method: Gestures to Support Reading

The Borel-Maisonny method in brief

The Borel-Maisonny method is a phonetic and gestural approach: it pairs each sound of French (each phoneme) with a hand gesture that evokes its pronunciation or the shape of the letter. By adding a motor and visual channel to the sound heard, it helps the child build a stronger link between what they hear, what they see (the letter) and what they say. It is a support for learning to read and write, used both in the classroom and in speech therapy — one tool among others, not a replacement for structured teaching or a speech-language assessment.

Origin: a pioneering speech therapist

The method is named after Suzanne Borel-Maisonny (1900-1995), regarded as one of the founders of speech therapy in France. A phonetician by training, she worked with children who had oral and written language difficulties. From this practice came a clinical insight: many children struggled to retain sound-to-letter correspondences through hearing or sight alone. By attaching a gesture to each sound, she gave them an extra anchor.

The gesture is not an end in itself: it is a bridge between the sound heard, the letter seen and the word read. It serves learning, then fades once the correspondence is automatic.

The principle: one gesture per sound

The heart of the method is a triple association: the sound (the phoneme), the matching gesture made with the hand, and the letter that writes it. The gestures are designed to evoke the shape of the letter or the position of the speech organs. This multisensory dimension — hearing, seeing, moving — aims to reinforce memory and make the reading code more concrete.

| Channel | What the child does | Goal | |---|---|---| | Auditory | Hears and repeats the sound | Isolate the phoneme | | Visual | Looks at the letter and gesture | Link sound and grapheme | | Motor | Reproduces the hand gesture | Anchor the correspondence |

This aligns with a widely shared principle in reading instruction: explicitly teaching grapheme-phoneme correspondences and phonological awareness.

Who is it for, and how it works

The method has two complementary uses. At school, it supports learning to read, notably in first grade, within a structured progression. In speech therapy, it is used in remediation — for example with children showing dyslexia or dysorthographia. It is a support tool, not a diagnosis.

The progression follows explicit reading instruction, with the gesture added at each step — discovering the sound, linking the gesture, linking the letter, blending into syllables and words, and finally automation, where the gesture is gradually dropped. In therapy this is individualized, tailored by a speech therapist for children to the needs found at assessment.

What research does — and does not — say

Research strongly supports the principles behind the method, without validating Borel-Maisonny as an isolated protocol. Explicit teaching of grapheme-phoneme correspondences and phonological-awareness work are recognized levers for learning to read, and phonological and multisensory training can support early reading. A study in the journal Enfance (Bara, Gentaz and Colé, 2004) found that adding tactile exploration of letters to phonological work helps link letters and sounds more explicitly.

But these findings concern principles more than the method itself. There is no evidence it is superior to other structured approaches, and its effectiveness depends on the teaching or therapy around it. The gesture is a plausible support — not a miracle cure. For a lasting reading disorder, French health authorities describe a coordinated care pathway involving school, family and professionals, including the speech therapist. For more, see our article on the signs and diagnosis of dyslexia.

Frequently asked questions

Is the method suitable for dyslexic children?

It is frequently used in remediation with children who have reading difficulties, including dyslexia, offering a concrete gestural anchor. It belongs within individualized care decided after an assessment, not a standalone treatment.

Is it scientifically proven?

The principles it relies on — phonological awareness, grapheme-phoneme correspondences, a multisensory approach — are supported by research. There is no proof, however, that the method itself is superior to other structured approaches. It is a useful tool, not a guarantee.

Can parents use it at home?

The gestures can be practiced as a complement, through play and repetition, but they replace neither teaching nor therapy. For significant difficulties, the right step is to consult a professional for an assessment.