The Code Overlay: Show the Code!
Phonemies help children see, hear, and articulate phonemes, which makes the speech to print relationship clearer and word mapping more accessible. This visual and linguistic support is particularly helpful for neurodivergent learners who benefit from explicit cues when developing early reading and spelling skills. Welcome to the home of The Code Overrlay! Phonemies®, pronounced /f əʊ n iː m i: z/, are IPA aligned Speech Sound Monsters® that show the code: Learn how to support Speech Sound Mapping from Birth
What is Speech Sound Mapping?
⭐Interlinked Word Mapping Mastery® Learning Pathways: Easier, Speedier Reading and Spelling for All Neurotypes
"Offer a pathway, not a pace. Children should move through learning when their word mapping brains are ready." Emma Hartnell-Baker "The Word Mapper"
Self-Paced Linguistic and Visual Phonics | Teach Your Child to Read Birth to 7 | The Core Four for Dyslexia
Speech Sound Mapping with The Code Overlay
Ask about including this in your child's EHCP if they are struggling to learn to read and spell, especially if they are ADHD, autistic, or at risk of dyslexia.
Speech Sound Mapping is an evidence based eapproach to mapping words in both directions, from speech to print and from print to speech. It supports learners to see which letters and letter groups function as graphemes and to understand their sound value using Phonemies.
Phonemies provide a visible and consistent representation of phonemes. They help children understand how speech sounds connect to written words. When working with adults, Phonemies also provide a shared language for discussing how accents influence pronunciation. Accent differences can change not only the sound value of graphemes but sometimes the grapheme choices used to represent those sounds. Making this visible helps both adults and children understand that speech and print mapping is flexible and influenced by spoken language variation.
Speech Sound Mapping provides a structured reset for children like Alf who have struggled to connect speech sounds and print through synthetic phonics programmes. Many of these learners have not yet developed the phonemic awareness needed to identify, segment and manipulate phonemes accurately. This approach returns to building that essential awareness so learners are able to connect phonemes and graphemes confidently.
The approach is increasingly being specified within Section F provision in Education, Health and Care Plans for children who have not made expected progress with their school’s synthetic phonics programme. It is frequently recommended for autistic learners and children with speech, language and communication needs, where making speech sounds visible can reduce processing demands and support access to literacy.
Once learners develop this awareness, they are guided to map words bidirectionally for both reading and spelling. They learn to analyse spoken words into phonemes and represent them with graphemes when spelling. They also learn to analyse written words into graphemes and link them to phonemes when reading.
Speech Sound Mapping also supports accurate formation of letters and numbers, ensuring that transcription skills develop alongside orthographic knowledge. Learners are taught to apply The Spelling Routine so that new words are analysed, stored and retained securely. Watch Luca, dyslexic, age 10.
Children under 9 are then guided to apply their mapping skills using orthographically mapped One, Two, Three and Away books. These books are designed to support daily word storage and independent self-teaching, helping learners build fluency, accuracy and confidence in both reading and spelling. We use them with children who are older than 9 but they may not be as appealing. We are creating a system that enables us to apply The Code Overlay to books that the child will be interested in reading, for example The Diary of the Wimpy Kid.
Imagine if a brilliant EP hadn’t recommended Speech Sound Mapping for Alfie.
Speech Sound Mapping, supported by The Code Overlay, provides a different way to guide the 1 in 5 who aren’t learning to read with synthetic phonics programmes towards self-teaching, by showing them the code for as long as they need it. It was designed with dyslexic pupils in mind, helping them see which letters are graphemes and the speech sounds they represent.
Well done to everyone involved, including Innovate UK for funding the first MVP. We’re now working towards offering The Code Overlay for any books children want to read, from Diary of a Wimpy Kid to Anne of Green Gables.
The goal is simple. Children reading for pleasure.
Alf is now excited about reading. Isn’t that the point of an EHCP?