My Story 

 

My passion for tutoring students that struggle or are having difficulty learning, stems from my parental desire to help my own daughter who has difficulty learning.  At a very young age my daughter was identified as having a specific learning disability and placed on an Individual Educational Plan (IEP).  That means from preschool to today she has received services from the Special needs department in our local school district.  As a teacher needing Professional Development, I often chose courses that would help me to learn new strategies for the classroom but also those that I could take home to help in the summer. Even though we worked hard together on literacy and math and she made great progress, my daughter’s memory of the new knowledge would slip away.  It didn't make sense she was receiving a lot of help.

 

As time went by she was only making small gains in school and the gap was growing between herself and her peers.  At the time, schools were using "Whole Language and Balanced Literacy", which I now know were not effective for Dyslexic readers.   (Read:   http://www.dyslexiatraininginstitute.org/blog/dyslexia-whole-language-coping-mechanism-strategy/ )  Just before Middle School, my daughter was diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD by a private Child Psychologist.  I have since learned that both are not recognized learning disabilities by school districts in our nation.  Therefore, students are neither identified, provided a specific intervention plan, nor provided the needed accommodations.

 

According to the International Dyslexia Association “15-20% of the population has a language-based learning disability. Of the students with specific learning disabilities receiving special education services, 70-80% have deficits in reading. Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties. Dyslexia affects males and females nearly equally as well as, people from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds nearly equally. “

 

 Again as a concerned mother and teacher with little to no training in these particular disabilities (that's right, teachers are not trained  to identify or accommodate for these disabilities) I set out to find help.  My search led to the understanding that she would need to have a specific reading and spelling program, not used in schools, designed by Orton & Gillingham.  This particular type of program provides the explicit and direct instruction in a systematic and cumulative sequence necessary for Dyslexic students to read successfully.  

(Read: http://dys-add.com/getHelp.html#anchorReading)   After extensive training in the Barton System, I have been tutoring my child and others like her, who may or may not be diagnosed with Dyslexia.  Each day watching children have that "ah ha" moment when they come to learn the fundamental skills necessary for reading and spelling are truly rewarding. 

 

In addition to tutoring, I have been trained by Susan Barton to identify Dyslexia through a screening process.  When Dyslexia is identified, I consult with parents to help make changes in the classroom and the home for the better.  I am also able to guide parents to reading and technological resources.

 

Falling behind in school and not keeping up with peers is frustrating and painful for children and their families.  Today I choose to help other children to succeed in their learning, sharing what I know with families, so that I may restore hope and confidence.