Advanced Level - Certification
Our Story
Our journey began when my daughter was in 2nd grade. In truth, it started way before then, but we did not realize it.
At the playground, all the other parents were sharing stories of the advanced books their children read. I stood silent because my daughter had zero desire to read. To inspire her, I tried buying her books and fancy bookmarks. Nothing worked. She started to complain about how she elected to stay in for recess to finish copying off the board. In one instant, a classmate looked over her shoulder and laughed at her results from reading comprehension tests. The teachers reassured me she had a late July birthday and that she would eventually catch up. "She is so smart!" they proclaimed … but something didn't feel right. As a 2nd grader, my daughter scored at a 6th-grade level for listening comprehension on the Stanford Achievement Test, but she scored well below her friends on everything else.
Thus began the lengthy and often frustrating search for a solution. Years of multiple assessments, misdiagnoses, various therapies, including speech and vision therapy, and many suggestions from well-meaning friends and family resulted in little improvement. Worse, they left my daughter feeling "stupid" and discouraged.
She found ways to get by. She would ask friends for help when she couldn't read directions on the board. She often received extra homework because she didn't have time to complete her work in class. On top of that, she spent two to three times longer completing her homework than her friends. Extra homework was not a solution. It only forced her to spend more time doing what wasn't working, because people with dyslexia need a different approach in learning to read and spell. Also, they have difficulty retaining non-meaningful information such as math facts or sight words.
With our lives now revolving around therapy, we had no free time as a family, and my daughter had no time to play with friends.
Luckily, we finally had a break. The supervisor at the speech clinic returned from a weekend course by Susan Barton and suggested we test my daughter for dyslexia. She directed me to Susan Barton's website www.dys-add.com which completely changed our approach. It was such a relief. After watching the videos on Susan Barton's site it was clear my daughter was dyslexic. We now had a correct diagnosis and a way to help her.
Today, my daughter is a confident and happy 8th grader and a straight-A student who reads at a 10th-grade level. In 7th grade, she scored 94% on the NWEA reading portions. Her school understands her challenges and allows her appropriate accommodations. She has completed all ten levels of the Barton Reading and Spelling System. Though she still needs accommodations such as extra time, especially when she is tired or when the subject area is entirely new, her journey has now progressed beyond learning to read. She is figuring out strategies to complete homework and work with technology.
Most importantly, she realizes she is brilliant and needs to self-advocate. She also recognizes that her dyslexia is a gift in some areas and an obstacle in others. She values her gifts and appreciates the life skills she has acquired through her struggles. These skills are called "soft skills" and are proven to be a better predictor of graduation rates from college than standardized test scores. Employers and universities are now searching for candidates with a combination of hard and soft skills that fit their organizations. With this knowledge and her improved literacy skills, my daughter now enters school with her head held high and a smile on her face.
During our journey, I have witnessed the lack of evidence-based programs available for both the young and old challenged with dyslexia. I want to help others avoid the arduous journey we endured. Drawing from my own experience with numerous students, I want to help guide and support families by tutoring and providing accurate information about dyslexia. I want others to experience the dramatic changes to their children's education that have been life-changing for our daughter and many other students. As a certified dyslexia tutor, I have years of experience with the Susan Barton Reading and Spelling System. My mission is to teach children and their families strategies to overcome dyslexia, beginning with powerful reading and spelling instruction tailored to the student's needs that are proven to work. Let's start a new journey together, helping your child reach his/her potential!