WHAT TO EXPECT

In my practice, students feel nurtured and understood and are met at their unique levels in order to become open to learning. The remediation process is like building and filling a toolbox which students use as they improve different areas needed for reading and spelling with fluency and accuracy. We work on phonological awareness, word-attack skills, comprehension strategies, grapho/motor skills, writing skills, higher-order cognition, and organizational and memory strategies. Students learn age-appropriate self-monitoring techniques.
After a series of assessments given throughout the initial sessions, I provide you with a written report that allows me to identify strengths and areas of growth. Using our assessment data, we set goals together and students develop a language and understanding around attaining these goals. I find that when students have an understanding of why we do various auditory and visual drills, they are more willing to participate.
As each student has a distinct profile, each session has an individualized lesson plan. One student may need a more tactile approach to concepts, while another may need pictures and more visual cues. Another may need to put ideas to music, and yet another simple repetition. My office is filled with tools to ensure that every session provides opportunities for success. The learning does not always happen using paper and pencil. We are constantly switching activities, using a multisensory approach. We do a spiral review of concepts learned to ensure mastery of the concept during each session. Self-monitoring and self-advocacy are consistently fostered.
Each individualized lesson plan utilizes a multi-sensory, diagnostic, and systematic approach to build skills such as:
Phonological Awareness, handwriting practice, visual and auditory drills, reading and spelling with specific spelling concepts (spiral review), high frequency words and sight word instruction, new spelling concept, decodable book and comprehension development.
Each session is 50-55 min long and I recommend 2 sessions per week. All students are different but I typically recommend at least a year commitment.