Kimberly has tutored students of all ages with dyslexia and ADHD (both types) since 2013. As a Masters Level Barton Reading & Spelling tutor, she has learned how to adjust her teaching style, while maintaining program fidelity, based on individual needs.
Elementary school teachers regularly tell students struggling with reading to use the pictures, context clues, or simply guess when they encounter unknown words. None of these “tips” are evidence-based approaches to decoding, which means struggling readers will continue to fall further behind their peers.
Barton is unique in that it is the only reputable, research-based Orton-Gillingham system that includes a student screening to ensure the appropriate prerequisite skills are present before a potential student begins Level 1 Phonemic Awareness. Dyslexia falls on a continuum and approximately 15 percent of students require additional instruction before they can begin any reputable O-G system. Since 2017, she has successfully taught Foundations in Sounds to those individuals who having greater challenges with auditory discrimination, sequencing, and memory.
In addition, Kimberly studies orthographic linguistics to help her students better understand the “whys” of our English spelling system. Teachers do not provide these answers and simply tell students that “English is crazy” and just memorize the words, an exceedingly difficult task for dyslexics.
Finally, parents can count on Kimberly to keep them fully apprised of their child’s progress through succinct session recaps that are accessible at any time, and/or a standing invitation to sit in on as many sessions as they would like to observe. This high level of transparency is not typical and something her clients truly appreciate.