Tutoring

I provide a minimum of two 50-minute one-on-one private sessions a week for children, teens, and adults. Most confirmed or suspected dyslexic students typically have weak phonological short-term memories, so anything less than two sessions a week will result in more review than progress. More sessions per week will result in faster progress. Even though two sessions a week is the minimum, I encourage 3-4 sessions a week which ultimately costs less due to a few reasons: I offer a discount on session three and four, less time is spent reviewing, and we complete the program faster. Services will be offered remotely using an online system specifically tailored to the Barton Reading & Spelling System or in-person.

Who Can be a Student?

-Be at least 6 years old and in first grade. There is no maximum age to be a student.

-Can speak and comprehend spoken English.

This is not for children with a receptive or expressive language disorder.

This is also not an ESL program.

A non-native English speaker must be able to speak and understand spoken English at a second grade level.

-Have an IQ of 71, or higher.

-Struggles with spelling when writing stories, and cannot easily sound out unknown words when reading. If someone can already read accurately and rapidly, and spells well, but only has trouble with comprehension, then the services I provide would not be needed or appropriate.

-Can pass the Barton Student Screening. Every student is given this test during our initial consultation meeting to determine whether the techniques I use are going to be appropriate for the student's needs.

What is Taught

There are 10 levels in the Barton Reading & Spelling System. Each level contains 10-15 lessons (levels 1 and 2 are shorter). Once all levels are finished, the student will be reading and spelling at a mid-9th grade level. At that level, students can read just about anything, including college textbooks as the average adult reading level is at ninth grade. Elementary school students can be taken to the end of level 8 and continue to levels 9-10 if they have a large enough vocabulary. If so desired, levels 9-10 can be delayed until the student reaches 7th grade. Levels 9-10 provides tools needed for the student to read and spell the complex words they will encounter in high school and college science, social studies, and math.

On average, it can take approximately 3-5 months to complete an entire level once after level 2 if tutored twice a week. This also depends on the severity of dyslexia and if there are co-existing conditions such as ADHD. To watch a video about the overlap of ADHD and dyslexia click here.

These are the 10 levels of the Barton Reading & Spelling Program:

1. Phonemic Awareness

2. Consonants & Short Vowels

3. Closed Syllables and Units

4. Syllable Division & Vowel Teams

5. Prefixes and Suffixes

6. Six Reasons for Silent-E

7. Vowel-R Syllables

8. Advanced Vowel Teams

9. Influences of Foreign Languages

10. Greek Words & Latin Roots

My Goals

Learning to read and spell is hard work for the dyslexic student! I keep students engaged and try to have as much fun as possible while making sure each student has obtained a mastery of the skills I have taught. I incorporate games into our lessons which help to reinforce what we have been practicing. My goal is to ensure that students succeed and their confidence in their abilities are restored.

Requirement for Remote Sessions

A Windows or Mac computer with a webcam. iPads do not work and Chromebooks work in very limited circumstances.
Wired or wireless mouse.
Headset with microphone and earphones.
Reliable high-speed internet connection. To test your speed, go to this website, Fast.com. The download number should be 15.0 Mbps or greater and the upload speed should be 4.0 Mbps or greater.
A small, portable whiteboard with a good dry erase marker. Double sided is great (one side is lined while the other side is blank) or if the student prefers paper and pencil this is also acceptable. It's up to the student.