Based on the student’s needs, sessions may be any combination of the types described below. I will apply multisensory instruction as much as needed by the student’s learning profile.

• Reading Instruction

• Writing Instruction

• Study Skills & Organizational Strategies

Sessions can be one-on-one or small group and are tailored to meet the student’s or students’ needs. See the Contact page for prices.

Before beginning comprehensive sessions that encompass a scope of many skills, Caitlin will meet with each student one-on-one for an assessment.

reading instruction

Successful reading instruction includes what the National Reading Panel determined were the five essential components of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, guided oral reading, vocabulary instruction, and reading comprehension strategies. Caitlin makes sure to include these components as well as a bit of writing instruction in these sessions; the added writing instruction is used as a reading comprehension technique.

Who benefits from reading instruction sessions?

• Students who demonstrate difficulty in encoding (putting together) and decoding (taking apart) words.  This means anyone who struggles to form the correct words from a page or is challenged by spelling.

• Students who have not had direct, explicit phonics and fluency taught during their reading instruction, or a student who has had this type of instruction but who needs a more personalized approach or struggles with attentional challenges.

• Students who have received a diagnosis of dyslexia or a language-based learning difference.

• Students who struggle to comprehend what they have read.

writing instruction

There are many cognitive tasks involved in writing, and without a systematic approach, the writing experience can seem daunting. Caitlin takes her students through the steps of the writing process providing scaffolding as needed through direct instruction in grammar, mechanics, syntax, semantics, vocabulary, expansion, and style. She has worked with a range of students in a variety of levels in writing instruction from first grade through college.

Who benefits from Writing Instruction Sessions?

• Students who have not received direct instruction in the elements of the writing process.

• Students who have been given writing assignments but have no idea where to start.

• Students who struggle with idea generation, expansion, and elaboration when given a writing task.

• Students who have limited vocabulary exposure or development.

• Students who do not feel that they have a strong grasp of grammar rules, sentence mechanics, and sentence types.

• Students who do not know paragraph and essay structures.

Study Skills and Organizational Strategies

There is an art to successfully “doing school” that does not organically unfold for all students. Difficulty mastering this art can be the result of attentional, organizational, or self-regulation challenges; however, it can also be a simple matter of not having been instructed in the skills, strategies, and systems that produce stronger academic outcomes. Whether students are attentionally challenged or not, Caitlin will tailor these sessions to help students identify reliable strategies that work.

Who Benefits from Study Skills and Organizational Strategies Sessions?

• Students who have trouble managing their materials and assignments.

• Students who want to improve their studying.

• Students who need more tools for regulating attention in the classroom.

• Students who would benefit from developing classroom self-advocacy skills to improve learning.

• Students who are struggling with elements of a standard or advanced class but do not know why or how to fix it.