Structured literacy (SL) approaches emphasize highly explicit and systematic teaching of all important components of literacy. These components include both foundational skills (e.g., decoding, spelling) and higher-level literacy skills (e.g., reading comprehension, written expression).

The Orton-Gillingham (O-G) approach is exactly that, an approach.  It is highly structured, sequential, prescriptive, diagnostic and multisensory. What this means is that when I work with a student, I work with them at their level using a systematic and sequential order of literacy instruction - always working from the simple to the complex.  Just like a home needs a solid foundation, so do readers and writers.  The O-G approach ensures that a solid foundation is built before moving onto more complex concepts.

I follow the school term for regular lesson delivery.  School term means that regular lesson schedules begin in September and run through to June.  I break for Christmas, Spring Break and other statutory holidays.  Click HERE to view my current year's lesson calendar.

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At this time, I am not offering support throughout the summer months but I do intend to revisit this should there be enough requests for support during this time. 

My teaching hours vary depending on the lesson delivery format.  For in-person lessons, I generally offer lessons during after school hours (2:20pm to 5:45pm).  Daytime lesson times are available as well. Online lessons are available during the daytime and after-school.

My rates are competitive and can vary depending on lesson delivery format and lesson frequency.  Costs can be discussed once you are contacted with an available lesson time.

 If you, someone you live with or your child or anyone in your party that will be picking up or dropping off your child is experiencing any symptoms such as coughing, sneezing or fever, please do not come to the tutoring location.  Please cancel and reschedule your session for when you are feeling better.  The best defence for keeping everyone healthy is to stay at home if you are feeling ill or if you have possibly been exposed to illness. If you are unsure about your symptoms, please refer to the BC Health Assessment Tool.

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If students are ill or need to cancel their session for any reason, we ask for a six-hour notice of cancellation.  Cancellations given prior to the required notice will be honoured and clients will not be charged for the lesson.

A diagnosis of any learning disability must be given by a registered psychologist. We are able to refer you to some highly recommended registered psychologists in the Lower Mainland.

Looking for the right practitioner for your child can be an overwhelming process.  There are many individuals and businesses out there that offer Orton-Gillingham and/or Structured LIteracy services.  It's important for you to do your own homework and practice due diligence when hiring the right practitioner for your family.  Be sure to ask questions like, "Are you certified?"  "Where are you certified?" "Where did you take your training?"  "What is your background?"  "How long have you been practicing?"  "Can you provide client references?"  "Have you completed comprehensive child protection training?" 

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The governing board of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners for Canada is OG Canada. You may also come across practitioners that have been certified through the American Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners.  Both organizations carefully screen and evaluate their members.

My approach to reading and writing intervention follows a specific process.  ​

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• Intake and Assess - This is an opportunity for me to review any previous assessments that your child may have had and the perform our own informal literacy skills based assessments and curriculum based assessment to fully understand where your child falls in their literacy skills and to get a benchmark to measure progress throughout our time together.

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• Design - Based on the results of all assessments and getting to know your child and their learning style, I will design a learning program specific to them while following a framework of literacy support based on the Orton-Gillingham approach. 

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• Implement - I will then implement your child's personal learning plan using a multisensory and structured approach that meets your child exactly where they are at and will be adjusted as necessary throughout our time together.  

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• Measure - Regular progress monitoring will be a part of the plan and we will provide regular updates along with regular parent consultations and three progress reports throughout the school year. 

My approach to Executive Function coaching is to treat every client as naturally creative, resourceful and whole.  As such, we approach every client as though we are a team standing shoulder-to-shoulder looking at the challenges and guiding them to discover their own answers.  This enquiry-led approach is done by asking carefully crafted questions helping each client discover solutions that work for them and offering ideas and solutions when they feel stuck or are struggling. 
 
From there, we develop plans or strategies that work for them and through regular check-ins, help them maintain accountability.