The Educational Therapy Center (ETC) will provide specialized, one to one instruction that is research based, multisensory, phonetic, structured and cumulative. The instruction will be provided by tutors trained extensively in the Orton-Gillingham approach which has been used effectively with students with learning disabilities for over 50 years.
Our Philosophy - One student, with one teacher, taking one step at a time, leads to success through lifelong language skills. Our methods work for those who struggle with reading and spelling for a variety of reasons.
ETC will screen for areas of weakness but this does not obligate you to receive remediation services. We do not do diagnostics at this time. We will be happy to refer you to diagnosticians who can diagnose a learning disability. A diagnosis is not required for remediation services, but it is encouraged.
A specific learning disability such as dyslexia is neurological in origin. It is a bright person's unanticipated difficulty with language skills. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition, by poor spelling and poor decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and with the provision of effective classroom instruction.
Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. Children, who have undetected learning disabilities or those who are not properly remediated, rarely go on to college and are underemployed. It is a life-long condition that affects males and females almost equally.
Our center offers interventions to people of all ages and abilities.
We offer the intervention needed to re-teach skills to those students who have not succeeded in learning to read and write to their full potential. People with specific language disabilities will continue to have reading, writing, and other language difficulties until they have successfully participated in a scientifically based, proven intervention. Until then, they may only get by at a barely adequate level or spend too much energy compensating/hiding their difficulties.
Lessons taught by ETC tutors are:
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Multisensory - Students use visual-auditory-tactile-kinesthetic experiences to learn letter sounds, enabling them to rely on their strengths, while more importantly, strengthening their weaknesses.
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Phonetic-Based - Students learn consonants and the variety of vowel sounds individually as opposed to within word families or as whole words.
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Structured - Lessons are organized with specific patterns and activities.
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Sequential - Concepts are taught in the specific order needed.
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Systematic - Systems developed over years of research lead the student to be successful without frustration. Reading improves as the ability to sound out unfamiliar words grows.
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Cumulative - Constant review within the context of a new lesson enables students to practice and perfect previously learned material; repeated practice helps them retain the skills long-term.
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Persistent - Sessions are held two or three times per week to assure the skills are mastered.
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Age Appropriate - The age and interests of each student are taken into consideration as the Basic and Advanced Orton-Gillingham lessons are planned.
If children at risk for reading disabilities receive effective phonological training in kindergarten and 1st grade, they will have significantly fewer problems in learning to read at grade level. The children who are not identified or helped until 3rd grade will need much more extensive and time consuming remediation. But it is never too late!!
Contact ETC!
