Hi, I’m Jess!

I teach in a public school on Long Island as well as at my private practice in Smithtown, NY.

My reading program is a multi-sensory, structured literacy program. It is based on a speech to print method and incorporates Orton-Gillingham principles. Speech is what children already know when they begin to learn to read. We start with speech sounds (phonemes), move to letters (graphemes), and then to syllables.

My program is designed to work with the unique and fabulous brain of a child with dyslexia and any children having difficulty learning to read, write, or spell.

The left side of the brain is where language is wired up! Anyone struggling with language tasks (speaking, reading, writing, or spelling) or school in general is usually right brained.

Typical reading programs taught in school are not appropriate for children with dyslexia. Balanced literacy and Whole Language approaches are not beneficial methods for teaching most kids to read. There is nothing “wrong” with a child struggling to learn to read, they just need the correct method and knowledge of their type of brain wiring and how they best learn.

Lastly, all activities and lessons are considerate of the emotional needs of children. The emotional implications for children who are not learning to read and write as easily as their peers can be very concerning for parents. Anxiety, anger, avoidance, and low confidence are very common emotional symptoms of dyslexia. The environment and sessions always provide an experience of success around language activities. Regardless of your past experiences, learning to read, write, and spell can be fun and simple!