Hi, I’m Wendy.

I love reading, talking about books, and reading to my three young children, and checking out books at the library-- I believe reading allows us to enter a magical world of imagination. Devoting the past 20 plus years to helping children become more effective readers, I have worked in a variety of settings including public and private schools with children in one-on-one sessions, small groups and whole classes.

 

I have had the opportunity to train and learn from experts in the field of literacy as well as attend various trainings. My journey as a trained Orton-Gillingham Practitioner began at Carroll School under the direct guidance of highly experienced and talented, Louise Freese, director of the GIFFT program and named outstanding educator by MABIDA in 2015. During my second masters at MGH-IHP, I had the valuable opportunity to complete my thesis with Dr. Charles Haynes EdD, CCC-SLP, a well-known professor for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at MGH-IHP. I am very grateful for having had the opportunity to work under the highly experienced Sasha Yampolsky of Needham Speech, Language, and Reading Clinic doing comprehensive language and literacy evaluations. In addition, I have attended literacy tranings in 6-week intensive Orton-Gillingham Training @ Carroll School, PAF: Preventing Academic Failure, RAVE-O, LiPS, Visualizing & Verbalizing, Handwriting Without Tears, and Wilson Reading System.

 
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Experience

Wendy has experience working with children with reading disorders, language disorders, articulation disorders, pragmatic language weaknesses, cognitive disorders, and autism spectrum disorder. She has evaluated and provided therapy to a wide age range, including toddlers through teenagers. Given Wendy’s personal struggles learning to read as a child and later educational success, she understands the substantial impact of delayed acquisition of reading skills on a child’s self-image as well as the hard work that is necessary to become a successful reader. She is motivated each and every day to assemble the necessary puzzle pieces to create ideal learning environments for oral and written language skills.

 

Philosophy

Students can make important gains in reading, writing, and oral language with individualized instruction designed to match their learning profile. She believes reading is a multi-faceted learning adventure that requires consistent instructional adjustments by a teacher. Learning to read isn’t merely an act, it is a journey not to be rushed. Some children require a very specialized tour-guide so the adventure remains mostly a positive one. With hard work and some creativity, the world of books opens. Students become readers and go off on their own and get lost in a book.

 

Additional Training

 

Wendy is a member of the Academy of Orton Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. While at MGH Institute of Health Professions, she explored a particular area of interest, the overlap between written and oral language difficulty in my thesis entitled, Developmental Dyslexia: Do Spoken Language Deficits Matter?

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The fire of literacy is created by the sparks between a child, a book, and the person reading.

- mem fox

 

Does your child dislike reading? Struggle with spelling? Speak in a way that negatively impacts peer relationships? 

My passion for figuring out a child’s language-based struggles is evident in my engagement with students and commitment to providing comprehensive dynamic, and creative solutions to reading, spelling and articulation difficulties.

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