What I Can Help You With
Educational Evaluations
Is school unexpectedly hard for your otherwise curious and enthusiastic child?
An evaluation can help determine why your child may be struggling with reading, writing, or math and what can be done to help.
Remote Educational Therapy
Structured literacy instruction using the Slingerland approach.
Sessions target phonology, word decoding, reading fluency, reading comprehension, handwriting, and spelling.
1-on-1 Consultation
In consultation, we can identify the specific needs and goals of your learner in order to address their opportunities for growth.
Educational Evaluations:
Math, Reading, and Writing
Having an educational assessment done for a young child can provide invaluable insights and benefits that can significantly impact their academic and personal development.
Some of the key values of conducting an educational assessment include:
1.Early Identification of Learning Challenges: An assessment can help identify any learning challenges, allowing for timely intervention and support.
2. Tailored Instruction and Support: The assessment results can guide educators and parents in developing personalized learning plans and strategies that cater to the child's specific strengths and needs.
3. Appropriate Educational Placement: Assessment results can help inform the most suitable educational placement for your child, whether in general education settings or other specialized learning environments.
4. Enhanced Self-Awareness and Confidence: Understanding their unique learning profile can help your child build self-awareness and self-advocacy skills, fostering confidence and a positive attitude towards learning.
5. Effective Intervention and Support Strategies: Assessment results can guide the implementation of targeted interventions and support services, ensuring that the child receives the specific help they need to overcome learning challenges.
6. Fostering Positive Parental Involvement: Educational assessments can facilitate productive communication between parents and educators, encouraging active participation in the child's education and promoting a collaborative approach to support the child's learning journey.
7. Long-Term Academic Success: By addressing potential learning challenges early and implementing appropriate interventions, your child is better equipped to develop the necessary skills and foundations for long-term academic success and personal growth.
In essence, an educational assessment serves as a crucial tool for understanding your child’s unique learning needs, enabling educators and parents to provide tailored support that fosters their academic development.
Indications your child may benefit from an educational assessment:
Your child resists reading
Your child reads a word correctly on page 1 of a book only to misread the same word on page 2
You notice a disconnect between your child’s verbal (speaking) skills and their ability to put ideas on paper
Math seem unnecessarily challenging
You’ve tried games and flash cards, but your child still struggles to remember multiplication facts
School seems unexpectedly hard for your otherwise curious and enthusiastic child
By design, my practice is small and family and student centered. Parents are able to communicate directly with me throughout the evaluation process, from booking initial appointments to circling back with a question after the evaluation is complete. Families often return for re-evaluations to track progress and at times of transition, such as making the leap to middle school.
Remote Educational Therapy
How does it work?
First, we will meet to talk about what’s driving the need for reading and/or writing intervention.
Then we’ll do a thorough review of records - school work samples, previous evaluations, report cards, and anything else you have available. This information helps us map out goals for our time together.
Finally, we’ll set up a regular time for sessions in which we utilize the structured literacy instruction of the Slingerland approach.
Appropriate for struggling readers with or without a diagnosis of dyslexia.
Remote therapy is done online and sessions are 50-minutes.
Remediating (building) reading and spelling skills takes time and commitment. Unless targeting a very specific skill, most students are seen twice a week for 2-3 years.
Sessions Focus On:
reading comprehension
handwriting
word encoding (spelling)
written expression
phonology (awareness of sounds in spoken language)
letter to sound and sound to letter connections
word decoding (reading words accurately)
reading fluency (phrasing, reading with expression)
1-on-1 Consultation
Do you have questions about a previous evaluation?
Do you need guidance regarding an IEP (special education) or Section 504 Plan?
Do you want to know more about which reading intervention is appropriate for your child?
Booking a single consultation with me is a good place to start. We will sit down together, review any previous records (such as report cards, homework samples, testing reports), and address your questions.
My goal is to help you think through how to best to support your child’s learning and time in the classroom.
Consultations are done online or in person.
FAQs
Do you take insurance?
I do not take insurance at this time.
Is there parking close by?
Yes! There is ample parking onsite.
Do you offer online appointments?
Consultations, parent meetings, and educational therapy are all offered online. Testing sessions take place in person at my Los Altos office.
Should I plan to stay with my child for the testing appointment?
Most parents choose to wait in the lobby or run an errand during testing sessions.
My child is feeling nervous about the testing. How should we proceed?
It’s common for some children (and parents) to feel a little uncertain about upcoming testing appointments. Reassuringly, most children leave the first testing appointment realizing that it was better than they thought it might be.
Do you attend school meetings?
Yes, upon request, I attend public and private school meetings. In these meetings, I help relay evaluation findings and work with the school team to craft a plan for additional support (such as writing help or reading instruction) and/or academic accommodations (such as extended time).