Dyslexia Tuition Services

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  Reading and Spelling Success

  • One-on-one
  • Ages 7 to Adult
  • Strategy and Mastery Based
  • Relaxed Environment
  • Informal Placement Assessment
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  Collaborative Tutoring

  • Parent Mentorship
  • Follow-up Home Practice
  • Games & Activities
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  Research and Evidence Based

  • Orton Gillingham Approach
  • Cumulative Structured Synthetic Literacy
  • Barton Reading and Spelling System
  • Designed for Specific Learning Disorder in Reading (Dyslexia)
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  Get Started

  • Is tutoring suitable
  • Choose once-per-week or twice-per-week sessions
  • Choose a suitable tutoring timeslot
  • In-person in Paddington Brisbane or Online

Reading and Spelling Success

• One-on-One

  • Sessions are adapted to individual needs.
  • Knowledge gaps are identified and addressed.
  • Content is covered at a pace suitable for the individual.

• Ages 7 to Adult

  • All sessions are 1 hour long, with short breaks included.
  • Variety is provided by including direct instruction, worksheets, games and activities.

• Strategy and Mastery Based

  • Modelling and feedback are provided.
  • Reading and spelling strategies are quickly implementable.
  • Language patterns are explained, emphasizing the predictable conventions of English.
  • Self-editing strategies are taught.
  • Students are given ample time and support to master new skills.

• Relaxed Environment

  • Positive feedback and acceptance of mistakes are used as learning tools.
  • Choices are provided to build agency.
  • Cognitive load is reduced to minimize stress.
  • Time-based tasks are removed to lower anxiety.
  • Tasks are tailored to individual ability levels.
  • Small successes are celebrated.

• Informal Placement Assessment

  • Identifies gaps in learning.
  • Helps tailor instruction to the student’s needs.
  • Results are discussed in follow-up sessions.
  • An optional written report is available for $120.

Collaborative Tutoring

• Parent Mentorship

  A parent is expected to attend tutoring sessions, both online and in-person.

  • Approaches and strategies are demonstrated and explained during sessions.
  • See the progress being made from week to week.
  • Questions can be answered directly during sessions.
  • Any concerns you may have can be discussed during sessions.
  • Homework tasks are explained in detail.
  • Additional resources can be provided upon request.

• Follow-up Home Practise

  A weekly commitment to 1.5 to 2.5 hours of supported homework is expected.

  • Students need to practise what they have learnt to achieve long term success.
  • One or two 15-minute practice sessions, five days a week, are manageable.
  • Workbooks, games, and hands-on activities are supplied to support practice.

• Games and Activities

  • In-person students may borrow from my large collection of games and hands-on activities.
  • Online students have access to my collection of online games and activities.
  • New resources and activities are continually developed and added to the collection.

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Research and Evidence Based

• Orton Gillingham Approach

  • Explicit
    • Clear and straightforward instruction is given.
    • Prompts and real-time feedback for students are provided.
  • Sequential and Incremental
    • Concepts follow a step-by-step progression.
    • A logical well-planned sequence is followed.
  • Cumulative
    • Previously taught concepts are reviewed regularly.
    • Concepts are built from the simple to more complex over time.

• Cumulative Structured Synthetic Literacy

  This approach builds a strong foundation in literacy through systematic, explicit instruction that develops reading, spelling, and language skills:

  • Letter to sound correspondence.
  • Spelling patterns and conventions.
  • Reading and spelling strategies.
  • Understandable syllable patterns.
  • Reading fluency.
  • Morphology & Etymology.
  • Basic sentence structure.

• Barton Reading and Spelling System

  This highly effective, research-based program uses a structured, systematic approach to teach reading and spelling, making it ideal for dyslexic learners:

  • Designed for Specific Learning Disorder in Reading (Dyslexia).
  • Explains the logic and structure behind reading and spelling.
  • Utilises an Orton-Gillingham approach.
  • Follows structured synthetic phonics principles.
  • To find out what is covered in each level, click here.

• Designed for Specific Learning Disorder in Reading (Dyslexia).

  My tutoring is tailored to address the unique challenges faced by individuals with a dyslexia profile:

  • Reading and spelling are significantly below age level.
  • Difficulties with learning letter names and sounds.
  • Difficulties with sounding out words or reading longer words.
  • Frequently guesses words.
  • Reads inaccurately, slowly and effortfully.
  • Difficulties with understanding reading material.
  • Gets overwhelmed by literacy tasks (cognitive overload).
  • Uses overly simplified vocabulary while writing.

Get Started

1. Decide whether my tutoring approach may be suitable for your situation.

   Suitability Questionnaire

2. Choose whether you want to come once-per-week or twice-per-week.

   • Two sessions per week is recommended, if possible.
   • More frequent interactions allow me to give timely feedback and adapt lessons to address challenges as they arise. This helps prevent students from developing misconceptions or becoming stuck on difficult concepts.

3. Check that I have a suitable regular time-slot/s available for you.

   Download Availability PDF

4. Decide if in-person in Paddington Brisbane, or online suits your circumstances best.

   • Based on my experience, students with ADHD might find online learning challenging.
     However, we may be able to set up a trial period to see if online works for them.
   • PLEASE NOTE: a parent is required to sit in on all sessions, whether online or in-person.

5. Email me to book a free phone consultation.

   • Please allow 20 minutes for the phone consultation.
   
   Click Here to Contact Me

6. Book a regular tutoring timeslot.

   • This can be done at the time of our phone conversation or later by email.
   • Before our first session, it would be helpful if you could share any assessments or writing samples.

7. Placement Assessment (essential for all new students):

   • The student’s first 1 to 2 sessions will be devoted to informal assessment.
   • Please note that this service does not involve a 'diagnosis' as such.
   • The assessment is used to identify gaps in learning so that I can tailor where to begin instruction.
   • I will discuss the results of the assessment with you and the student in follow-up sessions.
   • If a written report is required, a fee of $120 applies.

Testimonials

• “Tutoring has been very helpful to me as I have successfully improved in my spelling in a short time which I am very happy about. I found the lessons easy to understand and suitable for what I needed to learn to improve. Ethan was a great teacher who made the lessons enjoyable and I would definitely recommend him to anyone who’s looking for help. Thanks heaps Ethan for all you’ve done for me.„

  Noah (aged 15)

• “Tutoring with Ethan has been an absolute blessing to our son Noah which has positively impacted all areas of his life including our family. We’re so happy with Noah's progress and very proud of what he has learnt and achieved. In a year he has come a long way! Noah was able to accomplish this by applying himself to the wonderful lesson he received each week and by Ethan’s fantastic tutoring skills and bubbly personality. Noah really enjoyed learning from Ethan as he was always happy and smiling making the lessons very clear and easy to follow. He also made jokes which kept it light and fun for Noah while learning. As a parent attending the lessons, I too learnt a lot and enjoyed Ethan’s teaching methods and style as he is a great teacher! Ethan is friendly, easy going and very professional. We highly recommend him to anyone of all ages who needs tutoring. You won’t regret it!„

  Athena (Noah's mother)