Carla Anderson - Specialist Reading Teacher & Dyslexia Tutor

20/07/2026

13/07/2026

Learning to read -- > joy ❤️

Reach out if your child would like help in learning to 'crack the code' of reading and spelling, and restoring their learning confidence and joy 💫.

02/05/2026

A lovely short film from Made By Dyslexia.

All children have extraordinary gifts and strengths. Share this film with your child if they're doubting their own.

❤️

30/04/2026

Here's a chance for your primary-aged student to be a published author!

Entries are now open for this year's WriteOn competition. The prompt for this year is pictured below. Students are asked to write an imaginative piece of writing in response to: "It was a small thing, but it made a difference."

Imaginative texts might include:

✍️ poetry
✍️ diary or journal entries from an imaginary character
✍️ a newspaper article
✍️ short prose fictional narratives (e.g., a short fantasy or adventure story).

The competition is open to NSW school students and homeschool students.

Got some brilliantly creative ideas ... but reading or writing is difficult? Please don't let that stop you. Students with disability or other learning challenges are encouraged to apply. Speak to your school about adjustments such as using assistive technologies.

Entries close June 19. Winning entries will be published in 'The Best of WriteOn' anthology.

Further details below 👇🏼

29/04/2026

I get very cross when I hear concerned parents are being fobbed off or put off when they ask about help for their child's reading or writing difficulties.

There are some absolutely amazing teachers, and a number of schools have fully committed to resourcing evidence-based literacy instruction and intervention. But there's not nearly enough consistency yet when it comes to in-school additional support, and the system that wonderful teachers work within is ... not so great in a lot of ways. And so, some parents who see their kids showing signs of not being able to read or write as they should, ask for help for their child in Kinder.

In Year 1.

In Year 2.

In Year 3....

And frustratingly, they’re met with excuses each time. Some reasons quite valid ( ), but that doesn’t solve the ‘problem’ of students being left behind.

Anyone can learn to read at any age. But earlier is better.

Keep asking. Keep making noise.

Kids’ literacy matters too much to be put off. ❤️

29/04/2026

Got an HSC student in the house?

Timetable details of the 2026 HSC written exams will be released this Friday May 1. Students will be able to access their personalised timetable on their NESA student portal. You can find other key HSC dates here: https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/key-dates/hsc

The countdown begins! 📆

28/04/2026

This is something that needs to be said. ⤵️ Learning to read and spell takes time. And often, it can take a lot of time, depending on the severity of need or the gaps that exist.

When you think about it, schools spend a large chunk of their six-hour school day, five days a week, teaching the foundations of literacy (ideally) for the first three years of a child's schooling. That's for children learning at a regular pace with solid instruction at that classroom, Tier 1 level. If a child misses important foundations, or needs extra support because of specific learning needs, or if the quality of instruction is lacking in some way, then gaps occur. And 'gaps' compound on top of other gaps if they're not addressed.

Added to that, as children become older, there’s other issues that impact progress: time, other responsibilities, health, life.

Many kids learn to compensate for poor reading skills by guessing. Unfortunately, that’s how many were incorrectly taught; to ‘guess’ from the context of pictures or the shape of letters, instead of the far more reliable sounding out of words and syllables, and through learning about orthographic and morphemic patterns.

Others develop protective defence mechanisms to help them cope with negative feelings associated with finding reading and learning hard. Restoring confidence and trust can sometimes be the most important starting point.

So yeah. Reading intervention can take time. But research also tells us that almost every one *can* learn to read with literacy instruction that is

☑️ structured
☑️ explicitly taught
☑️ repeatedly practised and reviewed
☑️ and, when it follows a logical scope and sequence that also adapts to the student’s individual needs.

And the even better news? Progress can really build in momentum as students begin to understand how and why words work. When the logic and connections become clearer for them - it’s like being given the key that ‘cracks the code’.

It sucks that schools aren’t always resourced appropriately to help students who need that extra support.

It’s wrong that families have to seek help privately.

But I’m here and happy to step in to support your child with learning to read, spell and write with confidence.

Reach out by DM if you’d like to chat.

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