Phenomenal Kids - Tova Vertes Children's Learning Navigator

Dyslexia doesn’t mean seeing letters backwards. That’s one of the most common myths I hear, and the science tells a much more interesting story.
fMRI research shows that the dyslexic brain activates its reading network differently, not because something is wrong, but because it’s wired differently. And a Stanford study published this year found that children with dyslexia often have a smaller or absent Visual Word Form Area, the part of the brain responsible for recognizing written words automatically. That’s a brain-based difference, not a vision problem.
The hopeful part? With the right targeted instruction, that region can actually develop. The brain adapts.
That said, your child’s eyes matter too. If you’ve ever wondered whether visual tracking or how the eyes work together might be adding to the challenge, that’s worth exploring separately with the right professional. The lovely team at specialize in exactly that, and they’re a wonderful first call if that piece has been on your mind.
But if reading is a struggle, the starting point is always how the brain processes language sounds, not the eyes themselves.
Two different things. Both worth understanding. 💙
🔬 Research sources in comments

Two years ago, he couldn’t identify a single letter. Today, he’s reading, thriving, and still doing sessions with me online after his family moved internationally.
His parents didn’t wait and see. They trusted their gut, got answers, and built a plan around who their son actually is, not just what was hard for him.
That decision changed everything.
If something feels off with your child’s reading, you are not overreacting. Early support works. The right roadmap makes all the difference.
Save this if you needed the reminder today. 💙

You’ve been trying so hard.
The bedtime books. The workbooks. The kitchen table battles you never signed up for.
What if the problem was never your child, and never you?
Structured literacy meets kids where their brain actually is. Explicit. Systematic. And genuinely fun.
There’s a different way through. And you don’t have to find it alone.
Link in bio if you’re ready to talk.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The work before the work.
Most people only see the appointment — but a meaningful assessment starts long before your child walks in the door.

They called me lazy. Smart, but lazy. It stuck.
What nobody knew, including me, was that I had inattentive ADHD. No diagnosis. No support. Just a brain trying to survive a system that wasn’t built for it.
So I flipped it.
Different Brains. Same Brilliance.
Because I wasn’t lazy. I just had a different brain. And so do the kids I work with every day.
Kids who struggle to read, to find their words, to sit still. But also kids who solve problems three different ways before anyone else finds one. Who have more determination in one session than most people carry in a week.
Their brilliance is already there.
If you were that kid too, this one’s for you.

She couldn’t memorize a letter to save her life. Then she drew me a story.
And suddenly? Everything clicked.
That’s not a workaround. That’s her brain doing exactly what it was built to do—think in pictures, see the whole story, make meaning through imagination before memorization ever gets a chance.
Dyslexic brains are often wired for big-picture thinking, creative problem solving, and narrative that runs faster than the alphabet ever could. My job is structured literacy. Their job is showing me the door.
I bring the method. They bring the map.
If your child is struggling to memorize but lights up when they get to create—that’s not a gap. That’s a gift worth building on.
Is your child showing you how they learn best? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. 👇

What if reading practice felt like play? ✨
Here’s something I want every parent to know: a dysregulated nervous system cannot learn. Before we ever touch a phoneme, we figure out what your child’s brain and body need to feel safe.
That might look like cornstarch paint to practise word families. Tapping syllables on a textured surface. A movement break woven into the lesson - not bolted on at the end. It’s explicit, systematic, science-backed literacy instruction and it honours the whole child.
This is the Orton-Gillingham approach, rooted in the Science of Reading, layered with sensory integration - because your child isn’t just a decoding problem to solve. They’re a whole person who deserves joyful, regulated, effective support.
This isn’t tutoring. It’s therapeutic. And it starts with where your child actually is.
Free 20-min consultation — link in bio.

This past weekend was International Women’s Day -
Here’s something I don’t talk about enough:
Girls with dyslexia are diagnosed significantly later than boys — if they’re diagnosed at all.
Not because their brains work differently. But because they’ve become experts at hiding it.
Girls tend to internalize their struggles. They work twice as hard, stay quiet in class, and come home exhausted from the effort of keeping up. Teachers often describe them as “trying hard” or “a little slow to catch on.” Their report cards say things like “reads below grade level but is such a sweet, hard worker.”
Sweet. Hard worker. Tries her best.
Meanwhile, she’s spending every ounce of energy just to appear average.
By the time many girls are identified — if they are — they’re also managing anxiety, low self-esteem, and the quiet belief that they just aren’t smart enough.
On International Women’s Day, I’m thinking about all of the women who went through school knowing something felt harder for them, but never got answers. And about all of the girls right now who deserve to be identified, supported, and celebrated before the years of unnecessary struggle.
Your daughter doesn’t need to work harder. She needs the right support.
Know a girl who might be struggling? I’d love to connect. Free 20-minute consultation — link in bio.