Orton Gillingham Dyslexia Therapy by Brenda Mackaness

training and experience as an Orton Gillingham educator, working with students of all ages with learning disabilities. With her experience of applying OG principles to increase academic skills of students of all ages with strong cultural diversities and extreme academic deficits, Brenda's goal is to positively effect every student that she has the opportunity to work with. She has achieved significant success with her students challenged with dyslexia: college students have obtained their diplomas, high school students have passed the state high school proficiency exams for graduation, younger students who were struggling at one to three grade levels behind their peers have advanced their academic skills to a level commensurate with their peers. All therapeutic services offered by Brenda are available throughout the residential areas of the city of Charleston, West Ashley, Wadmalaw, Kiawah, Seabrook, James Island, Johns Island, and Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. However, assistance is offered to any parent/student in establishing a connection to an Orton Gillingham therapist anywhere in the US closest to the residency of the parent/student seeking services. Services Offered for Students

Multi-sensory, individualized, diagnostically driven, prescriptive, direct, and explicit instruction to students who have learning challenges in reading and writing. Instruction is set up in an emotionally supportive environment and structured so that the student is successful. Services are directed towards therapy for those who learn differently from many of their peers in the typical academic environment. It is a therapy in the sense that weaknesses are identified with basic sound to symbol, symbol to sound associations in the alphabet. Often students with dyslexia have challenges with those associations, which is often the basis of their struggles with reading and writing. Therefore, therapy begins with a strong introduction of phonics. No progress can be made in reading or writing until this strong basic structure of the language is learned to a level of mastery. Therefore, services do not include support for reading, writing, or spelling content that is presently required at their acedemic setting in the grade that the student is currently enrolled in. The basics of the alphabetic code must be established in a highly structured manner, and the student is exposed to specifically controlled reading and writing material in a sequential way designed to build on previous skills. Within time, which depends highly on the responses of the student, the time spent in therapy, and the support of the family, the student will begin to generalize their new reading and writing skills to the regular academic demands and requirements with renewed confidence and accuracy. Services Offered for Teachers or Trainees:

As a Fellow of the Academy, I can instruct teachers, parents or interested adults in the Orton-Gillingham approach. At the present time I am only training those who are interested in attaining the Subscriber and Associate levels. I can also provide assistance in creating connections between trainees and Fellows of the Academy who are offering instruction at the Certified and Fellow levels. This connection depends on the place of residency of the trainee and the nearest residency of the Fellow who is offering training at these two levels. There are four levels of Orton Gilllingham training; levels begin at the Subscriber and advance to Associate, Certified, and finally to the rigorous demands of the Fellow, with recently created positions of clinical supervisor and classroom educator. Details on this process and requirements necessary for each level is extensively described at the Academy of Orton Gillingham Practitioners and Eductors web site itself: www.ortonacademy.org, Telephone No.: 845-373-8919, Address: 4950 Route 22, Suite 8 PO Box 234, Amenia, NY 12501. Services Offered for Parents

Services include consistent communication of child's progress during therapy. A conference following each lesson between therapist and parent or legal guardian is available, as well as prompt phone calls and e-mail communication to ensure that all information concerning the lesson plan, goals, and progress levels are understood by parents. Services also include my attendance at special education meetings at public and private schools to inform the teachers/supervisors of detailed information as to the instructional content and progress of the student. I provide assistance with understanding terms and details of a student's IEP. I maintain records of assessments, communication, lesson plans, goals, and student's work, which is available for parents at all times.