A woman in glasses and black shirt holding flashcards with the phonetic spelling 'ai' while sitting at a table with a young boy in a classroom. There are educational posters and supplies on the table and whiteboard in the background.

Evidence-based reading instruction for students with dyslexia

Amy Beasley, M.Ed., CALT

Dyslexia Therapist

“If children can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”

—Ignacio Estrada—

Services

Screenings

A dyslexia screener is a preliminary, brief assessment tool designed to identify individuals who may be at risk for dyslexia. It does not render a diagnosis, but can help decide whether a full dyslexia evaluation might be needed. A screening takes 45-55 minutes.

Dyslexia Therapy

Therapy is delivered 1-on-1 (or in small groups, 2-to-1) through a multi-sensory structured language model for students with dyslexia or for those simply struggling with reading & spelling. Sessions are 55-65 minutes, 3 times a week.

Professional Development

Available for professional development for any group wanting to know more about dyslexia specifically or about learning differences in general.

Advocacy

TBA

Dyslexia explained

Frequently Asked Questions

  • According to the State of Louisiana, “Dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in reading for an individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader, most commonly caused by a difficulty in phonological processing, which affects the ability of an individual to speak, read, and spell". It's recognized as a specific learning disability stemming from a neurological origin, impacting word recognition, fluency, and spelling, despite adequate intelligence and instruction, leading to challenges with sounds in language. 

    According to the International Dyslexia Association, “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties in word reading and/or spelling that involve accuracy, speed, or both and vary depending on the orthography. These difficulties occur along a continuum of severity and persist even with instruction that is effective for the individual’s peers. The causes of dyslexia are complex and involve combinations of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental influences that interact throughout development. Underlying difficulties with phonological and morphological processing are common but not universal, and early oral language weaknesses often foreshadow literacy challenges. Secondary consequences include reading comprehension problems and reduced reading and writing experience that can impede growth in language, knowledge, written expression, and overall academic achievement. Psychological well-being and employment opportunities also may be affected. Although identification and targeted instruction are important at any age, language and literacy support before and during the early years of education is particularly effective.”

  • Dyslexia therapy may also be referred to as multisensory structured language education (MSLE). It is a specialized form of educational intervention designed to help individuals with dyslexia improve their reading, spelling, writing, and language-processing skills.

    It involves:

    • Structured, systematic instruction in phonics (sound–letter relationships)

    • Multisensory techniques that use visual, auditory, and kinesthetic activities (This is often referred to as Orton-Gillingham approach.)

    • Explicit teaching of decoding, fluency, spelling, and comprehension skills

    • Individualized or small-group support based on the learner’s specific needs

    Dyslexia therapy does not cure dyslexia (dyslexia is a lifelong condition), but it helps individuals develop effective strategies and skills to read and learn more successfully. It is provided by trained specialists known as a dyslexia therapist or language therapist.

  • Evidence-based programs are informed by rigorous scientific research and confirmed through empirical studies and longitudinal outcomes. These programs implement structured literacy approaches that explicitly develop phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

  • A Certified Academic Language Therapist is a dyslexia therapist who has been certified through ALTA (Academic Language Therapy Association).

    Requirements include:

    • Master's Degree

    • Comprehensive Therapy-Level Training: Through an IMSLEC (International Multi-sensory Structured Education Council)-accredited institution

      • Minimum 200 instructional hours (including face-to-face).

      • Minimum 700 clinical teaching/practicum hours with students.

      • At least 10 observed teaching demonstrations by a qualified instructor. 

    • Deep understanding of the English language - structure and orthography.

    • Mastery of Orton-Gillingham/multisensory structured language (MSL) methods.

    • Assessment and intervention strategies for dyslexia. 

    • Pass the ALTA Competency Exam

    • Ongoing Education: Complete continuing education credits to maintain certification. 

  • One of the best explanations comes from the Dyslexia Center at Princeton:

    A reading tutor can benefit a child who is struggling with specific reading goals or with grade-level literacy homework. However, if a child is more than one grade level behind in reading and shows signs of continuing to fall behind, a phone consultation with a dyslexia therapist will help parents determine whether a dyslexia evaluation is needed. Similarly, if a child has worked with a tutor for 6 months to a year and shown little to no improvement, parents should consider contacting a dyslexia therapist.

    Dyslexia therapy follows therapeutic protocols that likely won’t exactly mirror what a child is learning in school. By contrast, reading tutoring typically takes its cue from what a child is learning in school. *Problems can arise when the child does not have the underlying skills to grasp and retain what is being taught currently in the classroom. That is where targeted dyslexia therapy can be helpful for an individual child’s specific needs.* By identifying the roots of the problem, reading difficulties are remediated from the bottom up. The process may take longer. However, with insight into the roots of dyslexia, the result will be more successful over the lifespan of the child diagnosed with dyslexia.”

    ©️2021 The Dyslexia Center of Princeton

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A woman with glasses on her head and hoop earrings is sitting across from a young girl at a white table. The woman is holding a hand of playing cards and appears to be talking. The girl has blonde hair tied with a ribbon and is wearing a school unifo
A young boy with light brown hair, wearing a gray t-shirt with colorful horizontal stripes and a watch on his left wrist, is sitting at a small gray desk. He is drawing on a large white sheet of paper with multi-colored lines. The desk has a built-in
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A woman wearing glasses and a black top is teaching a young student. She is holding flashcards with the letters 'ai' on them. The classroom has charts on the wall with phonetic symbols and word examples, and school supplies are organized on a desk an
A young girl writing on a whiteboard with a red marker, the words 'ME+T+E+S P' are visible, sitting at a desk with a green chair, a Christmas tree and office shelves in the background.
A woman and a girl giving each other a high five at a desk in a classroom.
Person playing a game of Scrabble with letter tiles on a gray board, with some tiles spelling words like 'WINK', 'NO', 'SEEDS', and 'A'.
A woman giving a presentation about indicators and strengths by school age, with a slide showing categories: preschool, kindergarten to 1st grade, and 2nd grade and up, in a classroom or meeting room.
A young boy wearing a blue cap and a blue t-shirt is sitting at a white table, arranging colorful foam letters and numbers beside a strip chart with the alphabet written on it. There is a small round container with additional foam letters on the tabl

  • “I highly recommend dyslexia therapy with Amy! She is naturally gifted at working with kids and always goes the extra mile to ensure a positive experience. Amy is great at communicating about scheduling and student goals and milestones. Over the course of therapy, my son gained confidence in spelling and reading skills, even teaching me some things along the way. He enjoyed his time with her and was sad that his therapy came to an end!”

    — Mom of J.B.

  • "I cannot say enough wonderful things about Amy Beasley and her dyslexia therapy program. Amy’s knowledge and skill is immediately evident—she truly understands dyslexia and knows exactly how to meet each child where they are. Equally as important, she genuinely cares. Amy builds real, meaningful connections with her students, making them feel safe, capable, and proud of their progress. I have personally witnessed my daughter’s progress not only in reading but in confidence and self-esteem. I feel incredibly fortunate to have found Amy, who combines exceptional expertise with genuine heart and care."

    — Mom of I.C.

My Story

My heart for struggling readers began as a young mom.

I knew something was not quite right when our bright, well-focused, articulate daughter was not reading well at the end of first grade. At the time, I didn’t know a whole lot about dyslexia specifically, but I knew there was no legitimate, targeted intervention for her reading difficulty in the school. I began homeschooling in hopes of more directly addressing her needs and the needs of our older daughter (with whom I was also beginning to have some concerns). A couple of years later, upon having them both evaluated fully, they were indeed diagnosed with dyslexia.

I began reading and listening to everything I could regarding “the reading brain” and learning disabilities around written langauge. I discovered [a little bit too late] that decades of reading research, in the combined the fieldsof education, medicine, and psychology, have produced a thorough body of evidence for what actually works—what can greatly remediate the dyslexic brain—it’s called dyslexia therapy.

As soon as my daughters headed to college, I applied for graduate school and earned a master’s degree from Mississippi College (now Mississippi Christian University) in dyslexia therapy. I want to help students of all ages, for whom text seems an impossible barrier to much of the world around them. It’s cliché, but I wish I knew then what I know now.

Close-up portrait of a woman with short brown hair, wearing a white blouse and orange hoop earrings, smiling against a dark gray background.

Amy S. Beasley

How may I help you?

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”

~Victor Hugo