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Special Needs/LD Reading/Math Tutor for ASD/ADHD/ODD/DS/Dyslexia
Paula M.

4.9 (29 ratings)

341 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $65
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About Paula

Bio

I have 20+ years experience tutoring children/adults with ASD/ADHD/ODD/DS, Dyslexia & other delays. I am also a behavior therapist/BCBA plus mom to my own son with ASD/ADD/ODD. Reaching students others could not help is my passion! I do this by taking extra time outside of sessions to individualize each lesson to the way that student’s brain works. I also incorporate into the lesson the interests of the student. For one middle schooler reading on a just a pre-K level I wrote a book using the...

I have 20+ years experience tutoring children/adults with ASD/ADHD/ODD/DS, Dyslexia & other delays. I am also a behavior therapist/BCBA plus mom to my own son with ASD/ADD/ODD. Reaching students others could not help is my passion! I do this by taking extra time outside of sessions to individualize each lesson to the way that student’s brain works. I also incorporate into the lesson the interests of the student. For one middle schooler reading on a just a pre-K level I wrote a book using the sight words she needed to learn plus the story had pics of my own dogs—she loved reading “her story” and moved ahead! Another middle schooler couldn’t do the times tables, so I found tips & tricks that worked for her and she gained confidence too! Most students I see have very low confidence, as they’re aware they have been failing at what others are doing easily. I help them gain confidence as they move forward, learning lessons specifically designed by me for their specific learning style! I have also worked with adults, helping them read and comprehend better by teaching how to understand inferencing, a skill most ASD students in particular cannot easily grasp.

I am also trained in the Barton Orton-Gillingham method for tutoring students with Dyslexia and have been working with students needing reading help for 20+ years. Dyslexia actually involves auditory processing issues—how the brain processes sounds. My son had auditory processing issues, but learned to read—I can help your child too! Some student’s auditory processing issues cause them to not even be ready to learn using Orton-Gillingham—so I am also trained in Foundation in Sounds, which helps with auditory discrimination, auditory memory, & auditory sequencing. Let me help your child learn to read!

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Education

Hofstra University
English Writing Editing
Hofstra University School of Education
Masters
Florida Institute of Technology (BCBA)
Graduate Coursework

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $65
  • Rate details: SPECIFIC RATE: For Dyslexic tutoring using Orton-Gillingham methods, price per 1hr session will be $85, minimum 2 sessions per wk
  • Lesson cancellation: 12 hours notice required

  • No background check

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Approved Subjects

ADHD

ADHD

I have 25yrs experience tutoring and working with special needs individuals, especially ADHD. I tutored/taught a homeschool program to an elementary boy with ADHD for almost three years (he went back to public school after I caught him up in math!). I also have personal experience with ADD, being the mother of a son with ASD/ADD/ODD and I homeschooled him for fifth grade. I worked frequently with ADHD students being Head Teacher for two years at a Learning Center. I have taught math to an ADHD student while he scootered around a table on the patio, and I taught a 7-yr old child with ADHD how to read while we were jumping up and down! I’m also a behavioral therapist/analyst and have learned methods for helping individuals with ADHD with their executive functioning.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

I have been tutoring special needs students for 25yrs, am a behavioral therapist/analyst, and also am the mother to my own son with ASD/ADD/ODD whom I had to homeschool for 5th grade (he’s now graduated from HS!) I have tutored to two ASD homeschooled boys for over 2 1/2 years—both of them returned to typical school after I caught them up to grade level! I love working with children whom others might find "challenging" and helping them find the self confidence to propel themselves forward on new learning paths! Because I individualize lessons to each student’s specific way of learning, students who have not moved forward with other teaching methods start to learn quickly and steadily—they just needed to be able to learn they way their particular brains work best!
Dyslexia

Dyslexia

I am trained in the Barton method of Orton-Gillingham for tutoring students with dyslexia and have been working with students needing significant reading help for 20+ years. Dyslexia actually involves auditory processing issues—how the brain processes sounds—and my son had auditory processing issues, but learned to read—I can help your child too! Some student’s auditory processing issues cause them to not even be ready to learn using Orton-Gillingham methods, so I am also trained in the pre-program Foundation in Sounds, which helps with auditory discrimination, auditory memory, & auditory sequencing.  
Elementary (K-6th)

Elementary (K-6th)

I have a Masters in Elementary Education, have taught preK for two years, been tutoring various aged students for 25yrs, was Head Teacher at a Learning Center for two years, taught a homeschool program to two high functioning autistic children for three years, and even homeschooled my own autistic son for 5th grade. All students who were homeschooled or tutored by me were caught up in subjects and went back into regular school settings! I mostly work with students behind in reading levels, and particularly with students with special needs who may be behind in many subjects.
Elementary Math

Elementary Math

I have been tutoring for 25yrs, mostly elementary aged students but also special needs students all the way up to adulthood who need remediation in basic math. I recently helped a 13yr old girl who could not do the multiplication tables at all by finding tips and tricks that would specifically work for her, and she was whizzing through those times tables fluently in less than a month! I’m also a behavior therapist/analyst specializing working with special needs individuals, so I know to always look for what’s different about how students’ brains work/how they specifically learn, and then I individualize the lesson plans specifically to each of them—that is how they end up moving ahead quickly and steadily with me!
English

English

I have a BA in English/Writing/Editing, MS in Elementary Education, and was previously certified to teach English through 9th grade (CA state). I’ve been tutoring students in English for 25 years. I help students learn to read who are behind several grade levels. I also help students with their reading comprehension, including individuals with special needs who have a harder time understanding inferences/the deeper meaning in written passages and conversations. I’ve tutored writing on all grade levels, including helping with homework assignments or just helping students understand how to organize their writing in general. I have done editing and helped adults edit their own manuscripts, applications, and other important documents. I have also taught for a year English (ESL) to a visiting Asian middle school group. Teaching reading remediation and catching students up who have fallen behind several grade levels in their reading is one of my specialties.
Homeschool

Homeschool

I have a BA in English, MS in Elementary Education, and I am also a behavioral therapist/analyst, working with special needs individuals and tutoring for 25yrs. I homeschooled my own son who has special needs for 5th grade, teaching all subjects and catching him up not just academically, but behaviorally as well—he returned to typical 6th grade without needing an aide (he has ASD/ADD/ODD and just graduated recently from an Engineering HS academy!). I also spent 2.5 years teaching two homeschooled upper elementary aged boys, math and language arts plus handwriting/cursive and science. They also each had special needs (ADHD,ADD & ASD) so the mother needed extra support which I provided. I have been a consult to parents just needing either behavioral or academic input/advice on how to structure their schedule, days or curriculum.
Phonics

Phonics

I’ve been tutoring students with reading difficulties for 25yrs, specializing in helping those who have fallen behind several grade levels and those with special needs. Sometimes, trying to make a student learn all the phonics becomes the problem, not the solution. I individualize each and every lesson I teach to the specific ways that student learns best. Splitting up words/underlining/breaking words into parts (which I can do using Zoom technology while online) helps students to understand the phonics better and helps them become more fluent readers. I helped a 13yr old who could not read basic words, but knew every phonic rule, how to read by underlining/splitting up words and covering parts to help her learn to blend and apply all the phonics rules she already knew, so that she became a fluent reader!
Reading

Reading

I have a Masters in Elementary Education, a BA in English, and 25yrs experience tutoring students, mostly students with reading difficulties (particularly special needs students). I have taught both adults and children how to read—working the most with students who are many grade levels/years behind. I taught a 13yr old girl who could not read even basic words how to read by taking the extra time to individualize lesson plans for her, even writing a book using sight words she had specifically sounded out and containing pics and a story of my dogs, because she loves pets! I also taught a 26yr old man to read—he was using Dr. Seuss books but after working with me, he was reading articles and about his favorite baseball heroes! Students who have not moved ahead or who are behind by several grade levels are my specialty—I know how to create personalized lesson plans that help students learn in their own specific ways, and thus move them forward to become fluent, confident readers!
Special Needs

Special Needs

I have been tutoring special needs individuals for 25yrs, am also a behavior therapist/analyst, and am mother to my own special needs son (ASD/ADD/ODD) whom I homeschooled for 5th grade (he is now a teen who graduated HS!). I have worked with students with severe delays, such as a 13yr old who could not read at all, and a 14yr old student who could not do multiplication tables. By individualizing lessons to how they learned best, I was able to move these students forward steadily and swiftly. I’ve also worked with older special needs individuals (adults), helping them understand inferences in reading and the “deeper meaning” in conversations. My passion is being able to help special needs students that “couldn’t seem to learn” with other methods of teaching/tutoring—often, what they need is for lessons to be individualized to their specific way of learning—when we do this, they usually start to move ahead very quickly and steadily.
Writing

Writing

I’ve been tutoring for 25yrs, in all subjects but especially English/Language Arts. My specialty also is working with special needs students to help them understand best how to organize their thoughts and write in an orderly manner. I have a BA in English, MS in Elementary Education and was previously certified to teach English through 9th grade (in CA). I recently tutored a middle schooler who was not doing any assignments for his English class—so I created new writing assignments based on his favorite DC comics characters (compare and contrast essays) and after outlining together, he was then writing and sending completed essays to me (he also started doing the school assignments as well!). I personalize and individualize lessons to each student I have which helps the student be more motivated and also learn quicker/move ahead faster. I also have helped adults with writing/editing their own essays, theses, and other important documents.
Elementary Science
ESL/ESOL
Grammar
Proofreading
Spelling
Study Skills
Vocabulary

Examples of Expertise

Paula has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 1 question submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

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Paula M.'s Photo

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Ratings and Reviews

Rating

4.9 (29 ratings)
5 star
(25)
4 star
(4)
3 star
(0)
2 star
(0)
1 star
(0)

Reviews

Great tutor

We just completed a five-month, three times per week, tutoring schedule with Paula. We came looking for help for our daughter who was struggling with online school and who was unfortunately passed grade to grade without mastering her multiplication tables. We asked Paula to help her learn her times tables, and what we got was a child who went from maybe a 30% in math at the first semester to Bs and grade level passing of the standardized tests at the end of the school year. Paula moved my daughter to division after multiplication and now my daughter feels confident in both. Thank you Paula, so much for your time and patience with our daughter. Highly recommend Paula, she really tries to connect and find the best way your child will be able to learn. Thank you, Rebecca

Rebecca, 56 lessons with Paula

Very Patient and Skillful Tutor

Paula has been tutoring my granddaughter for almost a year now. She is 12 and has a learning disability. When she started tutoring her, she was reading at a kindergarden level. Paula is so patient and has done a fantastic job working with her. My granddaughter's reading ability is progressing nicely and I can now say that she can read. I would highly recommend Paula if you are looking for a good tutor.

Kathleen, 93 lessons with Paula

An Enthusiastic, Impactful Tutor

Paula is a great tutor. My daughter connected with her immediately. I'd planned on trying out a couple of tutors to see who she liked best but after her first meeting with Paula, she didn't want to try anyone else. Paula contributed to her strenthening her reading skills which has manifested into my daughter's new found love for reading. Paula has great energy and patience. I am definitely grateful for her help and support on our journey. I definitley recommend her services.

LaKeisha, 9 lessons with Paula

Awesome teacher

Awesome teacher , she loves kids and gets lots of ideas based on kids need to read and make it motivational. Recommend her class

Twincy, 26 lessons with Paula

Awesome teacher

My daughter is autistic and doesn’t have patience to read . After starting the tutoring with Paula, she started learning lot of words and usage of phonics to combine them while reading a word. She has also used various strategies to make it more interesting to keep it motivational

Twincy, 26 lessons with Paula

Awesome teacher

My daughter is autistic and doesn’t have patience to read . After starting the tutoring with Paula, she started learning lot of words and usage of phonics to combine them while reading a word. She has also used various strategies to make it more interesting to keep it motivational

Twincy, 26 lessons with Paula

Nice first lesson

My daughter seemed excited to talk about math after her lesson with Paula, which is NOT the norm. Paula took time to find out history about my daughter’s learning both with me any my daughter. Past experience really can cement our attitudes, feelings and beliefs about ourselves and our capabilities or “failings.”

Rebecca, 56 lessons with Paula

Our review after 3 months with Paula

Three months ago, we selected Paula as our son’s tutor. Our adult son is on the autism spectrum and struggles with making inferences and reading comprehension. These challenges spill over into his ability to participate in conversations, enjoy movies, and understand the subtleties in the world around him. Our son really enjoys Paula’s upbeat personality and positive approach. We were quite impressed with her ability to quickly understand his challenges and propose solutions in approaching his tutoring. She is willing to look at approaches that are not typical or standard but absolutely work with the way our son learns. We credit this to her being the parent of a young man also on the spectrum. In my opinion, her insights can only come from someone who is a parent of a special needs child and truly understands their challenges. Our son really enjoys his lessons with Paula and there has been a definite shift in his awareness of how he is processing information in his daily interactions. He looks for deeper meaning in everything which has been a wonderful change. We were originally looking for a tutor to help our son with reading comprehension but in Paula, have found someone who is making a positive impact in other areas in his life as well as helping him enjoy a good book. We highly recommend Paula!

Phil, 60 lessons with Paula
Hourly Rate: $65
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