Kate

special needs

ADHD

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

dyslexia

autism

I completed my MEd in 2010 in Special Education. I am certified in PA to teach Special Education grades PK-12. In NJ public schools I worked with children with special needs from ages PK-12 for over 8 years. I started my career in a self-contained pre-school program for children with autism where I gained extensive experience with autism and ABA trials. From there, I taught 1st/2nd grade self-contained classes and 3rd/4th grade self-contained classes of children with multiple disabilities including autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, cognitive impairment, dyslexia, and other developmental and language disorders. I have tutored children with autism for reading comprehension, decoding, and math. I use hands-on manipulatives and multi-sensory techniques during instruction, as I realize the unique needs of children with autism. I feel comfortable following behavior intervention plans, using positive reinforcement, and creating task boards for task completion when necessary. I truly enjoy working with children with autism, and can individualize my sessions to meet specific needs.

ADD/ADHD

I am certified in PA to teach Special Education grades PK-12. I also completed my certification in Orton-Gillingham, a program designed specifically for teaching children with dyslexia how to read, through Fairleigh Dickinson University. This program is also effective for children with ADD/ADHD as it uses multi-sensory techniques and uses short sessions of practicing different skills within the same lesson. In NJ public schools I worked with children with special needs from ages PK-12. I taught a 1st/2nd grade class and a 3rd/4th grade class of children with multiple disabilities including dyslexia, ADHD, ADD, autism, and developmental disabilities. I find that children with ADHD often struggle organizing information and often prefer to learn about something in a way that relates to them and their interests. For this reason, I like to use the 4-Square Writing Program for struggling writers. It allows them to easily organize their reading and writing, and the graphic organizer never changes, they just use it differently. This eliminates them having to "choose the right one". I use multi-sensory techniques for teaching reading and writing, and also use student interests to begin work in an area of difficulty. I have a lot of experience working with children who learn differently and have unique needs when it comes to academics.

algebra 1

vocabulary

grammar

prealgebra

reading

spelling

elementary math

elementary science

elementary (k-6th)

phonics