Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities (LD) are neurologically-based disorders that interfere with a person’s ability to learn, with varying degrees of severity.

Ruth specializes in the following specific learning disabilities and skill sets:

Dyslexia

Decoding (word attack skills – reading)
Encoding (spelling)
Reading comprehension
Speaking (organizing thoughts to speech, correct verb tense, ...)

Ruth is fully trained in and uses Project Read, a spin-off program of Orton Gillingham’s multisensory and phonics-based language program, based out of Minnesota. Running this comprehensive program throughout her many years in private practice has afforded her exceptional success with children, teens, and young adults who struggle with dyslexia.

Dysgraphia

Organizing and expressing thoughts and ideas in written form
Sentence structure, paragraph structure
Physical act of writing

Dyscalculia

Math skills, all skills involving numbers
Time management, prioritizing, organizing, following instructions

Auditory Processing Disorder

Hearing all sounds in words
Understanding how different sounds work together to form words, and understanding and recalling the order of sounds and words
Paying attention and hearing words accurately with background noise
Recalling information one has heard

Reading, writing, and spelling, as these language skills require the ability to process and interpret sounds

Language Processing Disorder

Expressing oneself with words (expressive language), and following and understanding conversation (receptive language)
Understanding abstract ideas and drawing inferences

Learning disabilities can affect a person’s life, beyond academics, impacting relationships with self, family, friends, and jobs. Commonly, one or more other disorders or difficulties can co-exist: other learning disabilities, ADHD, ODD, CD, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, problems with executive functioning skills, academics, social skills, and/or substance abuse. These are all areas Ruth is highly experienced, educated, and specialized in.

Ruth’s goals are for every preteen, teen, and young adult to realize and actualize their true learning potential, to achieve academic success, and to thrive in their school and in their personal lives.