TUTORING ACADEMY
The Specialist Learning Center for Children Ages 3 to 18, from Reading to Maths
We specialize in working with children who have dyslexia as well as other learning disabilities. We have been most successful at weaving multisensory learning instruction into all aspects of learning. We find that ALL students benefit from a program of instruction that is appropriately aligned to their strengths and weaknesses. Research has proven that our brains make the strongest neural connections through visual, auditory, and tactile processing. Our students are smart, creative, “out of the box” thinkers who are highly successful with us.
WE HELP DIVERGENT THINKERS.
We build skills by providing tutoring using evidence-based programs and practices such as the Orton Gillingham approach for literacy instruction based on the Science of Reading (SoR), Multisensory Math, Writing Development, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.
WE OFFER TUTORING SERVICES IN ALL ACADEMIC AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT.
We take great care in developing the minds of the children we work with through developing: Phonemic Awareness, Phonological Processing, Fluency, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Writing, Multisensory Math.
WE FOCUS ON DEVELOPING CHILDREN'S MINDS.
We design our teaching approaches for children based on the science of reading and writing, adapting the learning to their strengths while building the foundation for sustained academic success.
WE BUILD THE FOUNDATION FOR SUSTAINED ACADEMIC SUCCESS.
THE RESULT IS SKILLFUL, CONFIDENT, AND SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN WHO ARE ABLE TO ACHIEVE.
Through our assessment process, we can find the right academic program to match your child's needs specifically. Tutoring sessions can be scheduled either in person or remotely, depending on your child's needs. Children who have been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, Executive Functioning Disorders, and mild Autism not only learn essential core academic skills but also benefit greatly from skills taught to help improve organization, note-taking, study strategies, and time management.
WE USE A PROVEN PROCESS TO TAILOR OUR TEACHINGS TO EACH CHILD.
TUTORING SERVICES IN ALL ACADEMIC AREAS
OUR SERVICES
SUCCESS STORIES
"Dr. Maria Casale is a truly gifted, results-orientated educator who has been instrumental in teaching my dyslexic, ADHD son how to read and learn. After our first meeting, Maria was able to put in place an instructional plan that met his individual needs. It was the first time a teacher was able to adequately and confidently explain to me my son's struggles and how we could effectively overcome them. When Maria suggested an hour session for my 5-year-old ADHD kid, I thought she was nuts. But, low and behold, she got him to work for an hour, a miracle in and of itself! He continued to see Maria without complaint and made tremendous progress. She built a solid foundation on which all of our son's learning has rested. The energy and love she brings to her job, students, and parents have been such a gift to us! We are forever grateful."
Liz M., mother
SUCCESS STORIES
"LEAP has been an excellent source of remediation instruction for my son. The progress my son has made has been amazing. He walked into their doors as a beginning reader and is now a proficient reader on grade level. Ms.Lauren has helped him very much and has been an excellent source of support and help. Dr. Maria Casale always checks in with us and does her best to ensure that the quality of work being provided is appropriate and aligned with my son's individual needs. We wouldn't be where we are today without both of these amazing women and without LEAP!"
Sabrina D., mother
SUCCESS STORIES
"LEAP has been a lifesaver for my family. My oldest son has learning disabilities and was behind, and Leap has helped him to make significant progress. He hated to go to school because the work was so hard for him but he loves going to LEAP. Everyone who works there is wonderful, and my son loves being there. My son has been going to leap for years now, and I truly believe they are the reason my son has progressed so well. We are so happy with the progress of our older son that we have now enrolled our youngest. He also wakes up excited to attend and can do the work given all on his own. There is no more crying and frustration over schoolwork!"
Melissa M., mother
SUCCESS STORIES
"My son has been attending the LEAP tutoring program for almost a year and a half, and we have witnessed major improvements in his reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and higher levels of execution with his mathematical capabilities. The instructors and staff have been amazing for my son. Feedback is provided in real-time, and concern areas are addressed immediately. LEAP has proven to be the perfect fit for my son; I know he is loved and surrounded by folks who genuinely care about him. I would highly recommend the LEAP tutoring center. The decision to have my son join the tutoring program has proven to be a godsend for my family."
Michael D., father
SUCCESS STORIES
"It’s been really great with Leap. I am so glad to have my two children enrolled, especially during this Covid crisis. We are not on Staten Island any longer, and their remote sessions are stellar! The instructors are well-prepared, and the lessons are organized to perfection. At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect as we had never experienced their online platform. But, after the first remote lesson, my daughter was really comfortable with her math topics, and my son asked when his next session would be scheduled! My initial thought on more online learning was, how can we do it? However, as a parent, I can truly see the quality of instruction coming across the screen. Although we miss seeing the smiles in person—we feel so fortunate to be able to continue with tutoring, and my kids are keeping on top of their studies. Leap Tutoring made remote learning work for us!"
Kaylin J., father
SUCCESS STORIES
"LEAP is an exceptionally excellent learning center. I have two children, one of whom is severely dyslexic and the other in a gifted and talented program. Upon meeting the director, I was impressed by her level of expertise! Not only is she a board-certified Orton Gillingham specialist, she is a very accomplished educator who takes the time to get to know every student. She guided us through the process of how to best educate our son, who is dyslexic, and with their help, our son went up two grade levels in the past year! Her instructors are skilled, caring, and excellent at their work! The director is not only an educational expert; she is a mom of three children enrolled in gifted programs and honors programs, which was extremely helpful when seeking services for our eldest daughter, who is preparing to test into a specialized high school. LEAP is a beautiful, clean, and welcoming establishment. Our children are thriving at LEAP, and we are fortunate to have a business of this caliber on Staten Island."
Stephanie C., mother
LEARNING DIFFERENCES
PROVEN AND HOLISTIC APPROACH
Dyslexia is a neurologically based learning disability that affects 1 in 5 children in the United States. Dyslexia affects a child’s ability to read and write with fluency. Dyslexia affects the left side of the brain, making it difficult for children to manipulate language. Children with dyslexia have difficulty with phonological processing and often require systematic and structured instruction to understand how to break words into parts to read and spell. Dyslexia occurs on a continuum; one child may have mild dyslexia, while another may have more profound dyslexia.
Dyslexia is hereditary, and it is not uncommon for more than one child in a family to have dyslexia. Children with dyslexia possess average to above-average intelligence. When a dyslexic child does not receive the intervention they require to learn, they will often start to develop emotional problems because of their underachievement. This results in low self-esteem, frustration, and discouragement. Sometimes, these children begin to exhibit behavioral problems and are considered defiant, lazy, and unmotivated. Although dyslexia is associated with reading and writing difficulties, it is also associated with giftedness, strong artistic ability, musical talent, 3-D visualization, mathematical aptitude, strong language/speaking skills, journalism, and many other talents and gifts.
Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects handwriting, written language processing, and fine motor skills. Sometimes, dyslexics possess dysgraphia because of their inability to formulate letters and correspond to sounds simultaneously. Typically, children with dysgraphia will view writing as a laborious and painful task. They will have trouble forming words and writing words accurately. At times, a child with dysgraphia may experience difficulty holding a pencil, and he/she may have trouble staying on the lines or spacing words. On occasion, children who also have dysgraphia will have tremendous difficulty articulating thoughts on paper. The Orton-Gillingham approach is also highly recommended for children with dysgraphia.
Visual Processing Disorder is NOT the same as Dyslexia. Difficulties with visual processing affect how visual information is interpreted or processed by the brain. Dyslexia affects the way the brain processes language. However, some children may have both dyslexia and a visual processing problem. If that is the case, it is recommended that your child be screened by a pediatric optometrist to determine the severity of the visual processing/perceptual problem.
Auditory Processing Disorder or Central Auditory Processing Disorder affects how the brain processes auditory information. As a result of this weakness, children will have difficulty with phonemic awareness activities, phonological processing, as well as auditory memory. Treatment of APD or CAPD also involves using the Orton-Gillingham approach to help improve the performance of auditory processing pathways when learning how to read and write efficiently.
The Orton-Gillingham approach is a structured, systematic, and multisensory method for teaching literacy skills, particularly to individuals with dyslexia or other reading difficulties. Developed by Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham in the early 20th century, this approach focuses on teaching phonics, decoding, encoding, and language comprehension through a combination of auditory, visual, and kinesthetic techniques. It emphasizes breaking down language into its smallest components and building up from there, ensuring that students develop a strong foundation in phonological awareness and language processing skills. Lessons are individualized to meet the specific needs of each learner, and instruction progresses in a cumulative and sequential manner. The Orton-Gillingham approach is widely regarded as effective for teaching reading, writing, and spelling to struggling readers of all ages.
The Orton-Gillingham approach to instruction is the best instructional reading and writing approach for dyslexics because it is the ONLY scientifically based reading instructional program proven to create the neurological “brain” wiring necessary for reading and writing success. The Orton-Gillingham approach is based upon a phonics-based system, which is designed to open and strengthen the weak processing pathways to success. Through the use of visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic approaches to learning, dyslexics can be highly successful in school. In its purest form, Orton-Gillingham is an intensive, sequential, and structured based instructional approach. The dyslexic brain must learn how to ‘crack’ the code of the language before they can master reading and writing goals.