About Ashley

Ashley is an Educational Therapist through the Association of Educational Therapist (AET) and a C-SLDI Certified Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Interventionist. She earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Virginia, where she completed a Masters in Teaching and English as a Second Language Endorsement from the School of Education, as well as a B.A. with Distinction from the College of Arts and Sciences.  Ashley trained at the McGuffey Reading Center, the nation's longest continuously operated reading clinic, and is also trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach to literacy instruction.  In addition, she is trained in social-emotional learning and believes deeply in fostering positive relationships and maintaining a calm, encouraging demeanor when working with children. With over a decade of teaching experience spanning preschool through eighth grade, Ashley integrates evidence-based practices with individualized intervention.  She provides developmentally appropriate, goal-oriented sessions for children ages 4-11, designed to strengthen foundational literacy, cognitive, and executive functioning skills while supporting the whole child. 

To earn the title of Educational Therapist, one must complete formal coursework and supervised professional hours in the following areas: psychoeducational interventions combining educational and psychological techniques; curriculum, methods, and remediation techniques for individuals with reading and learning differences; assessment of individuals with reading & learning differences; human learning; child and adolescent development; and special education.  

To earn the title of C-SLDI (Certified Structure Literacy/Dyslexia Interventionist), one must complete specialized training, case studies, and successfully pass the KEEPRI examination (Knowledge and Practice Examination for Effective Reading Instruction). Candidates must demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in the following areas: domains of language processing; cognition and behavior; development of oral and written language; phonology; orthography; morphology and semantics; syntax; handwriting; discourse organization; interrelationships among literacy components; classifications of students' levels of reading difficulty and how to develop individualized intervention plans accordingly; assessment types; administration of assessments to inform instruction; and the integration of phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and written expression into lessons.