Phonemic awareness and phonics
Helping children hear, work with, and connect the sounds in words to the letters and patterns that represent them.
Private support for families in Apex, NC
Tutoring for dyslexia in Apex, NC
When reading and spelling take more effort than they should, your child deserves instruction that makes the next step clearer. Apex Literacy Specialists provides one-to-one, structured literacy tutoring shaped around the learner in front of us.
Email Erin to connect →
✦20+ yearsin public education
◆Master’sin Education
✺CERIcertified
▣Orton-Gillinghamcertified
A more useful kind of help
Reading struggles are rarely helped by more of the same.
Families often arrive after trying hard. There may have been extra reading at home, flash cards, repeated practice, or a growing sense that homework has become a source of tension. A child may understand a story when it is read aloud, yet struggle to read the same words independently. They may know what they want to say but find spelling and writing exhausting.
Dyslexia tutoring gives those patterns careful attention. Rather than asking a child to push through material that is not yet making sense, structured literacy breaks reading into teachable parts and builds from there. The work is direct, orderly, and responsive. It gives a child repeated opportunities to understand a skill, practice it with support, and use it in real reading and spelling.
Support is not about labeling a child or lowering expectations. It is about making the route to reading less confusing, so effort can start leading somewhere.
One learner at a time
Instruction with room to notice what matters.
In a one-to-one setting, Erin can pay attention to how your child approaches an unfamiliar word, which sound patterns are becoming secure, when reading becomes tiring, and which explanations help ideas click. That kind of attention makes it possible to adjust the pace and focus without treating every learner as though they need the same thing.
A session can include listening for and working with sounds, connecting sounds to letters and letter patterns, reading words, applying patterns in spelling, and returning to those skills in connected text. The purpose is to help reading feel more understandable, not simply more demanding.
See the structured literacy approach →
What tutoring can address
Build the skills that support stronger, more confident reading.
The exact focus depends on the child. Some students need more support with the earliest building blocks of reading, while others need help making word reading, spelling, and fluency more automatic.
Decoding and syllable division
Teaching practical ways to work through unfamiliar and multisyllable words instead of guessing.
Spelling and word patterns
Making the logic of English spelling more visible through direct work with patterns, word parts, and rules.
Reading fluency
Building accuracy and smoother reading so more attention can be available for meaning.
Vocabulary and comprehension
Supporting the language and understanding children need as texts become longer and more complex.
What families can expect
A steady process, not a quick fix.
- Begin with the child’s story.Families share what they are seeing at home and school, the moments that feel hardest, and the strengths their child brings to learning.
- Focus on the skills underneath the struggle.Instruction is shaped around the literacy skills that need more clarity, practice, and connection.
- Give progress room to build.Reading growth is often made of small, meaningful gains. The work stays purposeful while allowing a child time to become secure.
The child stays at the center
Support reading without losing sight of the reader.
A child who finds reading difficult may begin to assume that they are not good at school, even when they are curious, capable, and working very hard. Good tutoring makes space for the emotional side of that experience as well as the academic side.
Erin brings more than 20 years of experience in general and special education, a master’s degree in education, CERI certification, and Orton-Gillingham certification to this work. Those credentials matter because they inform careful instruction. The relationship matters because a child needs to feel understood enough to keep trying.
The aim is not to make a child look like every other reader. It is to give them tools, clarity, and a stronger sense of what they can do next.
When to reach out
You do not need every answer before starting a conversation.
It may be useful to connect when your child is working hard but making uneven progress in reading or spelling, when there is a noticeable gap between what they understand and what they can read on the page, or when reading has become a source of frustration or avoidance. A formal diagnosis is not required to talk about literacy support.
Private tutoring is educational support, not a dyslexia diagnosis or a substitute for a school evaluation. If you are trying to understand whether screening or a fuller evaluation would make sense, a conversation can help you put the questions into words and consider the appropriate next step.
For broader parent guidance, read what families can notice when dyslexia may be a concern. Families who are specifically looking for a certified, structured approach can also explore Orton-Gillingham tutoring in Apex. When you are ready to discuss your child’s learning profile, Apex Literacy Specialists offers a calm place to begin.
A useful first conversation
Bring the questions you already have.
You do not need to prepare a perfect history before reaching out. It can help to share what reading or spelling looks like at home, what teachers have mentioned, and where your child seems to get stuck. A few examples can be especially useful: a word type that causes trouble, a homework task that becomes overwhelming, or a difference you notice between listening comprehension and independent reading.
If your child has work samples, school reports, or results from prior screening, those may help guide a later conversation. They are not required for the first email. The goal is simply to understand the situation well enough to decide whether tutoring is the right fit and what support might be most useful.
It is also helpful to name what is going well. A child may love being read to, have strong ideas, enjoy learning aloud, or show real persistence even when the task is hard. Those strengths matter. They help shape an approach that supports literacy while protecting confidence and curiosity.
Families are never expected to solve the problem alone before asking for help. The first step can be as straightforward as saying, “Reading has become hard, and we are not sure what to do next.”
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from families.
Is tutoring a dyslexia diagnosis?
No. Tutoring is educational support, not a diagnosis. Families who have questions about screening or evaluation can discuss the appropriate next step with their school or a qualified professional.
What skills can dyslexia tutoring support?
Support can focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, syllable division, spelling, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The starting point depends on your child’s learning profile.
Who is this tutoring for?
Apex Literacy Specialists provides private literacy intervention for K-5 students with dyslexia, language-based learning differences, or general reading struggles.
How do we get started?
Start with an email conversation about what you are noticing, your child’s strengths and needs, and the support you hope will help. Together, you can decide whether Apex Literacy Specialists is the right fit.
Talk through the support your child needs.
A simple conversation can make the next step feel more manageable.