Phonemic awareness
Helping children hear, separate, and work with the sounds in spoken words, which supports later word reading and spelling.
Private support for families in Apex, NC
Orton-Gillingham tutoring in Apex, NC
When reading and spelling are taking more energy than they should, a clear, structured approach can help your child understand what comes next. Apex Literacy Specialists provides one-to-one Orton-Gillingham tutoring for K-5 learners.
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✦20+ yearsin public education
◆Master’sin Education
✺CERIcertified
▣Orton-Gillinghamcertified
A clearer route forward
Reading should not feel like a daily puzzle with missing pieces.
Many families have already put in a great deal of effort. They have read together, practised spelling words, tried flash cards, and encouraged their child through homework. Yet the same patterns keep showing up. A child may guess at unfamiliar words, lose confidence when text gets longer, forget a spelling pattern they seemed to know yesterday, or become upset when reading takes longer than it does for classmates.
Orton-Gillingham tutoring gives those patterns a more useful place to go. Instead of asking a child to keep pushing through material that feels confusing, instruction makes the building blocks of reading and spelling more visible. Sounds, letter patterns, word parts, and spelling rules are taught directly, practised carefully, and connected to real reading.
The goal is not to rush a child or make learning feel heavier. It is to help the next step make sense, so effort can start leading to greater skill and confidence.
Structured and responsive
Careful instruction, shaped around one child.
Orton-Gillingham teaching is structured because literacy skills build on one another. It is also responsive because children do not all need the same starting point, pace, or explanation. One learner may need more support hearing and working with sounds. Another may need help with longer words, spelling, or reading fluency.
In a one-to-one setting, Erin can notice how your child approaches an unfamiliar word, which patterns are secure, where frustration begins, and what kind of practice helps an idea click. That attention helps instruction stay purposeful without making a child feel compared to anyone else.
See the structured literacy approach →
What tutoring can support
Connect the skills that make reading and spelling work together.
Sessions are designed around the learner in front of us. The focus may shift as skills become more secure, while keeping a clear line between what your child is learning and how they can use it in everyday reading and writing.
Phonics and decoding
Making the connection between sounds and letters clearer, so unfamiliar words can be approached with a reliable strategy instead of guessing.
Spelling and word structure
Showing how patterns, syllables, and word parts work together, so spelling can feel more logical and less like a list to memorise.
Fluency and connected reading
Building accuracy and smoother reading so a child can put more attention toward meaning, ideas, and enjoyment.
Vocabulary and comprehension
Supporting the language and understanding children need as school reading becomes more complex and demanding.
What families can expect
A steady process that gives growth room to build.
- Begin with the child’s story.Families share what they are noticing at home and school, the moments that feel hardest, and the strengths their child brings to learning.
- Teach the skill underneath the struggle.Sessions focus on the literacy building blocks that need direct explanation and connected practice, rather than simply repeating work that has already become frustrating.
- Return, practise, and apply.Children need time to make a new idea their own. Skills are revisited in ways that help them carry learning from individual words into spelling, sentences, and books.
Credentials that support the work
Expertise matters, and so does how a child feels while learning.
Erin is Orton-Gillingham certified and brings more than 20 years of experience in general and special education, along with a master’s degree in education and CERI certification. Those qualifications support careful, informed literacy instruction.
Just as important, tutoring makes room for the emotional side of reading difficulty. Children who work hard without seeing the progress they expect may start to think that they are not good at school. Sessions are designed to build skill while protecting the confidence, curiosity, and persistence a child already has.
The aim is not to make your child look like every other reader. It is to give them clearer tools and a stronger sense of what they can do next.
When it may help
You do not need to wait until reading feels like a crisis.
It may be time to talk when your child is trying hard but progress feels uneven, when spelling is much harder than expected, or when reading aloud, homework, and writing are becoming sources of stress. Some families notice a gap between what their child understands when listening and what they can manage independently on the page.
A formal dyslexia diagnosis is not required to ask about Orton-Gillingham tutoring. Tutoring is educational support, not a diagnosis or a replacement for a school evaluation. Families who are considering screening or a fuller evaluation can discuss those questions with their school or a qualified professional while exploring support that may help now.
For a closer look at signs that may be worth discussing, read Signs of Dyslexia in Kids. Families seeking broader one-to-one support can also explore reading tutoring in Apex.
A useful first conversation
Bring the questions and examples you already have.
You do not need a perfect explanation before reaching out. A short description of what you are seeing is enough to begin. You might share that your child reads slowly and avoids longer words, that spelling homework regularly ends in tears, or that they can explain a story beautifully when it is read aloud but struggle to read it independently.
Teacher observations, school reports, work samples, or previous screening results can be useful later, but they are not required for a first email. It also helps to name what is going well. A child may love stories, have strong ideas, enjoy being read to, or keep trying even when the work is hard. Those strengths help shape support that respects the whole learner.
The first conversation is simply a way to understand your family’s situation well enough to decide whether Apex Literacy Specialists is the right fit and what next step may be most useful.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from families.
What is Orton-Gillingham tutoring?
Orton-Gillingham tutoring is a structured, direct approach to literacy instruction. It helps children connect sounds, letters, word patterns, spelling, and reading through carefully paced one-to-one or small-group instruction.
Who is Orton-Gillingham tutoring for?
Apex Literacy Specialists provides Orton-Gillingham tutoring for K-5 children with dyslexia, language-based learning differences, or ongoing reading and spelling struggles.
Does my child need a dyslexia diagnosis?
No. A formal diagnosis is not required to begin a conversation about tutoring. Support is educational and does not replace a school evaluation or clinical diagnosis.
How do we get started?
Email Erin with a little about what you are noticing, what your child finds difficult, and what you hope support can change. Together, you can decide whether Apex Literacy Specialists is the right fit.
Talk through what your child needs.
A simple conversation can make the next step feel more manageable.