“Prepare the child for the path instead of the path for the child.” - T. Elmore As a teacher and as a parent, I can think of nothing more valuable than having children feel comfortable in their own skin, confident about themselves, and able to communicate their needs with others. Here at Horizon Academy, we began incorporating explicit instruction of Executive Functioning skills because we thought this would be beneficial for our students’ academics (especially for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities). However, it is becoming so much more than that. Executive Functioning (EF) skills are the ten…

The mission of Horizon Academy is to empower students diagnosed with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities to become effective learners and confident self-advocates. One of the ways in which we empower our students is through effective literacy instruction using Orton-Gillingham principles. In our daily Therapeutic Language and Literacy Classes (TLC), students learn skills including phonological awareness (recognition of sounds), phonics (mapping sounds to letters), decoding (reading phonics-based words), and encoding (spelling phonics-based words) to support progress with reading fluency.  However, skilled reading does not result solely from accurate decoding of words; comprehension of what is being read is also…

Before my time at Horizon Academy, my relationship with school was anything but positive; in fact, it was quite intimidating. Reading posed a challenge for me, I vividly recall the frustration of being pulled out of class during reading sessions. In the third grade, I reached a breaking point when I pretended to read, feeling like a failure. Thankfully, I gathered the courage to admit my difficulties to my teacher, leading to a life-changing dyslexia diagnosis following an evaluation. Despite receiving a dyslexia diagnosis, the school's additional support didn't tackle my core challenges. My fear of school persisted, worsened by…

Does your child: Have difficulty sitting still in class for a 30-minute lesson? Have meltdowns when having to go to an assembly in a loud gym? Refuse to wear certain clothes? Bump into things or people when walking the halls? Get upset during lunch with the smell of a peer’s lunch? Get distracted by a visually stimulating classroom? Have difficulty with bladder control? If you answered yes to some of these questions then your child may have a sensory processing disorder (SPD).  Sensory processing is the ability of the brain to take in, organize, and interpret information from our senses.…

By Emily Staten When I accepted to lead the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (D.E.I.B) movement at Horizon Academy in 2022, I did so with self-doubt and uneasiness. I was incredibly conscious of my whiteness and felt quite unqualified for the position. To ease this perception, I announced to the staff that my ultimate dream was for us to cultivate an environment in which my hypothetical child would feel safe, seen, and nurtured.  Little did I know, I’d become pregnant just a few months later. I am now the mother to a healthy baby boy who is a product of…

By Gerilyn Semro, MS - LD, MS - ASD, MA ELAssociate Member | Orton-Gillingham Academy Associate Principal, Horizon Academy In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the intersection of neuroscience and teaching methodologies has paved the way for groundbreaking insights and approaches. "Neuroteach: Brain Science and the Future of Education," authored by Glenn Whitman and Ian Kelleher, serves as a guiding beacon into the realms where cognitive science meets the classroom. This blog explores the key themes and takeaways from this illuminating book, shedding light on the potential transformation of education. “Neuroteach” is particularly relevant for Horizon Academy students, children with language-based…

Phonemic awareness is the best predictor of a child’s reading skills during the first two years of school. You may have heard a teacher, an SLP, or a school psychologist use the term “phonemic awareness” when discussing literacy or diagnosing a child with dyslexia. But what is phonemic awareness, and why is it such a big deal in a student’s literacy education? Who needs to learn phonemic awareness, and what does learning it look like? Background Information In 1997, the United States government established a committee called The National Reading Panel, a group whose aim was to assess the effectiveness…

As Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), we recognize the power of storytelling in the vast universe of language development. Not only is storytelling a rich tradition passed down through generations, but it is also a critical educational tool that can expand your child's language skills in creative and engaging ways. Our work in the classroom with students at Horizon Academy this quarter has been focused on narrative language development, which includes the ability to understand and tell stories.  But why is storytelling so important? Narratives are a fundamental way in which we communicate. They allow us to share our experiences, understand the…

Dr. Doug Burgess (Jordan’s dad) We knew Jordan was struggling but the school kept telling us that everything was fine. The testing they performed did not indicate that any interventions were needed. We kept getting the same answer from them. We knew everything wasn’t “fine” so we got independent testing done and received the dyslexia diagnosis. We had Jordan doing private Orton-Gillingham tutoring after school two nights a week. She was also meeting with an occupational therapist for her dysgraphia. At that point, she was going to school all day, and working twice as hard as many of those around…

Did you know that music is the perfect tool to help our dyslexic students improve their reading?  At Horizon Academy students use all of their senses to learn.  Whether the subject is math, science, or reading we are up on our feet using songs, rhymes, or games to get learners actively engaged.  Students will be more likely to stay engaged and recall information when more senses are utilized.  This is where the music classes at Horizon support student brain development and offer a creative outlet.    Studies have shown that a music education program that builds from simple rhythms and tones…