Who We Are

Pam Clare

PAM CLARE holds a Master’s Degree in Reading and English as a Second Language (ESOL), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Russian and French Language & Literature from Boston University. She has studied language acquisition from the perspective of a student and a teacher. As a result, she is extremely sensitive to working with diverse learning styles and cultures. She thinks creatively and is passionate about what motivates and inspires learning. Pam has taught English, Reading Strategies, and ESOL at Marshall High School in Fairfax County. She is a member of the International Dyslexia Association.

Howard Clare

HOWARD CLARE is a graduate of The George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Communications. Howard is dyslexic and knows, first hand, the challenges that a young child experiences in school—both academically and socially. As a result, Howard has a passion for helping children learn to read and giving them the best possible chance of achieving their goals. Howard is a member of the International Dyslexia Association.

After successfully completing four post-grad courses, and seven hundred hours of supervised practicum at the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center (ASDEC), Pam and Howard opened their private practice specializing in children with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities. ASDEC certifies Academic Therapists in one of the most powerful Orton-Gillingham based-approaches to teaching reading. ASDEC is the only IMSLEC training center in the Washington, DC area that has received a direct endorsement from the International Dyslexia Association.

Unlocking Potential

BRAIN RESEARCH shows that dyslexic individuals use different areas of the brain to process information. Thus, the different wiring of the brain brings added challenges including reduced vocabulary and reading comprehension. However, with the right approach, dyslexic individuals can learn to read.

OUR ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THERAPY PROGRAM is an Orton-Gillingham approach to Multisensory Structured Language Education and is the foundation for all best practices in reading instruction. Multisensory Structured Language Therapy (MSLT) is endorsed by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and also meets the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A MULTISENSORY APPROACH engages all learning pathways in the brain—visual, auditory, and kinesthetic—which is key to enhancing memory and learning of written language. The ultimate goal is to restructure the neural pathways and reshape how a dyslexic responds to the task of reading and spelling.

OUR PROCESS PROVIDES: 

STRUCTURE for the student, being sure to take any obstacles out of their way.
A CARING ENVIRONMENT for the student to learn.
A PARTNERSHIP of trust providing a positive atmosphere.
DIFFERENTIATION for the individual learning needs of each student.
ONGOING ASSESSMENT within each lesson and from one lesson to the next.

In addition, we offer COMPREHENSIVE STUDY SKILLS to include time management, active reading strategies, and notebook organization.