The Literacy Keys - Dyslexia resources and structured literacy tips by an Orton Gillingham tutor

It’s never too late for a teen to read well! This episode is all about explaining the Science of Reading to Parents, minus the jargon. think of it as a roadmap. By the end of this episode, you'll know exactly why struggling readers get stuck even when they’re in high school and three moves to help your child catch up, starting this week. Here's what nobody tells you: most reading help is b...

Has your school told you to wait until third grade to test for dyslexia? A dyslexia therapist says that advice is wrong! Learn your legal rights, the red flags schools miss, and how to start helping your child at home today because time is precious. In this episode of The Literacy Keys, Host Tracy Young sits down with Faye Cassell, a certified dyslexia therapist (CALT) and licensed dyslexia therap...

Summer learning loss hits struggling readers hardest. Every summer, kids can lose one to three months of reading progress, and summer learning loss hits the hardest with children who already work twice as hard just to keep up. Every fall, school data captures this loss. The good news is that you can prevent this from happening to your child. Research shows that a few minutes of reading several tim...

AI in education can be a lifeline for kids, or a shortcut that costs them. A lot is changing with artificial intelligence and education. In this episode, Host Tracy Young walks you through where AI genuinely helps a neurodivergent learner, where AI quietly does the thinking their brain was supposed to do, and the one question that tells you which is which. Brand new 2026 research from Common Sense...

As your child groans at the workbook, and the pencil rolls off the table, you wonder if handwriting still matters in a world that runs on screens. Today's episode gives you the real reason for handwriting, the one rooted in brain science, along with three small things you can try this week. Schools are almost fully digital now, but researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technol...

Are you currently feeling completely overwhelmed by your child's struggles? Identifying real dyslexia symptoms shouldn't feel like an impossible puzzle. This episode gives you the exact clarity to decode what is truly happening with your child. The internet is full of exhausting educational jargon that makes you feel like you need a professional degree just to help your child spell a basic...

In this episode, we are tuning out the academic noise so you can confidently choose the best, stress-free path forward for your struggling reader. Understand why researchers were questioning if an Orton Gillingham reading program works, and which elements are the gold standard.  A few years ago, a meta-analysis threw a massive wrench into the literacy world, leaving already exhausted parents feeli...

Explaining dyslexia to your child shouldn't feel like delivering a medical sentence. It’s about finally giving them the key to why they’ve been working twice as hard for half the results. Without a name for their struggle, children often fill in the blanks with their own words that aren’t helpful. This episode is your guide to having “the talk” with your child. Whether your child is just start...

Are you exhausted from the mountain of report cards and school meetings?  Do you feel that grade retention is the only option for your child? For a struggling reader or a dyslexic child, repeating a grade without changing the instruction is like asking them to run laps on a sprained ankle. Hope alone isn’t enough.   In this episode, I’m breaking down the pros and cons (in plain English) so you can...

Today on The Literacy Keys, we are diving deep into a topic that is often whispered about but rarely confronted head-on: the reality of failing schools. I’m joined by award-winning investigative reporter Chris Papst, author of The Failure Factory , to pull back the curtain on the institutional gaps that leave so many of our neurodiverse learners behind. If you’ve ever felt like your child was just...

Turn your I don't know how to help concerns into a clear, actionable plan that builds your child's reading brick by brick. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the Orton Gillingham Methodology to show you exactly how we re-wire the brain for reading success. If you’ve been feeling exhausted from the reading battles, I want you to know: you aren’t powerless. You don’t need a tea...

We’re often told by schools to trust the process, but when your child is guessing at words and struggling to spell simple things, that advice feels empty. If you’ve been searching for how to teach reading in a way that actually works, you’ve likely realized that more of the same isn't the answer. Today, we are moving past the overwhelm, ignoring the advice to be patient and looking at practica...

If you’re searching for dyslexia help as you’re wondering how to teach a dyslexic child to read without tears and frustration, you are finally in the right place. By the end of this episode, you will have a clear, expert-backed roadmap to move your child from guessing to decoding with total confidence. We’ve all been there: sitting at the kitchen table watching your child struggle to read the word...

Learn to spot co-occurring conditions with dyslexia like Irlen Syndrome. Dyslexia is not Irlen Syndrome, but they sometimes get mixed up. In this episode, Tracy Young and her daughter Alex dive deep into Irlen Syndrome and other hidden hurdles that often tag along with dyslexia to help you find the right dyslexia help for your family. They share a roadmap to help individuals with Irlen Syndrome fi...

Ditch cramming! Discover 5 science-backed tips for studying effectively and beating the forgetting curve. Imagine a world where studying doesn't end in frustration, and your kid actually remembers what they learned long after the test is over. Does your child spend hours highlighting their textbook, only to have their mind go blank the moment the exam hits their desk? It’s not a lack of effort...

Stop the reading frustration! Discover how decodables build real word fluency and where to find free resources. If you are the parent of a struggling reader, you know the look. It’s that moment of hesitation when your child reaches a word they don’t know, glances at the picture for a clue, and takes a wild guess. It’s frustrating, and as many parents eventually realize it’s a sign that the child h...

Is the State Paying for Your Tutor? Discover the ESA Account Secret and have Educational Savings Accounts explained. Let’s face it. You want the absolute best for your child, but sometimes the price tag for specialized literacy support feels like a mountain you just can’t climb alone. In this episode, we’re turning that mountain into a molehill by showing you exactly how to secure the state fundin...

If you’ve ever stayed up late wondering if your teenager will be able to navigate the "real world" without constant help, this episode is something you’ve been waiting for. I recently sat down with Hillary Summerbell, a powerhouse dyslexic entrepreneur who built a thriving career long before she could comfortably read a single business contract. It’s easy to feel like the clock is tickin...

If you’ve ever tried to read a comprehensive evaluation, looked at all the norm referenced tests and thought, “Great, now I need a math degree just to read this report,” you are not alone. Trying to Decode the results can feel like a Secret Language. When you look at a thick report of evaluation results, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. With terms like norm referenced tests and percentiles, our chil...

You shouldn’t need a PhD just to understand why your bright child is hitting a brick wall with spelling and reading. Stop the guesswork, ask for a comprehensive evaluation and learn exactly which tests belong when testing for dyslexia, ADHD or another conditions.  Schools often use a "triage system," identifying only the most visible cases while bright, dyslexic kids fly under the radar...

Discover why twice exceptional kids struggle and uncover why 2e kids fly under the radar. Explore exactly what todo next to support your twice exceptional children.  It’s sometimes called double deficit dyslexia. If you’ve been stuck in the loop of my kid is so smart… and still struggles, this episode is for you.  Leave with language to use, tests to ask for, and a plan that actually fits your chi...

If your disorganized child forgets everything, discover executive functioning activities that help scattered minds learn to plan, start, and finish.  If your ADHD child continuously forgets to turn in homework, they might benefit from executive functioning activities. This episode shares a fun one, that even the most jaded teen will be rolling up their sleeves to try.  You don’t have to mention th...

After this episode, you’ll know exactly how to improve writing skills and what to do next with your child so writing starts feeling doable. For many struggling readers writing is brain overload. They have ideas, but getting those ideas onto paper in the right order , with the right words , can feel like juggling while riding a unicycle. In this episode, Tracy Young (certified Orton-Gillingham tuto...

Struggling for success can feel like staring at a report card and thinking, “How is my child so bright… and still drowning?” After listening to this episode, you’ll feel less alone, more grounded, and clear on what to do today, not “someday.” Host Tracy Young, an ALTA-certified, Orton-Gillingham tutor, shares a candid Reddit thread where dyslexic adults shared the truth about being told they could...

Have your mornings turned into hostage negotiations? After listening, you’ll understand what’s driving the school avoidance pushback and exactly what to do next. Understand what Half-Baked Muffins refers to, and turn hard mornings of “My Child Hates School” into a new reality. It's never easy but you can start this week! If you’re a parent hearing: “ My Child Hates School ” and you’re looking for...