Tutoring

Our goal at Syllables Reading Center is to create an environment where students of any age experiencing difficulty with reading will find well-trained professionals and a program designed to meet their individual needs.

Syllables Reading Center Offers:

A Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation
Students are evaluated using standardized, nationally recognized tests; parents can share this baseline data with other professionals who work with the student to monitor student progress.

Research-Based Instructional Programs
Students receive instruction based on multisensory, structured, and sequential practices that are nationally recognized for their merit in teaching students with language-based disabilities.

Individualized Instruction Provided in a One-on-One Setting
One-on-One instruction enables students to progress at their own rate while receiving immediate feedback and reinforcement from their reading therapists.

Well-Trained, Caring Instructors
All therapists are carefully selected and trained in strategies and methodologies to promote improved reading achievement. A nurturing and encouraging environment enables students to experience success.

Increased Student Achievement
As reading skills improve, academic achievement improves across the board.

Improved Self-Confidence
As students make progress in reading, they gain self-confidence and begin to experience the joy of learning. This improved self-esteem often carries over to improved academics and behavior.

Knowing that success in reading is one of the best indicators of success in school and life, it is essential that all students learn to read.

To start your child on his or her journey to lifelong learning, call us at 770-752-1724 to schedule an appointment.

Study Skills

Syllables offers study skills specifically for students who want to develop systems and strategies to help themselves learn more efficiently. Syllables utilizes teaching principles that systematically define key study skills and teach students how to apply them. Through multiple opportunities for practice and improvement, students form effective study skills that will last them throughout their education and beyond.

The study skills program can be tailored to fit the individual needs of your child. We can teach your child any of the following:

• Organize school materials efficiently,
• Find the main idea when reading passages,
• Recognize details from key supporting details,
• Develop a strategic note-taking system,
• Apply active learning techniques,
• Highlight only important text while reading, and know what to write in the margins,
• Paraphrase information clearly and concisely, and
• Combine all the above skills to summarize important information.

Test Taking Strategies

Syllables Reading Center takes test-taking to a different level by teaching the skills and tips that can help any student demonstrate their knowledge on tests. These sessions are perfect for students who study diligently yet still cannot show improvement on their test scores.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does it feel to have a reading disability?
Syllables Reading Center offers a simulation which brings to light the difficulties of having a reading disability. This simulation helps education professionals, parents, friends, and relatives of a child with a reading disability understand the frustration the child feels when reading and writing do not come naturally. Syllables staff will present this workshop for your school, PTA or other organization.

If you would like to learn more about our simulation, please contact us for more information.

How do I schedule an appointment?
Please call Syllables Reading Center to schedule an appointment. Our regular business hours are Monday through Thursday from 9am to 6pm, and Saturdays from 9am to 3pm.

What are your tutoring hours?
We tutor during the week, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am to 6:30 pm. Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. During summer holidays, we tutor Monday through Thursday from 9am to 3pm.

Where is Syllables located?
There are two locations in the Atlanta area. Our main office is located in Alpharetta, off Hwy. 9. Our Atlanta location is at the Marcus Institute off Briarcliff Road. For directions and addresses, please click here.

How long are sessions?
Sessions are 55 minutes in length.

What are my payment options?
We accept personal checks and all major credit cards. Checks should be made payable to Syllables Reading Center. Payment options can be discussed more fully during your consultation meeting with Syllables staff.

How long will it take for my child to learn to read?
Each child has his or her own learning style. Because we cater to each individual student's needs, there is no average time frame for completion of our program. Our students have stayed for as little as 18 sessions to well over 90. After the first ten sessions, we can better evaluate the rate at which your child is processing and understanding the information.

Will my child have the same reading therapist for every session?
Our aim at Syllables is to try and offer a level of consistency for the benefit of your child. Sometimes due to scheduling, your child may receive instruction from more than one therapist.

May I sit in on sessions?
We encourage parents to sit-in on their child's sessions to get a better feel for how we teach at Syllables. During the initial few sessions, we like to build a rapport with your child and ask that you schedule a sit-in after the 4th or 5th session. Sitting-in on the last 15 minutes of the session will give you a deeper understanding of the kinds of things we do to help students learn reading concepts, and you can take those concepts and use them while reviewing at home.

What kinds of things can I do with my child at home?
The key to lifelong reading success is repetition. We must stress that parents work with their child on sounds and concepts learned at Syllables. After every session the reading therapists send key points home with the student. Parents can practice with their child using these cards. Sitting in on sessions is also a great way to learn techniques to use at home. To target specific areas that need improvement, ask your child's therapist for recommendations.

How will I know my child's progress?
Our therapists use a diagnostic teaching approach. Diagnostic, meaning they continually monitor a student's strengths and weaknesses during each session, and monitor his or her progress in successive sessions. They keep meticulous records of the types of activities used during each session and the progress your child shows. Our therapists may not have time to talk with you at length between their tutoring sessions, so call us to schedule an appointment to talk about your child's progress. At the end of your child's time at Syllables, we perform a post-test to evaluate how far your child has come. We also offer 6-month and 12-month post-evaluations after your child has graduated from Syllables free of charge.

What is the Syllables Approach?
The Syllables Approach is systematic (step-by-step), explicit (working one element at a time), and multisensory (incorporating visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic activities). From single letters, students are taught how to associate sounds with their visual counterparts and blend those letters to read and spell words. The Syllables Approach starts with the most frequently used sounds in the English language, and expands by adding more complex elements.

What does No Child Left Behind stipulate?
The NCLB Act of 2001 created a new comprehensive effort called READING FIRST, a $900 million state grant program. Reading First promotes the use of scientifically based research to provide high-quality reading instruction for grades K-3, in order to help every student in every state become a successful reader. Reading First will provide assistance to state and local education agencies to apply scientifically based reading research – and the proven instructional and assessment tools consistent with this research – to improve reading instruction for K-3 students and to ensure that all children learn to read well by the end of third grade.

What is dyslexia?
Adopted by the IDA Board of Directors, Nov. 12, 2002 - Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate andor fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. - Lyon, G.R., Shaywitz, S.E., Shaywitz, B.A. (2003) A definition of dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia, 53, 1-10

Studies show that individuals with dyslexia process information in a different area of the brain than do non-dyslexics.

Many people who are dyslexic are of average to above average intelligence.

Supplemental Services

Syllables Reading Center is an approved Supplemental Service Provider for the No Child Left Behind Act. Supplemental educational services in reading include before- and/or after-school tutoring and remedial classes.

Students from low-income families who remain in Title I schools that fail to meet Adequate Yearly Progress for at least three years, and are thus in the second year of Needs Improvement status, are eligible to receive supplemental educational services.

Your child may qualify for Supplemental Services if the school has notified you about the availability of supplemental services in your area. These services are provided by the government, and are of no cost to you.

Please contact us at Syllables if you believe you qualify for Supplemental Services and would like to arrange a meeting to determine how Syllables Reading Center\'s supplemental services can be of benefit to your child.

Complete information: GA DOE Supplemental Services Information Page

Download a Supplemental Services Fact Sheet PDF. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files.

Summer Reading Schedule

Our summer program is an extension of our school-year program which allows us to offer the following:

• Daily scheduling, in addition to weekly scheduling
• Consecutive hour scheduling
• Combined reading and study skills sessions

Summer Hours: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Thursday

Testimonials

Click here to read a few testimonials from our customers.