Erin Ottolini, M.Ed., C-SLDI, A/OGA
Erin Ottolini, M.Ed., C-SLDI, A/OGA
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Specialized Structured Literacy & Dyslexia Intervention
Specialized Structured Literacy & Dyslexia Intervention
Providing clinical-level Orton-Gillingham instruction for students with reading difficulties
The Power of Early Intervention
The Power of Early Intervention
Reading is the foundation for all future learning and long-term life success. Mastery of language shapes everything from a child's classroom confidence to their adult ability to navigate the world—influencing career opportunities, independent learning, and personal fulfillment.
The reality is that reading difficulties are incredibly common. Dyslexia impacts up to 20% of the population, representing nearly 90% of all neuro-cognitive learning disabilities. Because many children are never formally diagnosed, they simply fall behind, which directly chips away at their self-esteem and enthusiasm for school. Waiting for a child to "catch up" often allows this gap to widen during critical developmental windows.
Clinical research proves that early intervention is the key. When evidence-based instruction is provided in the primary grades, up to 90% of reading difficulties can be successfully remediated. Providing explicit, systematic, multi-sensory instruction now can effectively rewire neural pathways while a child’s brain is at its most adaptable—preventing long-term academic frustration and equipping your child with lifelong reading confidence.
Certified NYS Literacy Specialist
Certified NYS Literacy Specialist
Master of Education (M.Ed.) with specialization in literacy. Combining a deep understanding of the science of reading with years experience as a literacy specialist, classroom teacher, and college professor to seamlessly bridge the gap between clinical intervention, teacher preparation and school day success.
Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist (C-SLDI)
Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist (C-SLDI)
Board-certified by the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI). This clinical credential requires rigorous mastery of the Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading, specializing in the neurological treatment of decoding, phonics, and spelling deficits.
Orton-Gillingham Associate (A/OGA)
Orton-Gillingham Associate (A/OGA)
Accredited member of the Orton-Gillingham Academy. Utilizing an explicit, diagnostics-driven approach that isolates exact reading deficits and custom-engineers prescriptive, multi-sensory instruction to rewire neural pathways for reading.
About Me
About Me
My Journey to the Science of Reading
My Journey to the Science of Reading
When I first stepped into the classroom as a kindergarten teacher, I was fueled by a passion for helping young children learn to read. However, I quickly made a realization that changed the course of my career: learning to read is not a natural process for most children, despite what traditional training led us to believe. I saw firsthand that the prevailing instructional methods were leaving too many students behind, and as a teacher, I felt powerless to drive the meaningful progress my students deserved.
Determined to find a better way, I immersed myself in the research. Discovering the Science of Reading transformed everything.
Once I aligned my teaching with evidence-based, structured literacy practices, the shift in my classroom was dramatic. My students didn't just learn to read—they thrived. Year after year, my classroom consistently achieved highly effective growth scores in reading and English Language Arts (ELA).
Bridging the Gap: From Classroom to Higher Education
Bridging the Gap: From Classroom to Higher Education
Driven by this success and a desire to make a broader impact, I advanced my education and specialized credentials, transitioning into a Literacy Specialist role. I also stepped into higher education as an adjunct professor, teaching future educators. My mission was clear: empower teachers with proven, best-practice methodologies so they would never feel as helpless as I did in my early teaching days.
Why I Founded Ottolini Literacy
Why I Founded Ottolini Literacy
After years in the classroom both as a classroom teacher and literacy specialist, I wanted to step into private practice to do the work that matters most to me on a deeper level: providing truly individualized, high-level intervention for students who may have more complex learning profiles.
Founding my own practice allows me to give students the undivided, 1:1 clinical focus they need—without the constraints, group dynamics, or rigid schedules of a traditional school day. As a Certified Literacy Specialist, Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist (C-SLDI), and Orton-Gillingham Associate (A/OGA), I use diagnostic-prescriptive methods tailored specifically to each child. My goal is simple: to give students the explicit, evidence-based instruction they need to bridge reading gaps, rewire neural pathways, and build lasting confidence.
Is Structured Literacy Right for My Child?
Is Structured Literacy Right for My Child?
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and The Reading League emphasize that struggling readers don't need more general reading practice—they need explicit, systematic, and multi-sensory instruction.
Check all that apply to your child:
The Guessing Strategy: Frequently guesses at words based on initial letters, visual memory, or picture cues instead of systematically sounding out all sounds.
Fluency & Decoding Hurdles: Reads choppily, skips small functional words (the, in, of), or struggles to blend sounds together efficiently.
Spelling Disconnect: Struggles to spell words accurately on paper, even after studying or memorizing them
Phonological Awareness Gaps: Has difficulty manipulating sounds in spoken words (e.g., rhyming, deleting, or swapping sounds like turning slip into sip).
High Effort, Low Retention: Spends immense energy trying to read a passage, leaving little cognitive room for comprehension or retention.
School & Homework Fatigue: Expresses anxiety, avoidance, or intense frustration during reading or homework time.
If you checked two or more boxes:
Your child is showing classic indicators of a foundational decoding gap. Following Orton-Gillingham (OGA) principles, my diagnostic, multi-sensory intervention targets the exact root cause of these challenges to rewire neural pathways for lasting reading success.
What I Offer
What I Offer
Evidence-Based Methods: Direct, explicit, multi-sensory instruction utilizing the Science of Reading and Orton-Gillingham frameworks.
Personalized Intervention: Custom-tailored to your child's exact gaps, whether they have a formal dyslexia diagnosis or not.
Scheduling: after-school, evening and daytime availability for students in any school setting
Semester-Based Framework: Instruction aligns with a structured enrollment term (Fall, Spring, or Summer) to ensure consistency, habit-building, and long-term literacy growth
Intensive Support
Intensive Support
Customized Frequency Tracks: Sessions are structured based on your child's unique needs, offering a Maintenance Track (2x/week), Standard Track (3x/week), or Intensive Track (4x/week) for rapid, immersive gap-closing.
Dedicated Scheduling: Securing a track reserves a recurring, permanent timeslot in my weekly schedule dedicated exclusively to your child's intervention.
Initial Trial Period: Every new enrollment begins with a 4-week trial to ensure an ideal instructional fit before committing to the full semester term.
FAQs
FAQs
Q: What's OG?
Q: What's OG?
A: Orton-Gillingham (OG) is widely recognized as the gold standard in reading instruction. It is a highly structured, multisensory, and diagnostic approach specifically designed to help struggling readers—especially students with dyslexia or language-based learning differences—master reading, spelling, and writing.
When looking for reading support, it is helpful to understand why true board certification is so rare:
"OG Trained" (Common): Many tutors list themselves as "OG trained." This generally means they attended a professional development workshop, a short course (like IMSE), or self-paced modules. While these workshops provide helpful strategies for classroom settings, they typically lack long-term clinical oversight or supervised 1-on-1 instruction.
OG Certified (Rare): Truly certified practitioners are few and far between because of the immense, multi-year commitment required. Training directly through the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA) means completing graduate-level coursework, a multi-year clinical practicum under the direct supervision of an OGA Fellow, a comprehensive capstone project, and passing national board standards (such as CERI).
Because full certification requires hundreds of hours of supervised clinical experience, only a select few specialists hold these credentials. To verify a specialist's credentials or view a full list of certified practitioners in our region, parents are encouraged to check the official public registries:
Choosing a board-certified practitioner ensures your child receives true, individualized clinical intervention tailored precisely to their unique learning profile—not just a pre-packaged program.
Q: Do you accept health insurance?
Q: Do you accept health insurance?
A: Tuition is self pay, which means I do not accept any insurance plan or bill any insurance company for intervention services. Upon request a super-bill can be provided that allows you to work directly with your insurance for reimbursement of select services as determined by your insurance provider.
Tip: Many families have much greater success using pre-tax FSA or HSA funds to cover sessions, which requires a doctor's Letter of Medical Necessity rather than insurance pre-approval.
Q: Are you FSA/HSA eligible?
Q: Are you FSA/HSA eligible?
Because I hold national board certifications (C-SLDI via CERI ), specialized reading remediation for children with a diagnosed learning disability (such as Dyslexia or a Specific Learning Disability in Reading) is generally eligible for reimbursement through Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).
How it works:
Obtain a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) from your child’s pediatrician, neurologist, or psychologist confirming a reading disorder diagnosis.
Pay using your FSA/HSA debit card or submit your receipts for reimbursement.
Note: Standard non-diagnostic academic tutoring with someone not certified by the Center of Effective Reading Instruction (CERI) is generally not covered under IRS guidelines; services must target a diagnosed condition. My intervention services do meet these requirements.
What to Expect in Our Sessions
What to Expect in Our Sessions
Structured, Multi-Sensory Instruction
Every session follows a systematic, Orton-Gillingham framework designed to engage multiple senses simultaneously (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile). I don't rely on dry flashcards—lessons incorporate interactive games, hands-on materials, and high-interest activities so hard work feels engaging and rewarding.
A Patient, Low-Stress Environment
Reading struggles often carry emotional weight. Sessions are a safe, supportive space where mistakes are never penalized—they are celebrated as essential learning opportunities. I meet your child exactly where they are each day, using steady encouragement to rebuild their self-worth and reading confidence.
Diagnostic Precision & Tailored Pacing
Because no two readers are identical, lessons are never one-size-fits-all. Using continuous informal assessments, every minute of our time is tailored to your child’s specific phonetic gaps, pacing needs, and learning profile—ensuring steady, measurable progress.
Transparency & Honest Partnership
Closing foundational reading gaps is a process of rewiring neural pathways, which takes systematic time and consistent effort. I provide parents with clear, ongoing updates on progress and areas of growth so you are always fully informed on your child’s reading journey.
Location & Format
Location & Format
- In-Person Sessions: Conveniently located in the Fairport area
- Online Sessions: Selective Zoom sessions available for appropriate students based on age and learning profile
Schedule a Free Consultation Call
Schedule a Free Consultation Call
Every child’s reading journey is unique. Let’s spend 15 minutes discussing your child's specific reading profile, your goals for the upcoming school year, and how a structured, clinical approach can help them succeed. Openings are limited to ensure elite, dedicated focus for every enrolled student.
Trusted Resources for Families
Trusted Resources for Families
Navigating reading challenges can feel overwhelming. I highly recommend these official, evidence-based organizations to help you understand your child's learning profile and advocate effectively for their education:
This definition describes dyslexia as it appears in children and adults reading in English.
The Reading League Family Resources
A premier national advocacy group (headquartered in NY) dedicated to bringing the Science of Reading to classrooms and communities. They offer specialized learning materials and introductory reading courses explicitly designed for parents.
The IDA Dyslexia Handbook: What Every Family Should Know
A comprehensive digital handbook by the International Dyslexia Association detailing the characteristics of dyslexia, valid assessment protocols, and effective instructional frameworks.
IDA Official Dyslexia Fact Sheets
Easy-to-digest expert briefs covering common signs, multi-sensory teaching approaches, and school accommodations.
© Ottolini Literacy, LLC 2026
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