Emilie Strange

Education Coach - Dynamic Minds Academy
1579226783 V2 Photo CFP 127

Emilie Strange

Education Coach - Dynamic Minds Academy

Biography

Emilie Strange has been an educator for ten years both in schools and private homes. She holds a master’s degree in Teaching Students with Disabilities from Long Island University (Brooklyn, USA). In her current position as a Teacher Coach at Dynamic Minds Academy Emilie is responsible for promoting teacher effectiveness.

Promoting Literacy with Students Affected by Autism

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often comorbid with other learning disabilities affecting reading fluency and comprehension. This workshop will unpack what exactly is “therapeutic education” and provide practical, attainable goals for educators who work with students affected by ASD. Established methods to address reading issues will be effective for students with ASD provided that elements of “therapeutic education” are present

Teaching students with autism can be a challenging task due to the complex and varying nature of autism disorders. Quantifying methods for promoting literacy within the autism community is therefore difficult to streamline. Literacy instruction for students with autism almost has to be as individualized as the disorder is itself—which is a daunting, if not outright impractical, task for most special education teachers. There is, however, hope. Emilie will discuss avenues that show how by meshing literacy instructional methods for students with other reading difficulties (e.g. dyslexia, dysgraphia), behavioral therapy methods (such as ABA), and therapeutic educational methods (such as a reduced-stimulation environment), instructors will be able to enrich the literacy of each student with autism.

To learn about the processes involved with therapeutic education, Emilie will examine the practices and progress of an experimental school in the USA–Dynamic Minds Academy (DMA). In a short time, DMA has been able to help its learners transform from making statements like, “”I’ve never read a book,”” to “”I’m on my 2nd novel this semester!”” and “”I hate reading because I’m bad at it,”” to “”Can I keep reading through lunch?”” (Both examples of quotes are from real DMA students at the beginning of a high school novel studies class and three months later.) The role that educators play in these changes are both quantitative and qualitative ‚Äì meaning that intentional repeated practice, responsive communication, and mindful instruction, have the ability to affect student agency and identity.”