Skip to content

Dyslexia Therapy Reimagined

Taylor Garner

Location: Arkansas

Education: BSP, MAT, CALT

Years Experience Teaching: 4

Years Experience In Dyslexia: 4

Teaching Experience

I have been working with students for the past 7 years.
I was a paraprofessional in a Self-Contained Special Education Classroom for 3 years. This is where my love for helping students with disabilities blossomed. After I finished my Bachelors degree, I started as a Special Education Teacher for 3 years, while pursuing my Masters degree, at the same time I started into the journey of Dyslexia Therapy and Academic Language Therapy.
It is all history from there!
Most recently, I have started training as a Qualified Instructor. I have experience training future CALT’s. I am also back in school adding “Educational Examiner” to my licensure.

Professional Affiliations

Academic Language Therapy Association
ALTA Arkansas Chapter

Programs Trained In

Take Flight

Age Range You Feel Most Comfortable With:
I have experience working with kindergarten aged students through adults. I am easily able to adapt to whatever my students need. I am MOST comfortable with students 3rd grade and up. I really connect with young adults because we are close in age, therefore, we tend to have a lot in common.

Why did you decide to become a CALT?

I am a strong believer in “things work out the way they are supposed too.” When I started teaching, I had NO idea what a CALT was, or what a CALT did. Some of my superiors saw great ability in me, and convinced me to try out a new explicit reading training to see if it was something I wanted to pursue.
Of course, I fell in love with the knowledge, training, and content. I started implementing it within my classroom, and I saw how it transformed my students from non-readers to readers. I saw the confidence in my students grow and the progress they made was amazing.
From there, I continued down the path of becoming a CALT. I have been doing dyslexia therapy ever since.

Favorite moment working with dyslexic students?

My favorite moment to see with students is “Ohhhh!” “I get it!” “That makes so much sense!”
These are the moments that I wait for. It is the moment when it all finally clicks.

Your goal when working with kids with dyslexia?

The goal I have with every student is for them to read. Reading is a MAJOR life function. My goal for students is for them to learn to read, and from there transition into a love for reading. The purpose of reading is to gain information, so ultimately, my goal is that students are able to read independently and develop skills that will allow them to gain information so they function in their day to day lives.

Your teaching style, personality?

I would describe my teaching personality as positive, engaging, individualized, consistent, and safe. I am a very interactive teacher, meaning I ask a lot of questions and have an open dialogue with my students during our lessons. I set high expectations for my students, as I know they are capable of doing hard things. I am not expecting perfection, but I am expecting progress.

Any family details?

Currently, it is just my husband and I. We are accompanied by 6 furry companions (5 dogs, 1 cat), and a handful of pet fish.
I am very involved with my sisters, one who just graduated college, and the other who is a senior in high school. Family time is most important to me!

Any extra anecdotal info you want to add?

Some of my favorite quotes:
“Every student can learn. Just not on the same day or in the same way.”
“Don’t give up! The beginning is always the hardest.”
“Strive for progress, not perfection.”

Back To Top