Amy Mercer
What is her style?
Amy brings a fabulous sense of creativity and play to working with students. She excels at transforming subjects that have previously been avoidance areas for students, into exciting and fun areas of curiosity, through the use of imagery, story telling and customized multi-sensory activities.
Her intent for her students is that they learn in a context that builds an increasing understanding of and confidence in their own learning style. Over time, through work based on techniques that fit their learning style, Amy's students develop a tool box of techniques and accommodations that will help success come with more ease and less frustration.
Amy's style of teaching, coaching and relating about learning has the effect of reducing negative feelings about themselves, school and who they are as learners, thus kindling an engagement in learning. Knowing one's own "best practices" for learning leads to being an engaged learner and self-advocate.
Amy is an expert at helping families explore and negotiate how to support their child and student in a caring meaningful way. Using understanding of and compassion for the specific difficulties a child may be experiencing, Amy helps families come together in support of their student. Additionally, helping families clarify what they want/need to ask of a teacher, their school or other professionals can reduce stress and anxiety for parents and the entire family.
What is her Training?
With over sixteen years of dedicated experience as a specialist on learning differences and as a practicing interventionist, Amy offers a wealth of knowledge, which makes her an excellent diagnostician and resource for creative solutions.
Amy’s dedication to her students inspires her to a continual pursuit of, and extensive reading on, the most current brain research as it relates to learning and knowledge acquisition.
Amy received her training as a Certified Dyslexia Specialist from Susan Barton and is an expert on the Barton System for Reading and Spelling. She has also been trained to use Lindamood-Bell's LiPS program for phonemic awareness. Both curriculum are research proven dyslexia intervention programs.
Using her understanding of learning differences, Amy also provides remediation for difficulties with math and writing skills. Interventions are highly individual and use an array of multisensory, techniques.
Prior to her work with learning differences, Amy pursued a career in the field of personal development as a life coach and presenter. She received her B.A. in psychology from Argosy University in 2006 with an emphasis on Sociolinguistics in her freshman and sophomore years.