Today we’d like to introduce you to Marla Migdal.
Hi Marla, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I didn’t enjoy school and struggled in school but I didn’t know why. I decided to go into education because of that struggle and I taught for a few years before having children. I was a stay at home mom for a decade and during that time my middle son struggled with language and then my youngest child struggled but not as severe. As the years moved forward, my son and daughter continued to struggle to learn to read, write and spell. As a former teacher at that time, I was researching at the library and online but I didn’t know how to find the answer until my mom mention the Orton Gillingham. method for dyslexic students. At this time, I had two children in public school that were below grade level and the team wanted to use the wait and see approach. Instead, I received training from Dr. Fran Bowman in Orton Gillingham “Plus” a multi-sensory structured Literacy method to teach phonics, fluency, and spelling for students with language based learning disabilities. After the 60 hours course, I went to Notre Dame of Maryland and received a Post Master’s Graduate Certificate in Advanced Studies in Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia. Moreover, I asked Dr. Fran Bowman to be my. mentor for my practicum for the Dyslexia Specialist certification through the CERI (The Center for Effective Reading Instruction). During this time, I also lead the Decoding Dyslexia Frederick Chapter which supported parents to advocate for appropriate identification and instruction. All of this, enabled me to provide support for my own children which would not have happened otherwise and they were finally identified with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD. Because of this journey as a parent and educator, I started my consulting business, Migdal Consulting, and I have been in business for 7 years supporting families and educators.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The greatest struggled has been to be taken seriously in all my roles. As an advocate, you are not always treated with respect in IEP meetings. As a parent, you are often ignored. You have to have a thick skin and stay focused on educating the educators to make them realize that data should drive instruction and not feelings or opinions. The school system can be slow to respond and there are a lot of steps and processes to go through which continue to delay students and frustrate parents. With appropriate intervention that we offer, students are able to make meaningful progress. Ideally, the school would provide this during the school day but it is rare that they provide the rigor and intensity the students need daily in order for them to make meaningful progress toward grade level skills. Because I was volunteering my time for years in my area, I didn’t have to advertise my business at the start. During COVID, I was worried for my students and business but during this time, I was able to provide virtual support and what became a bump in the road became a new pathway to support more students across the country.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Migdal Consulting LLC?
Migdal Consulting provides educational consulting, informal educational testing, and tutoring services for all of Mid-Maryland and surrounding areas, as well as virtually nationwide. We serve and support students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia along with comorbid conditions such as anxiety, ADHD, and Speech and Language challenges. This year we have added supporting all students with disabilities with the addition of our new consultant David Migdal to the company. We provide educational assessments, IEP & 504 Support, data/records review, IEP development/review. classroom observations, expert witness services, presentations for professional development, and mentoring for educators interested in CERI certification.
In addition we provide in-person and virtual tutoring for students with learning disabilities. We provide 1:1 Bowman Orton Gillingham “Plus” tutoring, handwriting, math, writing support with Paragraphology and Frame Your Thoughts, and comprehension support with Visualization and Verbalization. We provide progress monitoring reports throughout the year which is unique and individualized instruction by working closely with the family. We make sure that our prices are affordable because we understand the cost of time and money for parents to provide the support the school system has failed to furnish. We work with families and we offer pro-bono support for many families. We understand how hard this journey is for families and our family is here to support families that are going through what we have gone through with the school system. If anyone wants to learn more, they can contact us through dyselxic911.com and we offer a 30 minute free consultation.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
When individual educational needs are met and families feel hopeful that their child will be able to reach their goals without any barriers best defines success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dyslexic911.com
