Building Supports

As a teacher, I had the training and tools to support struggling readers. As a parent of a child with dyslexia, I still felt lost.
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Supporting your child can feel heavy. Some days you may wonder if you’re doing enough, saying the right things, or helping in the right ways. That weight is real — but so is your impact. With steady encouragement, patience, and the right supports, your presence becomes the difference. You are building safety, confidence, and resilience alongside literacy skills. And over time, those small moments of support grow into something powerful: a child who believes in their ability to learn, persevere, and succeed.

Download the free parent guide for simple, practical strategies you can use right away to support your child’s growth and build steady reading progress.​

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Books Kids Love to Read

Finding the right book for your child can feel overwhelming — especially when reading has been a struggle. I’ve curated an Amazon storefront filled with high-interest, confidence-building books that kids genuinely enjoy and want to keep reading.
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When supporting your child at home, worry less about the “right level” and focus more on helping them read books they want to read. Motivation and enjoyment are powerful drivers of growth — and the right book can make all the difference.

👉 Visit my Amazon Storefront to discover books kids can’t put down.
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Simple Apps to Strengthen Skills

Nothing replaces the type of growth that comes from rich reading experiences, written practice, and meaningful language interactions. I designed these tools to complement, not replace, those foundations. These apps provide practice for older students who benefit from explicit instruction in word structure and decoding.

• The Morphology Matrix App lets students experiment with word parts to build and analyze words. By combining prefixes, bases, and suffixes, students can see how English words are constructed and how meaning changes when morphemes are added.
  Instead of memorizing long word lists, students become word detectives, exploring patterns across related words and discovering how vocabulary grows from shared roots. Morphological tools like word matrices help students understand how words connect within a family of meaning and structure.
  
• Morphology Word Matrix - Word Builder App - An earlier version of the app above. Kids combine prefixes, suffixes, and roots to create new words and understand how word parts shape meaning.
• Multisyllable Word Detective - Big words can overwhelm developing readers. This tool helps students slow down and become word detectives.Students break longer words into smaller parts, decode each chunk, and explore the meaning behind the word. By practicing with words in isolation, students strengthen the skills they need to approach complex vocabulary in real reading.
  

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Guidance & Support for Your Child’s Learning Journey

Tutoring, advocacy, and guidance for navigating school with confidence

When your child is struggling, the hardest part is often not knowing what help is appropriate, what to ask for, or how to make the system respond.

I work with families who want evidence-based support for their children—and clear, respectful guidance for navigating schools, services, and support plans.

My goal is not to fight the system for you.
It’s to help you understand it, work within it, and advocate effectively for your child.

Evidence-Based Tutoring
I offer individualized tutoring grounded in research and responsive to your child—not one-size-fits-all programs.

Reading Support

• Orton–Gillingham–based instruction for students with reading difficulties
• Explicit, structured literacy grounded in the Science of Reading
• Support for decoding, spelling, fluency, and comprehension
• Appropriate for students with dyslexia or reading-based learning challenges

Math & Writing Support

• Research-based instruction for students who struggle with math or written expression
• Focus on conce
• ptual understanding, clarity, and confidence
• Support aligned with school expectations while addressing underlying skill gaps

Tutoring is individualized, responsive, and designed to build both skills and self-trust.

Educational Advocacy & Family Support
Many families know something isn’t working—but aren’t sure what steps to take next.
I support parents navigating:

• 504 Plans and IEPs
• School meetings and documentation
• Requests for evaluation or services
• Communication with schools and teams

Advocacy support may include:

• Helping you understand your child’s rights and options
• Preparing for meetings with clarity and confidence
• Reviewing school plans, reports, or recommendations
• Coaching families on how to ask effective, informed questions

This work is about empowerment, not escalation.

What This Support Is—and Isn’t
This work is:

• Child-centered
• Research-informed
• Calm, respectful, and collaborative
• Focused on long-term growth, not quick fixes

This work is not:

• Legal representation
• Adversarial or combative
• One-size-fits-all solutions
• Program-driven tutoring

I believe the best outcomes happen when families are informed, schools are engaged, and children feel supported rather than labeled.

I work best with families who:

• Want to understand why their child is struggling—not just what to do next
• Value evidence-based instruction
• Want to partner with schools while advocating effectively
• Are looking for thoughtful, ethical support

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, unsure, or stuck, this work is designed to help you find clarity.

Getting Started
Support begins with a conversation.
Together, we’ll discuss:

• Your child’s needs
• Your goals and concerns
• What kind of support would be most helpful

From there, we can determine whether tutoring, advocacy, or a combination of both makes sense.
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You don’t need to navigate this alone.
With the right information and support, families can move forward with confidence—and children can thrive.

​-Melinda Karshner

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​The information provided on this website is for educational purposes and reflects the professional experience of the author. It is not intended to replace professional educational, medical, or psychological advice.