Welcome

Welcome to Reading Pathways, Colorado. We are a specialized group of highly educated and experienced specialists to help struggling readers including those diagnosed with dyslexia. We are a team of Special Educators, Teachers, and Behavior Analysts. Our clients include individuals with and without formal diagnoses, those who attend school and those who are homeschooled. We do not diagnose, but we also do not require a diagnosis to start therapy – we are open to anyone who needs reading help.

We offer in-person and online therapy options, and we only implement evidence-based methods.

Filling A Need

Reading Pathways, Colorado was founded by Dr. Cheryl Ostryn, BCBA-D, LBA. Cheryl is an Associate Professor, has been a special educator for 28 years, and continues to own the evidence-based medical therapy company Autism Gears LLC, which opened its doors in 2013. Recently, she has seen a need for a more focused therapy company for those who are getting left behind as they struggle in reading. This idea started as her own children were diagnosed with dyslexia and after 5 months in kindergarten demonstrated very low reading progress. She realized as a special educator who implements evidence-based instruction, she had all the teaching tools to help them and set up a home program. In just 6 weeks, both her children reached grade level reading. The school assessment data, depicted below, shows the growth percentages from August 2022 to February 2023. Cheryl implemented her teaching with her children from January 15, 2023 - February 28, 2023, and the data demonstrates there was significant growth during this short 6-week period. She then realized she needed to teach others, and Reading Pathways, Colorado was born.

Let’s Look At The Data

Child 1 (School in session Aug 8, 2022 – Dec 21, 2022, and Jan 16, 2023 – May 23, 2023)

Start of Kindergarten testing (8/30/2022) score 323/grade level (362-479)

End of first school semester (12/5/2022) score 357/grade level (362-479) – increase of 34%

Cheryl started intervention on 1/15/2023, score on 2/28/2023 - 407/(362-479) – increase of 84% and on grade level

Child 2: (School in session Aug 8, 2022 – Dec 21, 2022, and Jan 16, 2023 – May 23, 2023)

Start of Kindergarten testing (8/30/2022) score 343/grade level (362-479)

End of first school semester (12/5/2022) score 387/grade level (362-479) – increase of 44%

Cheryl started intervention on 1/15/2023, score on 2/28/2023 - 414/(362-479) – increase of 71% and on grade level

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EVIDENCE-BASED AND RESEARCH BASED?

Great Question!

Research-based means that methods are based on theories that may have been researched, but do not show effectiveness. So, these methods appear to be based on some good ideas that would seem like they would work, but in reality, they do not as there is no evidence to demonstrate effectiveness. Some of these methods of teaching include Sensory Integrative Therapy, Auditory Integration Training, and Facilitated Communication.

Evidence-based means that there has been gold standard, randomized controlled, comparison studies implemented, using reliable and valid student measures, and the reporting of effect sizes have demonstrated effectiveness and statistical significance. Some of these methods of teaching include explicit instruction and/or direct instruction, phonics, and applied behavior analysis. These are the methods we use at Reading Pathways, Colorado.