Never Too Soon: Early Identification of Learning Differences

Amy Cushner is an Associate Head of School at The Shelton School and Evaluation Center in Dallas, TX. She is certified in Sequential English Education and the Association Method programs for the remediation of written language disorders, as well as advanced levels of Montessori Applied to Children at Risk. Amy holds a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, Montessori-credentialed (E1) MACTE, is a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist(Texas), Certified Academic Language Therapist, QI, and, most important to Amy, she has worked at the Shelton School for 30years.

The Shelton School is world renowned in working with children with learning differences, specifically dyslexia and related disorders of attention weaknesses, math weaknesses, oral language disorders and written expression weaknesses.  The Shelton School is the largest school for children with learning differences in the world. Shelton has been a staple in the Dallas area for over 40 years, since 1976.

Dr. Joyce Pickering is a 50-year Montessorian, speech and language pathologist, and learning disabilities specialist who has devoted her life to addressing the needs of students with learning differences. Joyce served the Shelton School & Evaluation Center as Executive Director (1990 – 2010) and continues to serve as Executive Director Emerita (2010 – present).  In these roles, she oversaw the creation of an Outreach center that annually responds to more than 27,000 requests for information/resources; the development of a unique collaboration between Shelton, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and The University of Texas Dallas’ Center for Brain Health; and, in 2009, the launching of Shelton Montessori Teacher Education. Joyce is the 2013 Living Legacy Recipient for American Montessori Society (AMS) as well as past President of AMS Board of Directors. MACTE (Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education) awarded the Wisdom of the Elders award to Joyce in 2015. She is also an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University, a clinical assistant professor at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and an advisor to the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC).  In 2017, Dr Pickering worked in collaboration with Aspire (formerly Lift) to create the SEE Adult Literacy Series which supports adult learners in gaining skills in reading, writing and spelling. Joyce’s book, Montessori Strategies for Children with Learning Differences: The MACAR Model, was written with her friend Sylvia O. Richardson, M. D. and was published by Parent Child Press in 2019. It is also seen on Amazon. She is the author and Director of the SEE Program, a multisensory structured language education (MSLE) method designed to teach learners age 5 to adult.  In 2022, she developed the SEE Early Literacy Intervention Kit which guides parents, teachers and administrators in the use of age-appropriate manipulatives and research-based strategies to meet the literacy needs of emerging, struggling and at-risk learners age 3 to 9.  Joyce has 7 children and 13 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.