After an initial over-the-phone consultation, we’ll schedule you for an in-person assessment. Our Educational Diagnostician will walk you through the evaluation process and conduct industry-standard evaluations (see below). We will then construct a tailored action plan for your child. We’ll match your child with the tutors, counselors, and advocates who we think will spark the most effective results. Our 30+ Academic Specialists are highly trained, using both multi-sensory and personalized techniques. Our work is always one-on-one so you can be assured that your child is receiving the attention and care that they deserve. Whether you wish to meet at one of our offices, at your child’s school, or online via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime, we’ll be there! For more information on any of the evaluations we use (we may use all of or parts of these evaluations) click on the links below:

• Woodcock Johnson IV

• Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (WRMT-III)

• TOWL-4

• CTOPP-2

• Gray Oral Reading Tests (GORT-5)

• Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT)

• PAT-2: NU

• RAN/RAS

• TOMA 3

We are now proud to offer a consultation service that focuses exclusively on Executive Functioning! Following a 90 minute in-person or online consultation, and using data collected from you and your child through state-of-the-art inventories, we provide customized reports that contain:

• Observations and qualitative data

• Data and interpretative analysis from BRIEF-2 or BRIEF-A Inventories

• A customized, step-by-step treatment plan

• Recommendations for how you can support your child at home

Given the impact of COVID-19 on school systems, personalized instruction is more important than ever. At LINKZ, we're here to support your homeschooling needs; we can help plan, support, supplement, and implement any curriculum you apply for and receive from your county. Whether through the school system or through homeschool instruction, our mission is always to provide specialized, tailored, one-on-one education.

For more information on how to pick the right homeschool curriculum for your child, click here.

At LINKZ, we believe in addressing the interconnectedness of your child’s life: at school, at home, and socially. If you believe that anxiety, depression, or negative psychoemotional components may be affecting your child’s Executive Functioning skills, you and your family deserve to feel empowered with strategies, recommendations, and solutions. Following a two hour in-person or online consultation with your family, and using data collected from you and your child through state-of-the-art inventories, we provide customized reports that contain:

• Observations and qualitative data

• Data and interpretative analysis from BRIEF-2 and BRIEF-A Inventories

• A customized, step-by-step treatment plan that addresses both Executive Functioning and psychoemotional needs

• Recommendations for how you can support your child at home

• Referrals for psychoemotional services provided by professionals suited for your child’s location and specific needs

Choosing the right college is a delicate balancing act - considering finances, location, accommodations, programming, extracurriculars… the list goes on. We’re honored to have helped many students and their families find that perfect fit by researching schools and tailoring the results to your family.

For older students (either out of high school, still in college, or a recent college graduate), we’re happy to provide support in finding a career. We use industry-standard assessments (like MBTI + Strong and CliftonStrengths) to help determine possible career paths.

The prefrontal cortex is responsible for the executive functions of our brain - that is, the part of our mind that manages time, space, materials, and information. ADD and ADHD have been shown to play significant roles in diminishing executive functioning, which can drastically impact a student’s success in school:

“This study examined the predictive relations from symptoms of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and executive functioning (EF) to social and school functioning... At high levels of symptoms of inattention, the poorer the EF, the greater the need for special education. At high levels of symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity, the poorer the EF, the higher the levels of physical aggression...”

- Impact of Executive Functioning and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on Children's Peer Relations and School Performance

Fortunately, strategies and techniques have been developed to remediate the effects of executive dysfunction. Our tutors work multi-sensorily, allowing students to tap into other areas of their brain when faced with organizational tasks (which is why ADD/ADHD students are typically more creative!) If you’re interested in learning more about EF and how executive dysfunction can affect your child academically click here or here.

•2023-2024 SAT UPDATE: The SAT will drastically be changing its format starting later this year. To see the complete list of changes, please click here.

Few things elicit more stress than standardized tests, especially when coupled with learning differences. Thankfully, we’ve created dynamic, multi-sensory approaches for helping students conquer the “big day.” We’re proud to have prepared students for the following exams (and we’re always creating strategies for new exams!):

• SAT/ACT
• COOP/HSPT/TACHS
• GRE/GMAT
• Selective Enrollment (CPS)
• Technical Interviews
• ASVAB/AFQT
• NBCC/NCE
• PSAT/NMSQT
• AP Exams
• SSAT/ERB/ISEE
• LSAT

In addition to providing SAT / ACT prep for your soon-to-be college student, we'd love to provide assistance with coursework, management, and/or Executive Functioning coaching. If your child attends one of the following universities (listed in no particular order), we can even provide on-campus assistance:

• University of Maryland, College Park • Towson University • Howard Community College • University of Maryland, Baltimore County • Bowie State University • Carroll Community College • Johns Hopkins University • Community College of Baltimore County • Goucher College • Loyola University Maryland • Salisbury University • Stevenson University • University of Baltimore •

If your new college enrollee attends an out-of-state university we’ll be happy to continue providing our services for them virtually. We’ve worked with students in California, Montana, New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Illinois, and beyond (even in Asia!).

When your student is ready, we're here to help with job searches, applications, resumes, cover letters, and interviewing skills.

While our work with Reading, Writing, English, History, and other non-S.T.E.M. subjects is incredibly important to us, we believe S.T.E.M. subjects are vital to the future of society. We work with all levels of science and mathematics and have helped students effectively prepare for these (and other) exams and courses:

• MCAT
• ATI Nursing Exam
• CollegeBoard Accuplacer
• All AP Math, Science, & Computer Science Exams
• ASVAB/AFQT
• SAT/ACT
• GRE
• College Level Math, Science, Engineering, & Computer Science

We know that the day-to-day management of online platforms (including Canvas, Blackboard, and Google Classroom) is both stressful and more important than ever. Our Homework and Online Learning Specialists are available for both daytime and after-school hours, and are dedicated to helping your child stay on top of their classwork and homework and navigate their school's digital landscape. We know that these may be stressful times; allow us to take the navigating and micromanaging off your plate.

Under normal conditions, studies have demonstrated that students who do not engage academically over the summer can lose nearly half the knowledge they gain over the course of a school year. This phenomenon is known as “summer slide.” While the lasting impacts of COVID-19 on "summer slide" have yet to fully emerge, we expect that students will remain behind in benchmarks and grade-appropriate progress. We’re here to help combat academic backslides by providing our tailor-made educational services year-round. In addition to summer remediation, we also provide summer enrichment by helping students plan and prepare for next year’s curriculum. For more information on COVID-19's impact on “summer slide,” see the links below:

• The COVID-19 Slide

• Will Summer Slide Become COVID-19 Avalanche?

• Pandemic Stress Has Upended Life. Maybe an ADHD Coach Can Help.

• Summer Learning Loss: What We Know and What We’re Learning

Many of our tutors are trained in the industry-standard Orton-Gillingham "Plus" Phonological Awareness & Fluency Training program, created by the late Dr. Fran Bowman. Orton-Gillingham "Plus" is taught in a 60-hour course, and includes the traditional Orton-Gillingham curriculum + phonological awareness and reading fluency strategies. Jennifer Wheat, our Educational Diagnostician, is a Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist (certified by the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI) in conjunction with the International Dyslexia Association) and an Orton-Gillingham "Plus" trainer.

Many of our writing specialists are trained in Jemicy School's Paragraphology™ program, developed by Bridget Barley. From Jemicy School website:

"Paragraphology™ is the study of writing through color-coding. Paragraphology™ is a multisensory, comprehensive, scaffolded approach to writing and note-taking that can be easily utilized by children, teens, college students, and adults. Students are systematically taught a formula that guides them through the process of writing a basic paragraph to a comprehensive understanding of the five-paragraph essay. Through scaffolding, repetition, and practice of reading quality examples, producing work of their own, coding and unlocking writing prompts, and dissecting expository text, students learn the writing process inside and out."

At LINKZ, many of our students greatly benefit from working with V/V. From the Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes website:

"A primary cause of language comprehension problems is difficulty creating an imagined gestalt. This is called weak concept imagery. This weakness causes individuals to get only “parts” of information they read or hear, but not the whole... The Visualizing and Verbalizing® (V/V®) program develops concept imagery—the ability to create an imagined or imaged gestalt from language—as a basis for comprehension and higher order thinking. The development of concept imagery improves reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing."

Academic Specialists at LINKZ have recently utilized the Handwriting Without Tears® program in conjunction with Orton-Gillingham "Plus” reading instruction. Students and Academic Specialists together have incorporated the highly engaging digital songs and handwriting apps on the "HWT" platform to make handwriting entertaining, while also learning new letters and sounds. Once the automaticity of formation of letters is mastered, sounds can be introduced. The “HWT" digital platform also has the ability to generate learning tools that coincide with Orton-Gillingham "Plus" linkages.

At the core of students struggling with learning differences, inherent trauma may subsist. Whether from being bullied by peers for being "different", struggling with familial dynamics, or feeling a low sense of worth, our students often face stress, anxiety, and discomfort, especially when confronted with academic tasks. At LINKZ, we understand how important it is to address our students' social-emotional needs, especially as they relate to their academic sense-of-self. Our leadership team has been trained by Lisa Ferentz, LCSW-C DAPA through her Institute's Trauma Certificate Program; from The Ferentz Institute's website:

"[The Trauma Certificate Program provides an] understanding of the myriad dynamics related to trauma and its reverberating effect on... cognitions, affect, social functioning, and behavioral choices. The philosophical underpinning of the program is a depathologized, strengths-based approach to the assessment and treatment of adolescent and adult survivors of trauma, abuse, and neglect. Symptoms will be reframed as inevitable, creative coping strategies that “make sense” when put into the historical context of trauma or a dysfunctional family-of-origin. [There are] many creative, effective, and empathic ways to help... reclaim a sense of healthy empowerment, achieve a much higher level of functioning, and integrate the resources necessary for genuine healing."

We’re proud to have strong relationships with some of the area’s leading speech-language pathologists. Oral language skills are the backbone of strong reading and writing. The services we provide work in harmony with the skills that speech-language pathologists help develop. These include articulation, verbal formation, word retrieval, oral-motor, syntax, and vocabulary development. For more information on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, click here.

At LINKZ, we are constantly exploring the links between academic and emotional growth. We believe that your child's emotional wellbeing is essential to finding and maintaining success in the classroom; as such, we are proud to cultivate relationships with clinicians who work in a wide variety of strength-based, de-pathologizing, trauma-informed modalities. If you believe your child could benefit from such services, you may wish to inquire about our Educational + Psychoemotional Consultation.