ASDEC Elementary Summer Program Summer Program
Grades 2-6
July 7-25, 2025
ASDEC provides the only Orton-Gillingham Based program endorsed by the International Dyslexia Association in the Washington, DC region. The program provides intensive instruction in reading, writing, spelling, and handwriting. Physical movement is added to the visual and auditory stimuli to provide multisensory learning. The hands-on aspect of the structured routines facilitates attention and concentration. The careful development of conceptual understanding and the high level of repetition reinforce memory. All activities build on the mastery of skills, which helps students build self-esteem as they experience success each day.
Who Should Attend?
Students entering grades 2-6 who currently are struggling in school and require special accommodations as specified in an IEP or some other educational plan.
WHAT STUDENTS LEARN
Students work one-to-one with an academic therapist in the following:
Multisensory Language Training
ASDEC’s Sounds In Syllables teaches phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension procedures that focus attention, improve memory, and reduce anxiety.
Verbal Expression
Through interactive activities and games, students improve language skills through sentence expansion, categorizing and sequencing activities, and deductive reasoning methods.
In addition to our Program Directors, Academic Therapists will work one-on-one and in small groups with students. Therapists meet each day with the Program Director to review the child’s progress and plan the next session.
ASDEC INSTRUCTORS
ASDEC Clinical Directors lead the summer program team. Summer Program Director Traude Smith, CALT has a masters degree in education and has been teaching students with learning differences since 1985. Serving alongside as a clinical supervisor is Mona Iyer, CALT a Certified Montessori Teacher with over 23 years experience as a Montessori teacher and over 15 years as a Certified Academic Therapist.
Donna Brooks, CALT, Donna L. Brooks is an ALTA-certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) and IDA certified Dyslexia Therapist and ASDEC Supervisor. She is the founder of Moving Muscles. This program is specifically used for the ASDEC Summer Program and allows children the ability to become better coordinated, working on total body motion while addressing mid-line, hypotonia, dyspraxia challenges. Most importantly, the children have fun while doing this. Donna is also the founder of Blessings Through Dyslexia, an intervention services provider. She is also certified as a Myers-Briggs Facilitator, an Equipping Minds (EM) Mediator, a Feuerstein Method Mediator, and The Listening Program (TLP) Provider, Visual and Auditory Assessor through The Listening Program, and an Intern for the Learning Ears Program. Donna is currently enrolled in a Masters of Counseling Program at Huntington University, Huntington, Indiana. She is retired from the United States Air Force. Donna and her daughter, Grace, understand the challenges and blessings that come with having dyslexia.
In addition to our Program Directors, Academic Therapists will work one-on-one and in small groups with students. Therapists meet each day with the Program Director to review the child’s progress and plan the next session.
PROGRAM LOCATIONS
Onsite Locations
The Sycamore School
1550 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA
St. Andrew the Apostle School
Silver Spring MD
Online
PROGRAM COSTS
Onsite Programs
$2,000 for three-week program plus $100 non-refundable deposit.
Online Program
$1,520 for three week program plus $100 non-refundable deposit
HOW TO REGISTER
Step 1:
Complete online pre-registration along with payment of non-refundable deposit
Step 2:
Send student's educational testing to eoneill@asdec.org
Step 3:
After staff review testing, student will be invited to meet with summer program director for intake and placement.