The Founder's Story

In my earliest years as a speech-language pathologist, I worked at the North Shore Children's Hospital in Salem, Massachusetts. I learned much about the intricacies of oral language and its development from working with children, families, and professionals from a variety of disciplines. As a doctoral student, my interests turned to reading and writing. I joined the faculty at Emerson College while I was completing my research and loved everything about academia; research, teaching, and mentoring budding clinicians were stimulating and satisfying. I was graced with rare opportunities to study with some of the leading researchers in language and literacy, and I loved every minute of it.

Instead of joining the "ivory tower" and exploring how to help children from afar, I chose to go where the kids are and established a private practice, collaborating with highly trained neuropsychologists, clinical psychologists, and learning specialists. These experiences taught me to see children's language and academic skills within the framework of their cognition and overall learning style. Moreover, they cultivated a keen interest in working with a broader range of students than is typical for a speech-language pathologist. I initially saw students with Language-Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia for evaluations and intervention. Soon, students with weaknesses in attention, executive functioning, and non-verbal/spatial abilities began to flock to my office. Then came students who had no diagnosed learning disabilities at all; they simply were not doing as well as they should have been in school. While the learning needs of all of these students were diverse, all of them were struggling in some way.

For years, I met countless children whose struggle to read, write, and "do school" left them feeling dejected and defective. It didn't take much failure for them to give up in the classroom, convinced that they were "stupid" and somehow broken. Too often, their teachers branded them "unmotivated," which left them feeling blamed for their failure. In my view, motivation wasn't the problem. What 7 year-old wants to fail? Or 17 year-old, for that matter? Motivation is fueled by success, and these children were not experiencing enough of it to stick with things that didn't come easily to them. They needed to taste some success and get hungry for more of it if their self-concepts were going to change.

I built Architects For Learning® with one vision: that all children see themselves as whole and capable learners. It gets me out of bed every morning with a sense of purpose and passion. I have always said that if I won the lottery, I'd keep doing what I do because the look on a student's face when he or she understands or can do something for the first time is worth more than anything money can buy. (I admit, though, that I would spend some time in Italy as well.) I feel incredibly lucky to love what I do.

In 2004, I began to expand my solo practice and handpick a staff whose vision, passion, professionalism, and expertise align with mine. They are superb clinicians and educators. All of them believe that students need teachers, mentors, and cheerleaders -- people who will believe in them when they struggle and celebrate with them when they succeed. All of us at AFL want the parents who come through our door to know that we care as much as they do about the success of their children. By working together, we can change children's lives.