Specialty
Dyslexia & Reading Differences
Assessment grounded in the science of reading, from someone who has read the research.
You’re not the only one
Meeting you where you are
Dyslexia is common, well‑understood, and consistently underidentified in California schools. It is a specific difficulty with the sound structure of language, which is why a sophisticated vocabulary and weak decoding can live in the same child. Families are often told to wait. Reading will come, they are told, and the gap closes on its own. Meanwhile the child is forming a private conclusion about their own intelligence. Reading difficulty can be identified early and described precisely, and what the testing shows is what determines which kind of instruction is indicated.
Most families arrive here after months of wondering whether what they’re seeing is a phase, a personality, or something that deserves a closer look. That question is worth answering carefully.
Understanding this
What families often notice
No two children present the same way, and the pattern matters more than any single moment. We look at what happens at school, at home, and in the spaces in between.
- Difficulty learning letter‑sound correspondences
- Slow, effortful reading despite intelligence and instruction
- Trouble with spelling patterns
- Family history of reading difficulty
- Fatigue and behavior escalation around reading tasks
If some of this sounds familiar, that is reason enough to have a conversation. It is not a conclusion, and it is not a diagnosis.
Our approach
How we work with this
Assessment grounded in the science of reading, with recommendations tied to structured literacy. Phonological processing, rapid naming, decoding of real and invented words, fluency, spelling, and comprehension are measured separately, because a child can be sturdy in one and impaired in the next. I read the intervention history alongside the scores: what was tried, how it was delivered, whether the child responded. Recommendations name a method and a delivery model rather than “more reading support.”
- 1
Listen first
We start with your story before any measures come out.
- 2
Map the profile
Careful assessment of strengths, challenges, and context.
- 3
Translate findings
Plain-language framing your family and school can use.
- 4
Stay in it
Follow-through so recommendations become real support.
Nothing here is rushed. We move at the pace of the child in the room, and we say plainly what the findings do and do not support.
Modalities
The tools we draw on
Cognitive-behavioral framing
A structured, research-supported approach to changing what a child does and how they interpret it.
Neurodiversity-affirming lens
We describe how a brain works, not what’s wrong with it, and build supports around actual strengths.
Family-systems consultation
Children don’t change in a vacuum. The adults around them are part of the plan from the start.
School collaboration
Direct communication with teachers and IEP teams turns findings into daily classroom support.
What we help with
- Phonological processing
- Decoding
- Fluency
- Spelling
- Reading comprehension
Why families choose us
What makes this different
Independent and honest. We don’t soft-pedal findings or inflate them. Reports say what the data says.
Grounded in the research. Every assessment choice is tied to current cognitive and educational science.
Built with families. You’re a partner in the process from the first call to the last recommendation.
Strength-first, deficit-honest. We name what’s hard without losing sight of what’s working.
Questions parents ask
Frequently asked
It’s classified as a Specific Learning Disorder with impairment in reading.
Yes.
Crescent Psychological Services
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Start with a conversation
Restore your peace.
You do not have to carry this by yourself. Tell us what’s happening, and let’s figure it out together.
Marcia Lynn Miller, LEP #3015 · Independent practice
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