Hello, I’m Katie!
Hello, I’m Katie! I’m a private educator and life coach for autistic children, with many of my students being hyperlexic and gestalt processors. My goal is to share the wide variety of ways to teach neurodivergent kids. I have a BA in Special Education, and an MA in Teaching and Curriculum Development from Michigan State University. I first started working with autistic students in 2015, and went on to start my own tutoring/coaching business in 2018.
I was diagnosed autistic in adulthood, and utilizing my own experiences with autism and PDA has always been one of the big reasons I am able to connect with, and support, my students. Additionally, I grew up with PANDAS and undiagnosed Lyme Disease, which further motivates me to focus on educating each child as a whole and ensure I get to the root cause of any barriers my students are facing.
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I was diagnosed autistic in adulthood, and utilizing my own experiences with autism and PDA has always been one of the big reasons I am able to connect with, and support, my students. Additionally, I grew up with PANDAS and undiagnosed Lyme Disease, which further motivates me to focus on educating each child as a whole and ensure I get to the root cause of any barriers my students are facing.
I like to focus on helping students understand WHY we are learning something, and swap token systems for intrinsic motivation by incorporating strengths and interests. I emphasize explanations that are clear and broken-down, wait time, lots of modeling, incorporating science experiments and art, and providing multiple ways for students to share their ideas.
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I'm a big Disney fan (especially The Lion King) and I love spending time with animals. I’ve also been working on compiling my experience and knowledge into a children’s book series, which I’m excited to share with the world!
If you’d like to stay up to date with my work and enjoy educational posts about learning/teaching, come follow me on Instagram!
For more ideas, how I work with my students and relatable content come follow me on Instagram where you'll see more of my favourite things, activities and more!
I'm all about exploring new ways to support each individual student and helping you find alternatives and add-ons for traditional teaching methods.
Check out my Things I Like Page for a variety of resources, including comprehension stories/questions, word problems, visual processing support, and more!