SHARON AITKEN, B. ED., OCT, BASC, SSW

Sharon has been working with children for many years. In 2007, she graduated from the University of Cantebury’s School of Teacher Education in New Zealand. Prior to this, Sharon obtained her Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) in Family and Social Relations, from the University of Guelph. She also has a background in social service work, having graduated from the SSW program at Sir Sanford Fleming College. Sharon has been tutoring students since 2008 and has taken further courses to advance her skillset in special education. She has gained a wide variety of experience working with children of different ages in a variety of settings including Montessori, public, private and homeschool environments.

Sharon enjoys working with children with a range of different learning needs including Learning Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and an array of other exceptionalities. She works from a needs-oriented approach so that children receive individualized programming based on their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Sharon also works collaboratively with parents, teachers, and other professionals, applying recommendations from report cards, IEPs, and psycho-educational assessments. She is currently pursuing further training in Orton-Gillingham based programs, a direct and explicit language-based multisensory approach to teaching reading, writing, and spelling.

Sharon believes that regardless of what the challenges are to learning, there is a way for every child to learn and gain skills. She uses a creative, eclectic approach, regularly seeking out resources that will benefit her students, and creating learning games and activities that will target the skills that need to be developed. She works to build positive rapport with each student, believing that a positive relationship is one of the keys to successful learning.