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Learning Specialists

Who We Are
  • Fifty years combined experience in clinical settings
  • Highly skilled and trained staff of professional learning consultants and tutors
  • Highly trained in multi-sensory programs geared for students at all levels, including those with learning differences and learning disabilities (including dyslexia and autism) as well as those seeking enrichment
  • Experience with learning differences, learning disabilities, dyslexia, central auditory processing disorders (CAPD), ADD, ADHD, cognitive and neurological disorders, pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), including autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.
We are trained to implement the following programs:
  • The Writing with Ease® Program
  • The Math with Ease® Program
  • Quick Reads® Research-Based Fluency Program
  • Great Leaps® Reading Program
  • The Morphology Program®
  • The Alert Program® for Self-Regulation
  • Handwriting Without Tears® Program
Staff

Gina Liljestrand is the Director of The Reading Clinic. She holds a BS in Psychology and a BA in Spanish. She’s worked for The Reading Clinic since 2007 and has worked in education for over 10 years. She specializes in applied behavior analysis and has facilitated small groups on a wide range of topics including anger management, impulse control and emotional regulation. She has worked in schools as an early intervention and prevention coordinator.

Peggy Powell is the Clinic Manager of The Reading Clinic. She received her BA in Humanities and certification in TESOL and has been with The Reading Clinic since 2009. She has worked in education for over 15 years in a variety of settings, including tutoring centers, private schools, adult schools, and language centers. She has enjoyed teaching English in Japan, China, and Russia. Peggy has also been involved with the San Francisco theater community for several years.

Erika Castro is the Clinic Manager of The Reading Clinic in San Mateo. She received her B.A. in Child Development from Mills College, CA, Oakland. It has been her passion to inspire children academically, socially and emotionally. She has had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings, including preschools, hospitals, the Slingerland Summer Program, and as an Inclusion Facilitator at a San Francisco public elementary school. Her learning difference has allowed her to become a self-advocate and to individuals with learning challenges. Her personal history continues to motivate her passion to serve the LD community and struggling learners. She would like to pursue a Masters degree in Reading and Literacy with a focus in language based learning differences. Outside of the clinic, she dances and performs at ODC dance school, travels extensively, and explores new hobbies to pursue.