Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Pinchback.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Prior to Covid, I noticed a huge shortage of access to Certified Academic Language Therapists (CALT) for students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, or any language-based learning disability. This shortage may have been for a number of reasons, the most common of which was a shortage of CALT’s in rural areas, as in my area, or the shortage of CALT’s in a number of states. As a result, I had the idea to transition my private practice into a different modality – ZOOM – in order to reach those students. I had tremendous success with my students in private practice using the new platform, and I began to see the value of such an approach. Then COVID hit, and I think that I was the only therapist at the time utilizing this arena. For this reason, COVID dramatically assisted the growth of my business. There was a direct correlation between NEED and a new willingness to try this virtual environment, based on the mind shift in the pandemic. Utilizing this new approach to instruction yielded great success among my students. I saw the potential for helping students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, or other language-based learning disabilities across the country—helping students for whom intervention had not existed before. Today, Dyslexia on Demand has over 72 CALTs or CALTs in Training, reaching students in 22+ states and five countries!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Going from a single individual conducting therapy for students to 72 therapists in a little over 2 years has presented wild challenges! Daily, we are revamping business practices, systems, and approaches to navigate our rapid growth. I, coincidentally, had an MBA that had accumulated 20 years of dust; therefore, I understood what was needed on a basic level. However, the specifics of what we needed in terms of operations have been a major challenge.
We’ve been impressed with Dyslexia On Demand, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are the premier provider of virtual, one-on-one, individualized dyslexia therapy, provided solely by Certified Academic Language Therapists. What sets us apart from others is that we are individualized, providing PURE dyslexia therapy with fidelity, customized to the particular needs of the student (vs group therapy delivered more like a curriculum). We are very data-driven, and have a staff diagnostician and a SLP (speech and language pathologist) who do all of our standard score testing and progress monitoring. We also take a VERY special approach to addressing the social-emotional dyslexic child, discussing their mental health struggles pertaining to their dyslexia. A second service line that we have is mental health groups for students with dyslexia, pairing 4-5 similarly aged children who have dyslexia with a mental health professional in order to understand their dyslexia and the anxiety surrounding their struggles. We teach them to recognize and to proudly advocate for their neuro-differences and to recognize and handle their anxiety when it bubbles up.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Austin is rich in diversity and offerings and is a fun melting pot.
Pricing:
- 73.25 per hour for a CALT
- 57.50 per hour for an Advanced CALT in Training
- 52.50 per hour for a Year 1 CALT in Training
- $480 for 8 hours of group mental health coaching
Contact Info:
- Website: dyslexiaondemand.com
- Instagram: @dyslexia_on_demand
- Facebook: @dyslexiaondemand
- Twitter: @DyslexiaDemand
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5_VGEwNBjf_BHhpe90stmQ/featured
