Shelley Lacey-Castelot, the founder and director of The Literacy Solutions, holds a Masters Degree in Reading and Language Arts from Central Connecticut State University and an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Southern Connecticut University and is certified in both from the Connecticut State Board of Education. She is a trained and certified Reading Recovery Teacher and has extensive post-Masters credits in Special Education and regular education. In addition, she is certified in assistive technology, holding the ATACP certificate.
In addition to her two decades in public education -- as a classroom teacher, as a remedial reading specialist, as a reading and language arts consultant -- Ms. Lacey-Castelot has been in private practice as an educational consultant since 1989. She is well versed in the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading, writing and spelling and in Lindamood-Bell’s Phonemic Sequencing® (LiPS) Program. She is skilled at weaving together the right combination of diagnostic teaching approaches (e.g., rime-onset decoding, combined with LiPS and Let's Read programs) needed for a child who is struggling to learn to read.
Ms. Lacey-Castelot's area of specialization, in addition to reading and assistive technology, is process-writing instruction. She is expert at utilizing assistive technology and is a published author on the uses of speech-recognition software with students with Learning Disabilities. She presents nationally on topics relating to reading, writing and assistive technology.
Ms. Lacey-Castelot regularly attends IEP meetings throughout the tri-state area to represent students' interests and help provide for their needs in regular and Special Education. The needs of English Language learners, including older internationally adopted children, and the challenges of subtractive bilingualism, are an area of special interest and expertise for her. At the Center, Shelley oversees the evaluation and planning processes for every student.