Literacy Language Center

Miriam Pollack was recommended to us by our 8-year-old son's teacher, who was concerned about the development of his reading skills. When we first took him to Miriam, he was a non-reader scoring below the 1st grade level for reading fluency. He is now tackling books with great enthusiasm which are years beyond his current grade level. From our very first meeting with Miriam, we were deeply impressed by her knowledge, abilities, and rapport with parents and students. Having watched our son work with her and having seen the results in the form of a dramatic improvement in his reading level and self-confidence, that first impression has only been confirmed and deepened. Miriam's expertise in the field of reading development is profound, and is matched by her deep, empathetic connection with the children with whom she works. We recommend her to other parents and teachers wholeheartedly and without hesitation.- Boulder Parents

What a gift to have met you! Witnessing your work was nothing short of inspiring. WOW! The intensity and effectiveness of the program, coupled with your support and personal flair--so potent and important. You are a stellar teacher on all levels.- Professional educator with 30yrs of experience

Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your work with our son. As you know, J was drowning in the public school system. He was being mainstreamed and taken out of class for special ed and as a result of his peers moving ahead academically, despite a sunny disposition and an easy way about him, he was becoming socially isolated. Nobody could get to a diagnosis despite speech therapists, occupational therapists, school specialists, etc... Because of this disconnect, we moved him to a private Montessori school, which was more flexible, but no amount of vision therapy, private school reading education, private tutoring, computer programs, or home help was allowing him to read at anything but a Boulder K to 1st grade level (he was in third grade). I remember reading with him. He was unable to sound the words out or recognize simple sight words. Words that he had just sounded out at the top of the page would be like Chinese to him if the same word was encountered at the bottom of the same page. He would also constantly lose his place while reading, which only made the task that much harder.

Within a month of working with you I noticed sight words coming to him. By the next month or two he could recognize words he had sounded out if encountered later in the page. The next month or two he started reading signs and other things encountered in his environment. After years of no progress with anything, each month there was a new ability. J and I are now reading one of the Lightening Thief books every night, which is on his twin sister's reading list from Dawson this summer. . . it brings a tear to my eye to know that he's now reading the same books as his peers. My wife and I can't thank you enough. Our son’s life was immeasurably changed by your great work!- CC, M.D.

I just wanted to let you know that M is doing much better in her reading! She took a test at school before we came to see you called Scholastic Reading Inventory and scored a 753 which was a little below grade level for her. The year she took the same test and scored 1126 which is above grade level for her!! Your work with her really paid off . . . Thank you so much!!- LG

Our vision therapist is equally enamored of your work!- ND

I really feel blessed that we were able to find you when our son really needed help. Your work is honestly miraculous. Thank you SO MUCH!! We were so lucky to find Miriam in Boulder. Her training and experience is impressive and she was able to help our 12 year old son when we didn't know where to turn next. He was very comfortable and willing to work with her over the period of a few months. Our son's teacher could not believe the progress he made in such a short time. His writing drastically improved as well as his reading and comprehension. He has now moved into middle school and is doing very well. Miriam is a true professional with a large heart.- MD

Every time I pick [our son] up from your sessions, he is more talkative and happier. It is quite clear that this is such an important and beneficial thing for his development. We really feel great about the work you are doing.- SV

We just came off of a terrific parent/teacher conference for M. I tell you, I was near tears. His teacher said that he is doing so well and that she expects him to end the year at grade level.- MK

Hi Miriam! Thank you so much for your presentation last Friday. The teachers found your information helpful and they felt you are definetly an expert in your field. You addressed many issues found in some of our children and gave insights to intervention. Some thought that you also triggered knowledge they had, but hadn't used in a while. They would also like to use you as a referral to parents.- Director, Boulder private school

J said he had a wonderful time today and really felt positive about his morning... I take it hour by hour, so thank you for making this, a good one!...Our son is having some of the most amazing academic days and I attribute much of this skill and budding confidence to his work with you...- KH

Right now, he's putting forth a lot of effort to read, but his interest is much, much more positive. He doesn't say that he hates reading anymore, which is tremendous in my book. I feel we were truly blessed the day we found you!- MK

I wanted to thank you for the work you have done with my developmentally disabled foster son over the past few years.

I have seen so many changes in him, and feel that you have been a huge factor in several aspects of his growth.

There is, of course, the improvement in his general reading level. His decoding skills have improved considerably, and I know that the gains are a direct result of your skill in engaging him and giving him the desire to read (when he once thought it beyond his reach). In addition, I know that you put a lot of effort into determining his learning style and how to best facilitate his understanding.

You also were instrumental in pointing out the vision problems, which were complicating his efforts to learn and making it so much more difficult for him. Thank you for caring enough to look past surface issues and advocate for providing vision therapy for him.

But even more important to me is the improvement I have seen in his confidence level and self-esteem. The change is dramatic. Did I tell you he even volunteers to read out loud occasionally in Sunday School class? I believe that his willingness to take a chance like that is largely a result of your encouragement and affirmation of his efforts. He has begun to see himself, through your eyes, as a competent reader.

We value the relationship you have developed with this unique young man, and the many ways you have contributed to his growth--not only as a reader, but also as a unique individual who knows he has much to offer his community.- RO

We are so proud of our son, who graduated with an engineering degree from SF State this June. Seems like a good time to thank you again for the work you did that helped send him on his way!- MB

My son's learning challenges were not diagnosed until middle school. Miriam's work has made him a more confident reader, and he is learning to identify his particular spelling pitfalls. In Miriam, he found an ally; her calm support helped him to understand that he is smart and capable during a frustrating and turbulent time.- JZ

Before we sent our daughter to Miriam Pollack, she had been held back one year in school and doing poorly in most of her subjects. After completing her course with Miriam, she has consistently made the honor roll in her junior high school.- CP

Miriam Pollack was highly recommended to us as, "The Bay Area Lindamood-Bellâ tutor." Our 14 year old daughter benefitted greatly from her intensive tutoring during the summer. She moved up several grade levels in her comprehension, and rediscovered her pleasure in reading. We give our unequivocal praise to Miriam's personal warm style with our teenager and to Miriam’s strong professional attitude and commitment to the family's learning process.- LL and JP

Miriam’s expertise and perceptiveness have been invaluable in enabling us to identify where our daughter needs help. We especially appreciate her warmth and sensitivity; she is a healer as well as a teacher--and I love hearing my daughter laugh as she learns!- LH

Our 14 year old son had tremendous difficulty comprehending reading materials near his grade level. After years of tutoring, I felt the Lindamood-Bell® technique, as taught by Miriam Pollack, was our last resort to prepare him for high school. After four weeks of classes, with our son’s willing participation, he was brought up to grade level in his comprehension and is applying the techniques to his schoolwork daily. I wish we had discovered this years ago!- A San Rafael mother

My 7 year old daughter was going into the first grade and had recently been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder with visual and auditory processing disabilities. She seemed unable to learn reading reading and math concepts and apply them to new, but similar problems. After a few months in the Visualizing and Verbalizing for Comprehension® program, the results were absolutely a miracle to us. Our daughter is now performing at grade level. She remembers her weekly spelling words and is able to apply spelling phonetics to any familiar words. Her grades in all subjects have gone up. An unexpected surprise for us was the rise in her self-esteem. She didn't view her time with Miriam as work, but as a special treat.- BP