Clinical quality, evidence-based Multisensory Structured Language Therapy (MSL) and specialist literacy tutoring for children with language-based learning difficulties in Kyneton, Victoria.
Support for Children
What is Multisensory Structured Language Therapy (MSL)?
MSL is an evidence-based therapy designed to improve and maintain language and communication skills by systematically focusing on the structure of language to develop written and oral language skills.
In an MSL session, reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, comprehension and oral language are all taught together because these skills are learned best when developed together.
MSL is the approach supported by the Australian Dyslexia Association and is based on Orton-Gillingham and Science of Reading principles such as Scarborough’s Reading Rope.
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This approach is a recommended therapy for children with literacy and language challenges, including those related to Specific Learning Disorders (dyslexia, dysgraphia), ADHD, and autism.
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Pod Literacy MSL sessions are held weekly during term time face-to-face in our quiet, bright and friendly consulting rooms in Kyneton, Victoria.
Sessions are taught ‘diagnostically’, which means they are tailored to each child's individual needs at their exact point of need.
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The price of each 50-minute session includes preparation, home practice materials, progress reports each semester, regular short meetings with parents and most resources.
Additional fees apply for further reports and longer meetings.
Please get in touch with us via our website enquiry form for details of our pricing packages.
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Online sessions are available in certain circumstances.
Please get in touch with us via our website enquiry form.
Our Space
Kyneton Consulting Rooms
Pod Literacy has a comfortable, light-filled space in Kyneton Consulting Rooms, 140 Mollison St, Kyneton, Victoria.
The space has been designed to provide am environment that children are comfortable in that maximises their ability to concentrate without it feeling sterile or too much like a traditional classroom.
There is space for parents to sit-in on sessions, a comfortable waiting room and excellent coffee at the cafe across the road!
Support for Parents
Parents need help too
If you have a child with learning difficulties, it can be difficult to know how to support them. At Pod Literacy, we love helping parents work out how to support their child. As well as providing therapy for your child, we provide advice and guidance on:
Talking to your child’s school
The pros and cons littering the pathway of formal assessments and diagnosis
Finding resources and services to help your family
Workshops for Parents
Even if your child is not enrolled with us, we may be able to help you with our growing suite of personalised workshops. Available as 1:1 or small group sessions.
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Our popular one-hour Handwriting Fundamentals workshop will set you up with a kit of resources and skills to support your child with handwriting practice. Disfluent handwriting can slow down a child’s development of spelling and writing skills, so a little bit of regular high-impact practice can make a big difference. With a bit of know-how, it is a task you can easily do at home.
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It’s your school’s job to teach your child to read, but the more quality practice they get, the better. This workshop for parents of preschool, Foundation and Year 1 children teaches you the best ways to efficiently use your time to help your child practice their new reading and spelling skills without making it a chore. Topics include:
How to use decodable readers
How to read together with ‘normal’ books.
Helping children with blending and segmenting.
Recommended programs and games to use at home.
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Kids love stories, but not all kids love reading books. This workshop examines some of the reasons you may have a ‘reluctant reader’ on your hands, how you can find books that they will love and tricks to get them to start reading them.
Our Background
Who are we?
You will be working with Gisela Ervin-Ward, a qualified Multisensory Structured Language therapist and specialist literacy tutor. She loves working with neurodivergent children who need a quiet yet engaging environment and to be met at their point of need.
After running the Literacy Support program at an inner-city Melbourne government primary school, Gisela moved with her family to the Macedon Ranges region and started Pod Literacy.
Gisela retrained to become an MSL therapist after her son was diagnosed with dyslexia and wasn’t getting the help he needed. As a result, Gisela brings real-life experience and empathy to your situation, which means the support she gives comes from a place of genuine understanding.
Gisela’s work with children began with her years working on child-focussed social inclusion and education on international development projects in South East Asia. This is where she formed her belief that all children have the right to literacy and to be taught in the way they need to be taught.
As a published children’s author, Gisela cares deeply about children’s literature and making sure all kids can access it in the way they need to.
This means that in addition to writing books herself, she provides consulting services to the publishing industry about literacy and learning difficulties. She also writes teachers notes for children’s literature and advises on the development of educational materials. Her most recent collaboration was on Sally Rippin’s School of Monsters phonics cards and workbook that you might even sometimes see during a session.
Qualifications
Professional Associations
Practising MSL Educational Specialist (IMSLE, Aus)
Accredited Member of the Australian Dyslexia Association
Victorian Institute of Teaching Member
Qualifications
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) English and Anthropology (Mel)
Master of Development Studies (Mel)
Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning (USQ)
Cert IV Workplace Training and Assessment (Mel)
RSA/Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (RMIT)
Multisensory Language (MSL) Associate Course (Institute of Multisensory Language Education (IMSLE))
Other Training
The Writing Revolution
Yoshimoto Orton-Gillingham Advanced
The Science of Language and Reading Intermediate (Latrobe)The Tier 3 Toolkit. Language and Learning.
Testimonials
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Working with Gisela was a turning point for my severely dyslexic son. He started making progress in reading and spelling for the first time with her help. They have a lovely rapport that makes their sessions together something special. Gisela has also helped me learn what I need to know in order to support my son and my younger children. This has made all the difference.
Adie
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Our son is dyslexic and went from being 3 years behind with reading when he started working with Gisela to 1 year behind. Gisela gave our son the tools to read starting from the basics. Our son has started high school with the best start possible. We are so very thankful for Gisela's work with our son over the past 3 years.
Chris
Resources
Resources for Teachers and Therapists
Pod Literacy has developed a growing suite of home revision and practice resources for literacy intervention specialists.
Children with learning difficulties often need a large number of repetitions of a concept in order to master it. Too often, regular programs don’t have enough chances for repetition, nor do they have easy-to-use resources to send home for homework or revision.
Pod Literacy has developed a range of evidence aligned resources that are either ‘No Prep’ or reusable to make it as easy as possible for a therapist or teacher to provide students with enough practice to consolidate their skills.
These resources are available on our Teachers Pay Teachers store.