About Sue's Strategies
Sue B. Kahn, M. Ed.
EDUCATION
- Brandeis University B.A.
- Boston University M.Ed.
- CAGS Equivalence in Learning Disabilities
- Mass General Hospital Certification
as Orton-Gillingham Language Therapist
All about Sue
Sue Kahn
Sue Kahn, a dedicated educator and advocate, specializes in publishing educational textbooks that provide better tools and skills for children and adults with learning challenges. These illustrated publications explain strategies simply for rapid understanding.The grammar and writing texts contain self-correcting practice exercises; the reading texts rely on separate syllabication workbooks. Explore Sue's Strategies for Reading & Writing to learn effective solutions.
Sue Kahn, the founder of Sue's Strategies for Reading & Writing, is an expert in helping individuals with dyslexia and dysgraphia learn to read and write. With her specialized knowledge and experience, she has developed a range of educational textbooks and workbooks that provide effective tools and skills for children and adults with learning challenges.
Sue the Author
Sue Kahn, the leading expert in reading & writing, is the founder of Sue’s Strategies® for reading and writing. She changes lives with her unique blend of multimedia, multisensory, multi-mnemonic instruction. First, watch a YouTube video; second, study that skill in an illustrated text; third, practice that skill in a guided workbook. Sue’s demonstrated knowledge and experience resulted in creating proven, effective tools for children and adults. By following Sue’s Strategies’ guided programs, individuals will overcome learning challenges like dyslexia and dysgraphia. So far, Sue has published 19 texts, 57 animated videos, and over 850 blogs to transform lives.
Sue the Advocate
Sue Kahn, the advocate, works tirelessly to improve screening and literacy for at-risk children. Sue worked with a team from Decoding Dyslexia MA to pass Chapter 272, the screening law. Now, she is advocating for literacy laws requiring phonetic reading instruction for all students in MA and in the nation. Susan speaks at local and national conferences to demonstrate methods that improve the quality of education. She believes that reading is a civil right. When we ensure that every child can read with proficiency, we are building a better future for us all.
Sue the Teacher
Sue Kahn, the teacher, enables children, adults, and other teachers to realize their dreams. After quickly analyzing strengths and weaknesses, Sue designs a program to match the needs of the student. She teaches each child consequential language skills that lead to accuracy, independence, and self-confidence in reading and writing. Sue offers lessons in-person and on line that change lives.
Inspiration
In the 1970’s, before special education law was passed in MA, I worried about how to help my three year old son who spoke only 13 words. I was convinced of his intelligence so I began searching for ways to help my child achieve his potential. After 40 years of learning how to help others with language problems, I began publishing strategies that everyone can use to enable children and adults to overcome their difficulties. My methods empower home schoolers and educators to provide the best possible support. I hope to be for YOU the mentor I wish I had known so many years ago.
Inspired by her experiences as a parent, Ms. Kahn spent over forty years changing and improving lives. She worked 25 years for Arlington, MA public schools in Special Education. Also, she tutored, consulted, and evaluated in her private practice and taught adults for MA Rehabilitation Commission.
Susan B. Kahn creates publications, blogs, and animated videos known as Sue’s Strategies®. They represent the “gold standard” of teaching tools because these unique strategies combine multi-sensory, explicit instruction with memory tactics such as pictures, patterns, and stories. Since these techniques bring success to so many struggling readers and writers, Ms. Kahn is promoting literacy with her books, blogs, flashcards, lectures, TV interviews, and free, animated videos. She continues to teach and publish; her goal is to end illiteracy.
About Us
Who has Sue Helped?
Sue's Strategies for Reading & Writing specializes in publishing educational textbooks that provide effective tools and techniques for individuals with dyslexia and dysgraphia. With Sue's help, children and adults with learning difficulties can develop the necessary skills to read and write with confidence and independence.
"Don't Let the ones you love and care about fail"
At the end of fist grade, my son, Douglas, could not read. I watched with pain and sadness as he tried to maintain some self-esteem despite teasing and bullying. Fortunately, I knew how to help my child, because I had just been certified at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston as a language therapist. Although many people advised me against teaching my own child, I didn’t listen. No teacher at my son’s school knew the Orton-Gillingham reading system I had just learned. It provides systematic, structured, multi-sensory support that dyslexic children need. Doug read at grade level a few months later.
Since Doug had also been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, he provided me with a tough challenge, but we succeeded. When Doug learned to read beautifully, I realized I could help others. In my tiny town, I knew of 32 families who were using private tutors for their children. Therefore, to make the greatest impact, I chose to teach in public schools. I worked mostly at the middle school level, which then consisted of grades 7 and 8. Children came to my class with reading skills as low as second grade, but my students usually arrived at high school reading at grade level. How? I figured out during my first year of teaching that the children did not remember my instruction long enough to apply it. I researched memory tactics and created some of my own. I developed a program in which almost every child who came to my class could read words with 90 to 95% accuracy within one school year. Then I could spend time working on vocabulary enrichment, reading comprehension, and writing skills.
"Every child who came to my class could read within one school year"
"I now enjoy hearing from my students who are studying at college"
I’ve simplified the language of Orton-Gillingham instruction and I’ve published materials that use colorful illustrations, pattern learning, and story telling for memory tactics. These three mnemonic devices accelerate learning. In addition, my free, animated videos provide multi-sensory, multi-media instruction of the phonetic sounds, syllabication strategies, and spelling patterns needed to succeed in reading and spelling accuracy. Most children overcome these reading problems within a year by actively practicing their sounds with flashcards and by syllabicating words and reading them to an adult. Because many students also struggle with writing skills, I’ve applied the same instructional methods to creating programs that teach grammar, punctuation, and paragraph writing for essays and reports. These programs have also succeeded in improving reading fluency and reading comprehension as well as the intended writing skills.
The grammar texts include self-correcting practice exercises, because learning must be active to achieve long term mastery. I now enjoy hearing from my students who are studying at college or who have graduated and are making contributions to our world. This year, a current student won first prize in an essay contest. I love hearing about the accomplishments of my students!
PUBLICATIONS
Learn with Bundles
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Sue's Strategies publications provide easier ways to navigate your reading & writing journey.
“All of your materials are fantastic, and I really believe that teachers and homeschoolers would benefit from them.”
Melissa Toohey, Parent
“Sue’s Strategies explicitly teach sentence structure using clear, systematic explanations with concrete memorable examples.”
Nancy Duggan, Co-founder Decoding Dyslexia MA
“My grandchildren and I are learning together about phonics and sentence structure. The rules based approach works for us.”
Linda Wilson, Grandparent