Deborah Restaino, CALT., is the primary Shareholder of Dyslexia Therapy Associates of South Texas. Deborah is a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) and is an active member of the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) and the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). She graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997 with her B.A. and became a CALT in 2010 after studying at the Scottish Rite Learning Center of South Texas. Deborah has spent time in the classroom as a reading teacher but her passion is working with dyslexic students.
Deborah’s journey started when her oldest daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia. The instruction her daughter required was not readily available in New Braunfels at the time. So desperate to get her daughter the help she needed she went back to school not knowing that working with dyslexic students was her calling. After two years of study and an internship, Deborah started her own business in 2010. She is intimately acquainted with the challenges of being a dyslexic student or the parent of a dyslexic student.
Deborah is a native Texan. She is married with two daughters. Her oldest daughter attends college and her youngest is in High School. She loves to read and travel. She especially enjoys visiting historic places and learning the history of different cultures.
Christy is the secondary shareholder in Dyslexia Therapy Associates of South Texas with offices located in Cibolo, Tx. She is a Certified Academic Language Practitioner (CALP) and is an active member of the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) and the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). She graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1995 with her B.A. and became a CALP in 2021 after studying at the Scottish Rite Learning Center of South Texas. Christy has spent time in the classroom as an early childhood educator working with children from 12 months up to 12 years during her time as a Childcare facility Owner/Director and Lead teacher from 2008- 2021. Christy has been teaching pre-reading and emergent reading skills since 2008. She has been licensed as an Early Childhood Director with the state of Texas since 2009.
Christy’s interest in Dyslexia began with the diagnosis of her oldest son in 2007. It was at about that time that Christy became friends with Deborah with the common interest of their children’s learning. Although she did not yet seek formal dyslexia education, she took a personal interest in getting information and reading about the disorder.
Her personal experience of raising 2 sons with dyslexia and a daughter with ADHD has given her unique patience and understanding with helping children who struggle to read and write. When her youngest son was diagnosed in 2012 she enrolled him with Deborah. Having seen the miraculous success of some of the Take Flight students she began her journey to expand her teaching skills through Scottish Rite. Christy has been Married for 33 years to her wonderful husband, Mark. Together they have raised their family, served in their church, and love to camp and fish.
Hello! I am Miss Nicole my certifications include Core Subjects (ELAR, Science, Math, and Social Studies) grades 4-8 and English as a Second Language. I also have 5 years of experience teaching and writing curriculum for gifted and talented students.
I have taught collectively for nine years: in public middle schools for six and for homeschooled families for three.
I specialize in tutoring reading and writing for students K-12 as well as STAAR test prep for reading and writing. I also tutor general social studies, science, and math for grades 4-6.
I have been honored to be awarded Teacher of the Year by my former faculty and voted “Most Caring” and “Gives the Best Advice” by my students! Making reading and writing come alive for my students and challenging them to think outside the box is my favorite way to engage them in learning. Learning should be interesting and enjoyable for everyone! I consider myself a lifelong student, and love learning new recipes, dance steps, and music as often as possible!
I am Ricky Smith, a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), receiving my Dyslexia Therapist training from the Scottish Rite Learning Center in San Antonio and the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. I spent 13 years as a Dyslexia teacher and therapist in Texas public schools before moving into the Director of Athletics position for a 6A school district with over 10,000 students.
I am a retired educator, coach of athletics, therapist, and athletic administrator with 36 years experience in Texas public schools in grades K-12. I’m Texas State Certified to teach English, Reading, Health, and Physical Education and a graduate of Angelo State University.
In my professional opinion, the Orton-Gillingham based “Take Flight” program is the best multisensory, comprehensive intervention program for children who struggle with reading, spelling, and/or writing. The “Take Flight” program contains the 5 components of effective reading instruction supported by National Reading Panel research and mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act established in 2002.
As a Dyslexic individual and a father of a Dyslexic child, I understand the struggles of children with Dyslexia and those having difficulties in reading, spelling, and/or writing.
I look forward to helping your child feel more confident about reading and becoming a better reader.
Lisa Casey is a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) and Licensed Dyslexia Therapist (LDT). She is an active member of the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA). Lisa graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree with a specialization in Special Education in 1989. Over the course of her career in education, she earned two master’s degrees, one in Counseling & Guidance and the other in Administration & Supervision. She is certified as an Educational Diagnostician as well. Lisa taught students in general and special education for a total of 20 years, served as a School Counselor, Assistant Principal and most recently as a CALT in the public schools and in her own private practice.
Lisa became interested in pursuing training to become a CALT after she learned that her aunt was diagnosed (later in life) with a reading disability. Her Aunt Eve applied for admission to the University of Tulsa. While speaking with academic counselors it was determined that she might have a learning disability. The university administered a series of assessments and subsequently discovered that she had a genius level IQ and Dyslexia. While some might consider this a devastating discovery, Aunt Eve was relieved to know that not only was she very smart but there was now an explanation for why she was told and was made to feel “dumb” during her childhood and as an adult. Aunt Eve grew up feeling “less than” by her family and peers because she could not read. She suffered from low self-confidence and self-worth most of her life as a result. The university provided her with the accommodations and reading instruction needed and she successfully graduated with a degree in Education in her late 40’s. This is Lisa’s “Why”. She believes that with early identification and appropriate intervention, stories like this can be a thing of the past.
Lisa is a native Texan. She has an adult son and 2-year-old granddaughter. She enjoys tubing the river, fishing, hiking, walking, traveling, reading and spending time with family in her free time.
