Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills

Judith R. Birsh, Ed.D., Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), Qualified Instructor (QI). Dr. Birsh's enduring belief that well-prepared, informed teachers are the major influence on effective instruction in the field of reading and dyslexia had its beginning in 1960, when she met her first student who, although 18 years old, read poorly. The quest to find answers to this puzzle led her to a master's degree in remedial reading and a doctorate in reading and language at Teachers College, Columbia University. After training with Aylett R. Cox in Dallas, Texas, she became a Certified Academic Language Therapist and Qualified Instructor, founding and directing the Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills courses at Teachers College in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Program in Learning Disabilities. Since her retirement in 2000, Dr. Birsh has maintained her commitment to teacher preparation by editing the first three editions of Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, and co-editing the fourth edition with Suzanne Carreker, Ph.D. Dr. Birsh has given professional development workshops, consulted with private and public schools, written articles, and worked with students with dyslexia. In 2008, she received the Luke Waites Academic Language Therapy Association Award of Service and the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award from The International Dyslexia Association.