Skill-targeted instruction, aligned with ABA and your IEP.

No. We don't run BCBA-supervised programs, we don't bill insurance for ABA, and we don't replace your child's existing ABA team. What we are is tutors who've been trained to use the same behavioral techniques your ABA team already uses (clear prompts, reinforcement schedules, errorless teaching, regulated pacing, visual structure), applied to reading, writing, and math instruction.

If your BCBA wants to coordinate with us on language, goals, or reinforcement strategy, we welcome it.

Children with autism, special needs, or a learning disability, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, executive-function challenges, and processing-speed differences. Most of our families are already in ABA and have a behavior plan that's working. We're the piece that handles academics in a way that's consistent with how the rest of your child's day runs.

Clear, concrete prompts. Errorless teaching when introducing new material. Reinforcement schedules tailored to your child (varied, not just stickers). Discrete-trial-style sequences when it fits the skill. Visual schedules so transitions are predictable. Pacing that respects regulation. We don't pretend to be running ABA. We're running academic instruction that doesn't conflict with the ABA your child is already doing.

Yes. Reading is one of our strongest areas. Our tutors are trained in structured-literacy approaches (the same family of methods Orton-Gillingham draws from) and adapt the pacing for processing differences. We work with both formally-diagnosed dyslexia and the broader population of "children who struggle with reading and nobody can quite say why."

Most of the children we work with do. Autism + ADHD is common. Autism + dyslexia is common. ADHD + dyscalculia is common. We don't teach to a single label. We teach the actual learner in front of us, across whatever combination of challenges and strengths they bring.

Yes, and we'd prefer to when it's available. With a release of information, we can align on reinforcement language, share session notes, and make sure academic goals match the behavior plan. We've also worked with families whose ABA team is fully siloed from academics; that works too.

Sometimes. As demand grows, Merrie has built a small team of contracted tutors, all trained on her curriculum and supervised by her. When you join the waitlist, we match your child with the tutor whose background fits best. Sometimes that's Merrie, sometimes it's another tutor on the team. Either way, Merrie oversees every case, reviews progress, and adjusts the plan whenever something needs to change.

$100 per session. Tutoring runs by the semester with a minimum of two hours a week, because steady, regular practice is what turns into real progress for most children. Billing is weekly through our family portal, so it stays small and predictable instead of one big bill. We set goals with you at the start of each semester and review them together at the end.

Life happens, and we plan for it. Because your tutor holds a standing weekly time just for your child, we ask for at least 12 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule. Inside that window we do need to charge for the session, since the time was held for you. Give us a little notice and we'll always try to find another spot that week.

All in one place. You get a secure family portal where you can see your schedule, read your weekly progress updates, message your tutor, and handle your weekly invoices. Once your child is matched with a tutor, we get you set up.

Yes. Both Gardiner and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) cover tutoring as an approved expense. We invoice through Step Up For Students once your account is set up. If you're not sure whether your scholarship covers our services, send us your award letter and we'll confirm.

Both. In-person is available in Pensacola, Milton, Pace, Gulf Breeze, and Navarre. Your tutor comes to you, or you come to a designated meeting space depending on your tutor's availability. Virtual is available everywhere. Most autistic children do well virtually because the home environment is more sensory-controlled than a tutoring center; some do better in person. We figure out which during the consult.

Currently around 2 weeks for new families, though it varies as we onboard new tutors. We don't take families we can't deliver for. If there's a longer wait when you join, we'll tell you.

Slowly. The first few sessions are not academic. They're relationship. Your tutor learns what your child likes, what their sensory profile is, what shut them down with previous tutors, and what helps them feel safe. Academic progress doesn't happen until that foundation is in place. Parents sometimes worry we're moving slowly; we always tell them: rushing past the relationship is what made the previous tutoring fail.

Reading, writing, and math K–8 are our strongest. Beyond that (middle and high school subjects, executive function coaching, study skills, social-skills work), it depends on which tutor we match you with. Tell us what you're looking for and we'll be honest about whether we're the right fit.

Many of our families do both. The advocate works with the school system; the tutor works with the child. They reinforce each other. Sometimes the tutor catches something happening academically that becomes evidence at the next IEP meeting. Sometimes the IEP wins more services that reduce how much tutoring you need.

Tell us. We adjust. If after 4–6 weeks the wrong tutor is the right answer, we re-match. If after 8–12 weeks tutoring isn't the right intervention at all, we'll tell you so honestly. We don't keep families in services that aren't working. Merrie's reputation depends on results, not session count.