When you meet the Executive Director of Dyslexia Therapy of Pittsburgh, you are also meeting the lead therapist that will help your child attain success.

Melissa Misra, MOT, OTR/L has 20 years experience and has worked at outstanding local hospitals, out-patients clinics and blue ribbon school settings. She was a team therapist at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh and worked in the Blue Ribbon Mt. Lebanon School district. She was the author of the Duquesne University Best Practice in Pediatrics Scholar Initiative, wrote and worked as a therapist on a grant funded by Verizon Communications to address visual perceptual and focusing difficulties in children with reading difficulties, and was a member of a Medical Mission trip to Kenya, Africa, where she worked with children in the capital city of Kenya and visited clinics and hospitals as part of her scholarly work.

Melissa is also a musician, studying at Carnegie Mellon University from a young age. She uses her musical and auditory gifts in therapy, as well her love for equestrian life. She worked as a pediatric therapist at Tidman Horse Ranch in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and remains connected to this therapeutic modality locally as well.

Melissa’s interest in helping kids succeed and her drive to give every child a good shot at life, keeps her busy and continually learning and researching the best and most promising therapy modalities. Here are a few of her Continuing Education specialties and certifications.

CONTINUING EDUCATION (This is not a complete list)

• Handwriting Without Tears K-5 Handwriting Certification
  Assessment and treatment of print and cursive handwriting.
• Exploring Software and Assistive Technology as supports for Writing
  A seminar exploring adapted computer technology for learning and keyboarding.
• Understanding and Managing Visual Deficits
  A seminar on comprehensive pediatric functional vision assessment, treatment, and referral for the classroom and home.
• The Listening Program: Listening with the Whole Body
  Certified to evaluate/treat using the Therapeutic Listening Program Fundamentals and Advanced Protocol of Davis Dyslexia/ADHD Correction
• A 4 week intensive course on learning problems, ADD, dyslexia, and spectrum disorders remediation.
• Sensory Integration and Neuro-developmental Treatment of Feeding Disorders
  A seminar on sensory/motor difficulties associated with swallowing and early developmental feeding skills
• Integrating the Senses for Successful Learning, Part I and II
  A workshop for auditory processing and hand function in the classroom
• Sensory Defensiveness and Related Social Emotional and Neurological Problems
  A two day seminar on the Wilbarger Deep Pressure Protocol and Sensory Diet for kids.

Dyslexia Therapy of Pittsburgh is also dedicated to research based outcomes and Melissa was the primary researcher on two exciting projects. First, she was a researcher through The Watson Institute and Duquesne University on Temple Grandin’s Deep Pressure Sensory Machine and the primary researcher on the Efficacy of Visual Processing on Reading project funded by Verizon Communications.

To read more about Dyslexia Therapy of Pittsburgh’s focus on research click here.