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Specialist Dedicated To Her Craft

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By DEREK MAUL

Tribune Correspondent

Published: December 24, 2008

Dawn Carlson

Learning disabilities specialist Dawn Carlson owns a passion for reading. She also owns the Brandon Reading Clinic, located in a historical home on Montclair Avenue.

"The house was built in the 1920s," Carlson said. "The original deed said it was a chicken farm."

Today, the quaint 800-square-foot structure serves nearly 60 clients. Carlson's team addresses a variety of skills, from comprehension to spelling to writing to math. But the core mission is reading and, in particular, difficulties that hold a child back.

Born in upstate New York, Carlson moved to Brandon in 1972.

"My parents packed three kids, a dog and a cat in a station wagon and headed to Tampa," she said. "They found Brandon, loved it and stayed here."

Carlson always knew she wanted to teach. She was the child who corralled stuffed animals, siblings and neighborhood kids for instruction. She studied specific learning disabilities (SLD) at the University of South Florida before going to work with the Hillsborough County School District.

"I was attracted to the helping part - the diagnostics," she said. "I worked at the Philip Shore Sixth-Grade Center, then Palm River Elementary as a resource teacher."

After taking maternity leave, Carlson decided to pursue diagnostic tutoring full time.

"I'd been tutoring since college," she said. "I wanted to stay home with the children, and it just expanded."

She called her business "Academic Excellence," then changed the name to "Brandon Reading Clinic" around 1998.

"We grew gradually in the beginning," she said. "It's the kind of business where you really need trust. I worked with local psychologist, Gerry Mussenden, for a while, then this place became available. We moved in eight years ago."

Carlson believes children's self-esteem is closely tied to reading.

"I've learned the importance of reading to their entire being," she said. "And it affects the entire family. Our mission is to erase the pain of reading difficulties. Even a minor struggle can be very painful. Kids stop trying and then doubt their own intelligence."

Carlson works with all ages. "But kindergarten to first grade is critical. If we catch problems then the kids often don't even realize there's ever been an issue. But it's never too late."

She said her greatest joy is to witness whole personalities change after some initial success.

"It's really exciting," she said. "It takes a while for the kids to really believe they can read - but we do things differently than they're used to, and they see right away that there is hope. Every time you teach, you can see improvement. Then, testing with hard numbers provides proof. It's very rewarding.

"This is so important to me. Business is word of mouth, and we want to help more children."

Carlson personally works with 10 to 12 children and then stays current with research, training, studies, documentation and her dedicated staff.

Brandon, she said, is the only place she can imagine living.

"It's definitely a friendly, welcoming town. The families care so much about these kids. And there are so many grandparents who will do anything to help."

Brandon Reading Clinic currently provides pull-out services at four private schools in the area, making it possible to see children during the day.

"We recently started the Reading Disabilities & Dyslexia Awareness Group," she said. "It's a nonprofit organization to promote awareness. Conservative estimate is that one in 10 kids have reading disorders."

Recreationally, Carlson is a historical fiction buff. "Plus, I'm passionate about cooking," she said, "and I really like photography. I also run a lot. Last year I did my first half-marathon."

Carlson is looking to expand services to reach more children.

MEET DAWN CARLSON

Owner: Brandon Reading Clinic

Born: Syracuse, N.Y., 1961

Moved to Brandon: 1972

Education: Brandon High School, 1979; University of South Florida, 1983

Married: Mike Carlson, 1983

Children: Caitlin, 21, and Tyler, 17

Attends: Nativity Catholic Church

Pet: Bear, a 1-year-old golden doodle

Derek Maul can be reached at DerekMaul@gmaul.com.

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