Amber Taylor-Garrett

Certificated Educational Therapist 

Credentialled Education Specialist - M/M & M/S

Lifetime Certificate - Early Childhood Special Education 

Master of Arts International Multicultural Education 

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Some of my earliest memories are of feeling angry and frustrated in school. Despite my privilege growing up white in suburbia with two college-educated parents, I didn’t feel seen or heard in school. I was identified as gifted and yet I struggled with reading, spelling, and math. 

My mother was a teacher and throughout elementary school, she worked with me using hands-on activities related to my areas of interest to remediate and reinforce the concepts I was learning in school. When I was struggling with fractions, we suddenly needed to double or half recipes while baking—and somehow I never caught on. It wasn’t until I was an educator myself, that I began to understand her real motivation. 

After years of struggling and extra help at home, I finally mastered reading and math. In middle school and high school, I began to gain confidence in my academic abilities and was fortunate to have teachers who listened to me and encouraged me. I was fortunate to find colleges and universities that supported my natural curiosity and allowed me to become a scholar. 

As I transitioned from school to work, I began to discover a deeply held commitment to self-reflection and self-advocacy. In my work in Early Childhood Special Education, it was clear to me how few educators take the time to listen to their young students and truly validate the thoughts and feelings they share. 

Over the past 19 years as an Special Education Teacher and Education Specialist, I have worked to create innovative research based programming for struggling students and neurodiverse learners. From mental health support in a day treatment facility to home based instructions for students with medical conditions, I have sought to understand my students, support their self-knowledge, and teach self-advocacy.

As I progress in my career, I have become increasingly aware of the many social, structural, and systemic factors which impact access and opportunity for students and educators. Over the past 10 years, I have sought to cultivate mindfulness, learn about ableism in Special Education, understand racism in our schools and society, and began studying neuroscience in education. 

As an Educational Therapist, I am thrilled to work one-on-one with students and educators to support self-regulation, social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and coping skills to maximize outcomes for struggling learners. I know that research-informed data-based individualized academic instruction and intervention services can empower students and change lives. 

I am committed to: 

• creating strengths-based learning opportunities and holistic support services

• cultivating mindfulness, compassion, and healing learning trauma 

• empowering neurodiverse learners through self-discovery and critical pedagogy

• providing socially conscious and culturally sensitive consultation and collaboration services for all students, families, and educators, and 

• striving to embody principles of social justice and antiracism in education

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Professional Associations: 

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• Association for Educational Therapists

• Council for Exceptional Children