Ashley Hall Mestl

About Ashley

28+ Years of Transforming Lives Through Specialized Learning Support

Where Expertise Meets Heart in Supporting Students with Learning Differences

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Why I Became a Learning Specialist

I was diagnosed with severe ADHD as a child, and I struggled with impulsivity, hyperactivity, and executive function challenges that made task initiation and organization nearly impossible. When I reached elite swimming levels in middle school, I had to stop my ADHD medication due to drug testing requirements, making high school exponentially harder. Yet I still became a two-year team captain, Florida state champion, and nationally ranked swimmer before moving on to Princeton and then earning two graduate degrees from Columbia Teachers College. My lifelong passion for teaching is fueled by my instinctive understanding of what it feels like when your brain works differently and the incredible relief of finding strategies that work with your learning style, rather than against it. This lived experience, combined with years of specialized training, makes me uniquely equipped to help students discover that their learning differences aren't obstacles to overcome, but superpowers waiting to be unleashed.

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Professional Credentials

Advanced Education in Learning Differences

• Ed.M. Reading Specialist - Teacher's College, Columbia University

• M.A. Reading and Learning Disabilities - Teacher's College, Columbia University

• B.A. English - Princeton University

• Teaching Certificate - Princeton University

• New York State Professional Certification - Students with Disabilities (Grades 1-6 & 7-12 extension)

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Specialized Training & Expertise

• Orton-Gillingham Methodology - Multisensory reading instruction

• Wilson Reading System - Systematic literacy intervention

• Windward Institute Training - Expository writing and reading comprehension

• Multisensory and Alphabetic Phonics - Research-based reading approaches

• Specialized Training in Executive Function Skills for Children & Adolescents

• Specialized training in ADHD management

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Unmatched Experience Across All Learning Differences

28+ Years of Private Practice Success (1996-Present) Supporting families from kindergarten through graduate school with individualized learning solutions that create lasting transformation.

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Elite School Experience

• Currently working as MS/US Learning Specialist & Coordinator of Assessment, Testing, & Evaluations at The Chapin School (elite independent girls' school in NYC)

• 9 Years as Upper School Learning Specialist at The Spence School (prestigious NYC private school)

• 6 Years as Learning Specialist and Program Director at York Preparatory School (middle & upper school focused on learning differences)

• 3 Years at Horace Mann School (renowned independent school)

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Clinical Expertise

• 2 Years as Learning Specialist in Child Psychiatry Unit at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital

• Experience with complex learning profiles and co-occurring challenges

• Advanced training in educational assessment & evaluation