Education: Mary Lou earned undergraduate and graduate degrees with honors in elementary education, special education, and teaching emotionally disturbed children at Boston College. She received certification in teaching learning disabled children through the University of Virginia. Mrs. Sullivan received post-graduate training in behavior management, learning theory, and attention deficit disorder at UCLA and California State University at Los Angeles.

Experience: Mary Lou has taught in Brookline, Massachusetts; Fairfax County, Virginia; and La Cañada, California school systems. She was part of the pilot program for the Fairfax County Public Schools Learning Disabilities Resource Programs. She has been in private practice in McLean since 1981.

Specialties: Mary Lou is highly skilled in the ability to determine a student’s learning style, analyze the assigned task, and match an approach. She has an extensive background in teaching children in elementary, middle, and high school level school placements and is therefore acquainted with an understanding of the sequenced demands of curriculum throughout students’ academic careers. She is highly effective at instructing beginning reading and writing skills. In addition, she instructs and designs instructional and support programs for a wide continuum of learning styles to support academic areas affected by learning or attentional issues throughout all grade levels.

Additional services: Mary Lou accompanies parents to school meetings, maintains contact and collaboration with school and community staff, and aids in the development of 504s and IEPs for children in the practice.