BARBARA LEITON (Principal)

Senior Specialist Educator and Early Childhood Intervention Practitioner

Master of Special Education 

Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies 

Bachelor of Education

Practicing Multisensory Language Specialist (IMSLE, Aus)

Accredited Member of the Australian Dyslexia Association

AMADA Registration: 420082

• Early childhood intervention, ages 3 to under 9
• NDIS capacity-building functional skills, ages 9+
• Dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia intervention

Barbara is an experienced Special Educator and Early Intervention Practitioner. She holds a Master of Special Education and a Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies from Flinders University, as well as a Bachelor of Education from The University of Sydney.

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Barbara has expertise and experience working with children with a range of disabilities and/or developmental delay including Autism, Down Syndrome, and Intellectual Disability. She spends the majority of her time designing and implementing individualised interventions with a focus on developing functional skills, independence and participation in everyday routines. Her work is family-centred, strengths-based and evidence-informed, drawing on her background in special education, disability studies and Multisensory Structured Language.

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Barbara is a registered Multisensory Language (MSL) practitioner (Accredited member of The Australian Dyslexia Association). She has specialised knowledge and skills to support children and adolescents with Specific Learning Difficulties such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia. Having worked in the Disability and Education industry for more than twenty five years, Barbara’s experience in school-based intervention spans across Government and Non-Government educational settings. 

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Barbara is an advocate for students with disability and believes they should have full access to and participation in education. She has contributed to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Education of Students with a Disability or Special Needs in NSW as well as the recent review of the Disability Standards for Education. She works with families to recommend and support reasonable adjustments to their learning at school so they can have equitable access to education.

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Specialist Literacy Educator

Master of Research in Media, Music, Communication & Cultural Studies 

Bachelor of Arts, Design and Visual Communication

• Dyslexia and dysgraphia learning intervention
• Structured literacy and written-language support

Michelle is an experienced educator and published writer with a strong background in teaching children from diverse cultural backgrounds. She uses direct instruction and supportive, structured teaching strategies to help students build their skills effectively. Michelle is trained in evidence-based programs, including UFLI and ASCEND intervention, and brings both theoretical knowledge and hands-on expertise in supporting children and adolescents with Specific Learning Difficulties such as Dyslexia and Dysgraphia. 

Michelle has a keen interest in storytelling across multiple formats, including mythology, cinema, and social media memes. Her extensive experience in creative writing includes screenwriting, copywriting, short stories, and rhyming prose. She has authored and illustrated a self-published children's picture book series about creatures living around a star called "Zali Bukola". The first book in the series, "The Horrible Alien Visitor," received an award at the 2011 London Book Festival and an Honorary Mention at the 2011 Hollywood Book Festival. 

Michelle also enjoys creating short films using AI image, video, and sound generation tools. Additionally, she devised a storyworld for an all-female superhero team called Tiamat as part of her Master's thesis' creative practice component. 

​Michelle holds a Master of Research in Media, Music, Communication & Cultural Studies from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Arts in Design and Visual Communication from the University of Technology, Sydney. She has completed CPR training and maintains a current Working with Children's check.