When her son was diagnosed with dyslexia, Gina Polly Applegate, an AMI Montessori elementary guide, began looking into the Orton-Gillingham approach. She went on to achieve the Associate level and then Clinical Practitioner level with The Orton-Gillingham Academy and is currently a Fellow-in-Training with the Academy preparing to train teachers in the Orton-Gillingham approach. She is also a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT). 

With nearly two decades of experience in Montessori elementary, Gina is passionate about bringing Montessori and the Orton-Gillingham approach together to support children with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. 

Through her consulting work, she helps Montessori schools strengthen literacy instruction, support struggling readers, and develop effective learning support practices within the Montessori prepared environment. Her approach emphasizes individualized, multisensory instruction grounded in evidence-based reading practices while while preserving the integrity and fidelity of Montessori education.

She has a Masters in Education, an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Elementary diploma, and is a certified Early Childhood - 8th grade teacher in Texas including English as a Second Language (ESL). She is a Certified Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS), recognized through the Center for Effective Reading, and a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), recognized through the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA). In addition, she is an  Elementary Consultant for the AMI/USA's school recognition program.