October 6, 2018 Re: Elizabeth Molinari DeFusco (Ms. Bette) To Whom It May Concern: My daughter has been a student of "Ms. Bette" for the past three years and I couldn't be happier with the success Katie has made regarding her academics and her self-esteem. Katie was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD at the end of her 1st grade school year. My husband and I immediately sought services both inside and outside of the school system. We found that even though the school system tried their best to piece together an IEP plan and program that suited Katie's needs, there were a number of gaps in what the school system prescribed and what they were willing to do. First and foremost, though the school district meant well, and since NJ Department of Education has only within the past few years passed laws for dyslexic students, they allow each school district to determine how to meet the needs of dyslexic students. This is less than satisfactory for completing a workshop on learning disabilities, does not make one an expert. My husband and I knew that Katie needed academic support and to make matters worse, Katie became anxious in school and didn't believe in her abilities. After much research, we enrolled Katie in a program with a reading consultant specializing in learning disabilities (and in particular dyslexia and ADHD). Sadly, we found a well-regarded/recognized program that was less than adequate. We truly had no idea what Katie was being taught as the assignments never went home and the only time you saw the instructor was during the very first class and the very last class of a given 10-12-week session. This was the only time that you would actually received an update on your child's progress as this was a means to ensure that you sign up for another 10-12-week session. The mediator was the secretary who was your only link to this costly tutorial service. To make matters worse, our child did not receive 1:1 instruction. Our Katie was placed in a setting with 3-5 additional students. If you wanted your child to receive one-to-one instruction, it was at an additional cost. With Ms. Bette, every session is one-to-one and feedback is provided immediately during the last 10 minutes of a full one-hour session, as well as through weekly text messaging. Ms. Bette requires a home/school relationship and she requires home support (parent and child) each week with assignments that include spelling, vocabulary, dictation, reading comprehension and writing comprehension. She is a true expert in the field, and an asset to any child. Ms. Bette truly wants the best for each of her students and she expects your child as well as the family to work collectively to instill exemplary literacy, comprehension and language skills. Ms. Bette does not rely on one program, rather she uses several recognized academic programs that will truly help your child become a solid student and a well-rounded scholar. If you are considering Ms. Bette to assist your child in reaching his/her potential, you will not be disappointed. She is demanding and will give you her best and she expects the same in return. read more

What can I say that hasn't been said already? You really have to meet this marvelous tutor to believe that good people actually do exist, and can fix anything. Even when the school districts give up! Mrs. Bette is not only a phenomenal tutor, but an amazing person. I went from not being able to read or spell simple words to incorporating an accelerated vocabulary in daily conversations. My grades went from poor to Honor Roll. Mrs. B makes learning fun by using different methods of teaching. There are so many fond memories of our time together. I recall when she taught me "suffixes." I kept calling them "side effects", and Mrs. Bette went with it because it helped me learn. Later, I found out that she used my "side effects" with other students. Another example of her dedication to her students includes the Macy's Day Parade. I "live for" Goldfish. She participates in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, and when she was given the GoldFish float, even though she was reluctant to do it that year, she did it for me! I don't know of any other tutor who is willing to do what Mrs. Bette does. She dedicates most of her weekends to checking our online homework. If it's not done, I am barraged with text messages! Every year my schedule changes due to sports, and even though it drives her crazy, Mrs. Bette always finds a way to fit me in. In addition to being able to work with any learning problem, she is a kind, and funny lady who makes me laugh every time I am in her presence. Mrs. B is a "great time." I've had hundreds of conversations with her about almost everything imaginable. She has shaped my life for the better. Every time I think about procrastinating, I can hear her in my head. You would think that going to a tutor every week might be tedious but not if you have "a Mrs. Bette" in your life. Honestly, I am sure I will be calling her for advice in college! Thank you for always being there for me Mrs. B! I LOVE YOU! read more

When my son Michael was in 1st grade, he struggled tremendously with his speech and language. His teacher and fellow students could not understand much of what Michael was saying. Michael began to become extremely quiet. Would not raise his hands, did not answer questions, struggled in sounding out words and his reading was no where near where it should be for boy in first grade. At one time, his teacher recommended we hold him back. I, as his mom, was going to do everything in my power to help him. That is when we found Mrs. Elizabeth DeFusco. She assessed Michael and immediately put a plan into action. Within a few short months, Michael started articulating his letters and words, was starting to read and his confidence went through the roof. He no longer needed to hide behind his speech impediment. Michael's teacher then informed me she no longer felt the need to have him repeat first grade. Michael was doing so well with his speech, but still needed some help with his reading comprehension and decoding. Mrs. DeFusco began a program called the Wilson program. Each week she would spend an hour with Michael building up his reading and comprehension skills. Michael is now in 7th grade. He has consistently been on the Honor Roll for the past 3 years. With the help of Mrs. Bette, Michael has been able to shine and become the young man he was always meant to be. He is confident, outgoing and always eager to learn. I will always be forever grateful for what Mrs. DeFusco has done for my son. In my eyes, she is an angel sent from above. read more

My son Blake was having a hard time in kindergarten, I was told that the end of the year to get in touch with the school system and have him tested for learning disabilities before 1st grade. Long story short, I was denied 3 times before the school system finally realized he in fact DID have a learning disability. My son is Dyslexic. He struggled through 1st grade because of their nonsense of meetings after meetings. He lost out on 6 months of help they could have given him. I decided at that point that I could no longer count on the school system and took things into my own hands, Thats when I found Mrs. Bette. I knew from our first phone call she was the one for me. Blakey's first meeting with her I walked out saying WOW... What a difference a day makes! Even though we only started at the end of June, My little man has come a long way in a very short time. I can't say enough about Mrs. Bette and have been giving her info out as much as possible. She's the best! NEWSFLASH..... 11/01/19 UpDated: Blake is now in 3rd grade and is still seeing Mrs. Bette. He continues to improve in big ways. He brought me home a book that he's been reading in school. I couldn't get over it as It's a huge chapter book called Wings of Fire. I was in total shock as he sat a read me a chapter. This book is on a "S" reading level which is the end of 4th grade beginning of 5th Based of the Scholastic reading chart level. It's just amazing to see how far he's come. Ty ty ty Mrs. Bette!!! read more

As an educator, I searched long and hard to find the right specialist to help both my children with their unique but pressing problems. I knew my boys would flounder and die in the infinite red tape of their school system. Lots of meaningless meetings, a snail's pace for progress and no true understanding of their problems was definitely not the path I wanted. I needed an expert who could diagnose accurately and execute a plan. I needed someone who understood the source of each problem and who could determine exactly what to do while determining the correct pace. I needed a miracle. I needed a fixer. I found one in Elizabeth DeFusco. My first meeting with " Mrs. Bette " filled my lungs with oxygen and my heart with hope. I had not realized I had stopped breathing. With skill and personality, Mrs. Bette was spot on with the highly individualized program she created for each of my boys. She knew precisely what to do. My boys adored her! She personally helped them succeed in school. She gave them life skills which they use to this very day. A few years after my son graduated from her program, I felt he could be slipping. We were living in another state at the time. I trusted Mrs. Bette so much, we did the long drive for an evaluation. That demonstrates the degree of trust our family has in Elizabeth DeFusco. She is truly one in a billion. read more

I am so glad I found Miss. Bette! Without her I don't know what I would do. My son has had an IEP since he started in pre-school and even with all the accommodations he receives, he still struggles at school everyday. It is frustrating because I know he is smart but he learns in a different way than other kids do. We started seeing Miss Bette a year ago as my son was entering 3rd grade, to help with reading. My son is like a different child now! He could barely read a year ago and now he is reading books on his own, pointing things out to me that he can read when we are out, and he is even writing sentences on his own. When he went back to school in September his teacher called me on the first day to tell me he was "blown away" by how much my son's reading had improved! My son loves going to see Miss Bette every week. She is great at finding out what motivates each individual child. She is currently using the Wilson and Stevenson methods with my son and they really work for him and his needs. These programs are not used in the public schools in our area, without Miss Bette I would have never heard of them. If your child is having difficulties with reading, do yourself a favor and give Miss Bette a call. You will not regret it! read more

My children have benefited from Miss Bette's superb diagnostic ability and expertise as a Speech and Language Specialist and Learning Consultant for over 20 years. She exudes a genuine warmth and love for all the students she supports. As a parent, I appreciate Bette's partnership concerning my children's learning deficits. She employs specialized reading programs that are tailored to my children's needs as they increased their reading fluency and comprehension abilities. Likewise, Bette utilizes digital based learning programs and tools that are both motivating and effective. My son in particular, has increased his vocabulary and oral communication skills by willingly "doing Miss Bette's homework" on his laptop each night. As a result, Bette monitors his progress instantaneously, increasing the efficacy of his weekly tutoring sessions. I will always be grateful for the unique support Miss Bette provided to both my children. They have overcome obstacles and thrived academically because of her presence in their lives. Most importantly, they gained confidence in their reading and learning abilities which is a gift they will always carry with them. Thank you, Miss Bette,! Forever grateful, Mrs. Diane McNamara read more

A special thank you to the BEST Speech Pathologist and Learning Specialist in the world! Mrs. B you will always hold a special place in our hearts for your incredible work with our child. My son is now going in to college and doing well. My advice to parents is, don't wait and let the school systems work on the problem. That will take forever and interfere with their learning to read. We took care of it at an early age and he " flew" through school. Mrs. B took a child who was hardly able to be understood by anyone other than me and turned him into a child who speaks wonderfully. He was getting help with the school and it was nothing but a waste of time. Mrs. B accomplished more in a few weeks than the school did in 2 years. There were words that I never thought could be corrected and she did it so easily. She is truly a master at her trade! I am forever in her debt! If you are wondering about her, just take the time to sit with her and you will not be sorry. read more

After feeling less than confident with our school district and their IEP process, I was referred to Elizabeth DeFusco by a neurologist. Upon our first visits with "Mrs. Bette", she evaluated my son's abilities and designed a tailored curriculum to address his areas of need. Not only does he meet with her 1x week, but she has designed additional activities that he completes the remainder of the week to reinforce her techniques. She is laser focused, dependable and extremely knowledgeable. She goes above and beyond and truly cares for my son and his academic, psychological and social wellbeing. Not only has she been an essential part in his learning, but she's a huge support for me as I navigate the different nuances of working with a special learner, as well as guiding me as I advocate for him through our school district. I don't know where we would be if we had not met Bette - I am BEYOND GRATEFUL that she has been with us along the way! read more

There has never been a person who has pushed me to pursue my dreams like Elizabeth DeFusco has. I was not eager to learn, nor study those infamous vocabulary lists that she gave me to study. When our sessions first started I was anything but cooperative! I will never forget walking into her office early on and seeing millions of photos, art work and letters from students and thinking "how can people thank her for extra homework?" I can now admit I cried on my last session with Mrs. Bette and thank her now and know the work really did help shape my future. When students move on to the next chapter of his/her life, each and every one of them has her to thank. She spends an incredible amount of time pushing all her students to become all they can become. It definitely paid off for me. Thank you Mrs. Bette. All of your past, present and future students are very lucky to have you on there team! read more

Mrs. Bette was a godsend to my daughters. One of my daughters had articulation issues and has dyslexia and you would never know it today. Today there is no hint that she ever had any articulation issues and the tool box that Mrs. Bette armed her with helped make her the straight A student who is taking honors and academic classes in her freshman year of high school. My other daughter has mild dyslexia and reading comprehension issues and Mrs. Bette worked with her with the different reading programs she uses and she was armed with ways to compensate for it. Today she is a junior in high school taking AP and Honors classes and her GPA is over a 4.2. Mrs. Bette is woman you and your children will never forget. read more

Elizabeth DeFusco has the ability to blend her kind, caring personality with years of experience as an educator. Two of our children not only benefited as students of Elizabeth DeFusco but still have a friendship to this day with her. She supported their education right through high school and still maintains contact with them as they continue on through college. Both had learning disabilities but with Ms. Bette's help one is about to graduate from NJIT with a degree in engineering and the other one is aspiring to be a physician's assistant. We can't say enough about the passion Ms. Bette has for teaching her students and the impact that had on our children. read more

tinece horowitz I have know Bette DeFusco for over 30 years. Bette is a brilliant speech language pathologist and learning disability specialist. Her ability to diagnose and treat speech and learning disorders has helped the hundreds of children and adults she has worked with during her years in practice. She is knowledgeable, kind and compassionate. She teaches and nurtures her students. They make progress and are able to reach their maximum potential under her care. In my opinion there is no finer speech language pathologist and learning disability specialist. read more

What can I say, she is a wonderful teacher who has the patience of a saint teaching me how to read, spell, and then write essays. I wasn't the type of student who smiled and listened. I tuned in and out all the time. But, somehow using a vast array of tools, and her expertise, I learned despite myself. I am forgetful. When I got a phone, she would text me to do her assigned homework. She would keep at it, until I remembered to do it. Thank God for Mrs. Bette. But, you had better do her homework, or her hands are tied. I love you Mrs.B! read more

My son started seeing Bette when he was in middle school and continued to see her until he graduated from high school. She was an immense help in teaching him the skills he needed to master reading. The progress that he made was immediate and he continues to use all the skills that she has taught him to this day. Bette is an amazing, caring, woman, who genuinely loves what she does. I can't thank her enough for every thing she has done for my son. He is now 21 years old and still reaches out to her to update her on how he is doing. read more

Our son has had the opportunity to be with Mrs DeFusco for the last 5 years. Mrs DeFusco is a rare find and our son has made tremendous strides as a child that's faced not only with ADHD yet also APD, anxiety as well as dyslexia. Mrs DeFusco instantly became a member of our family with her caring and devotion to our son, as if he was her own. Mrs DeFusco's dedication to 'her kids' as she truly seems them all, is priceless. We adore her and will be forever grateful for all that she has done for our son. read more

Three years ago I was introduced to Mrs. Bette by a recommendation from a good friend. Mrs. Bette was immensely helpful with narrowing down where my son struggled. This was after years of trying to figure this out with the schools. Since working with my son, he has significantly increased his reading/writing scores on state testing, his grades are excellent and he has recently received a letter accepting him to the National Honors Society. She is an excellent partner and I can't thank her enough! read more