Word Mapping Mastery

In England, the USA, and Australia, approximately 1 in 3 children start school with speech and language challenges. At least 1 in 4 become instructional casualties, unable to read by age 11. In England alone, the number of homeschooled children has reached over 111,700 as of autumn 2024, reflecting a 21% increase from the previous year. In Australia, the figure exceeds 45,000, and in the USA, an estimated 3.7 million students are homeschooled. Combined with the ongoing Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Speech, Language, and Communication (SLC) crisis—affecting millions of children globally—this highlights the urgent need for systemic change in how we support learners.

Bypass school politics and take control of your child’s happiness and confidence—teach them to read before they even start school with MyWordz® tech, featuring the world’s first speech sound keyboard for toddlers: MySpeekie®! Discover Word Mapping Mastery, a groundbreaking book that challenges the one-size-fits-all synthetic phonics programmes, many of which rely on scripted instruction and fail to address the unique needs of each child. Personalised learning is at the heart of everything 'Miss Emma' advocates for, empowering parents and educators to support every child’s journey to reading and spelling success.

Children may want to learn differently—using words they care about and through personalised discovery mapping. No more ‘letter sounds.’ Instead, type in the sounds using Phonemies and watch the word appear—then explore the letters! They’ve already chosen the words! It’s like building an IKEA unit: would you rather decide what you want to build, see the finished piece first, or be told to construct something others have chosen for you (because they think it’s a better fit for you right now) from random parts without knowing what it looks like? Most brains aren’t designed for the latter, and neither are children’s.

Word Mapping Mastery was written by ‘Miss Emma,’ the Neurodivergent Reading Whisperer®, who has a long track record of managing ‘outstanding’ nurseries—enough to be appointed to inspect for OFSTED—and proven success in guiding schools towards whole-school reading for pleasure (with improved literacy outcomes as demonstrated via NAPLAN). Known for her outspoken and fierce advocacy for children and for equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), Emma’s results speak for themselves—but they can sometimes rub decision-makers the wrong way, especially when what she presents is so different from the entrenched “what we do at our school” approach.

Change within education can be excruciatingly slow when the focus isn’t on what teachers and children want (and need). Emma Hartnell-Baker’s methods are not only liberating and empowering for children but also for teachers who crave autonomy, the ability to have fun with children, and a focus on word mapping for meaning and pleasure—not phonics taught in isolation. One-size-fits-all programme developers—many selling scripted instruction—can fool policymakers and school leaders with clever advertising and cherry-picked research, but the best people to ask why this approach is so powerful are the children themselves. Phonemies make learning to communicate, read, and spell easier for all. They reduce cognitive load and ensure that every child can succeed.