Who Created ReadingDoctor®?       

ReadingDoctor® was created by Dr Bartek Rajkowski, an Australian speech and language pathologist whose work connects reading research with clinical practice and practical tools for teaching children to read and spell.

Bartek is the director of Adelaide Speech Pathology Services, where he has led a team of clinicians since 2001. His clinical experience includes assessing and supporting children, adolescents and adults with reading and spelling difficulties, including dyslexia.

He completed his PhD at Flinders University in 2012, investigating the phonological processing difficulties often associated with reading difficulties. His research interests include the relationships between speech sounds, language, auditory processing and literacy.

Developing practical teaching tools

Bartek developed ReadingDoctor to help beginning and struggling readers build the skills needed for reading and spelling. Its design draws on his clinical experience and research into reading development, with activities targeting letter–sound knowledge, phonemic awareness, blending, segmentation and word reading.

ReadingDoctor® Online provides structured practice, immediate feedback and information about student progress. It is designed to complement explicit teaching and a broader literacy program, supporting educators, clinicians and families as they respond to individual learning needs.

Sharing research with educators and families

Bartek presents keynotes, conference sessions, university lectures and workshops across Australia. His sessions explain how children learn to read, why some struggle, and what scientific research tells us about how to deliver effective reading and spelling instruction.

Bartek has delivered guest lectures and practical workshops for speech pathology students at Flinders University, connecting reading research with clinical assessment and intervention for language and literacy difficulties. He has also presented to speech pathology students at the University of South Australia.

His keynote engagements include the Barker Institute’s inaugural address in 2015, the South Australian Literacy Guarantee Unit Conference in 2023, and Sharing Best Practice events in Gippsland and Canberra in 2023 and the Riverina in 2024. He also presented at the 2020 South Australian Literacy Summit.

Advocacy and recognition

Bartek received Learning Difficulties Australia’s Mona Tobias Award in 2020, recognising his contribution to the education of people with learning difficulties. He has also served on LDA’s governing council. His advocacy focuses on helping students with literacy difficulties access teaching informed by scientific evidence.

Explore independent research on ReadingDoctor or find out about professional learning and webinars.