Mitzi Berryhill
Mitzi Berryhill is a doctoral candidate at Louisiana State University, where she teaches literacy courses and dedicates her research to supporting students with dyslexia. As a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Mitzi brings a deep understanding of the challenges of dyslexia. She provides reading interventions and teacher training to improve educational outcomes for students with dyslexia.
In addition to her academic pursuits, she serves as a content developer and literacy facilitator for the AIM Institute, where she translates evidence-based research into practical strategies that empower educators to create more effective classrooms.
This session is designed to help educators use student data to create effective, personalized lessons. We’ll explore key reading theories, identify different reading profiles, and offer practical tips for assessing phonemic awareness, decoding, and fluency. The session will discuss utilizing a fluency screener such as DIBELS to identify red flags of dyslexia. Then, we will dive into further assessments to pinpoint specific deficits and plan individualized instruction tailored to each student’s needs. Attendees will learn how to use this data to build targeted interventions to support diverse learners.
Topics: Diagnosing of Dyslexia/Screening, Dyslexia Therapy/Intervention, Reading Fluency & Dyslexia
Heather Brand is a Math Interventionist and the Operations Manager at Made for Math. She is a trained practitioner in multisensory math and has been presenting and coaching teachers since 2019. She is also a reading interventionist certified through Neuhaus. She is the co-author of Math Facts to Memory, a resource for teaching students with dyslexia and dyscalculia.
Teaching Math to Students with Dyslexia & Other Learning Differences: Practical ApplicationsIn this presentation, we will focus on practical strategies and tools that educators can use to support students with dyslexia and other learning differences in the math classroom. Participants will discover multisensory math techniques and strategies for creating a clutter-free, focused learning environment, learn how to use games and low-stakes activities to build math fact fluency and maintain student engagement, and gain practical tips for pacing instruction and using visual supports to aid students with various learning differences. By the end of this session, educators will be equipped with actionable insights and tools to create an inclusive and effective math learning environment for all students.
Topics: Dyslexia Therapy/Intervention, Multisensory Math
Tamara Empson has been teaching ELA for 23 years. She holds a B.S. and an M.A. from Miami University and an Educational Specialist certification from LSU. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher and a Certified Academic Language Practitioner. Tamara is currently in a doctoral program at LSU in Curriculum and Instruction. Her dissertation focuses on dyslexia and the effects of late diagnoses on students.
Meet Me in the Middle: Dyslexia Strategies for Grades 6-12In this interactive session, participants will learn ways to screen for dyslexia, empower dyslexic students, and create meaningful interventions in general education classes. Although the focus will be mainly ELA, there will be helpful information for all subject areas.
Topics: Diagnosing of Dyslexia/Screening, Myths & Misconceptions of Dyslexia, Reading Fluency & Dyslexia
Linda is a founding partner at Readsters. Linda has the career of her dreams, which is helping children, adolescents, and adults learn to read. She works nationally in schools helping districts select and implement instruction that ensures all students learn to read. The process always starts with using the right data to select appropriate instruction. Linda’s favorite work is modeling in the classroom and coaching teachers. Linda also presents workshops all over the country about effective instruction for beginning and struggling readers. She’s written assessments and curriculum with her business partner, Michael Hunter. In the last several years, Linda has worked on two projects in Africa helping children learn to read in seven languages she doesn’t even speak.
Attendees participate in simulations to help them experience frustrations that struggling readers feel every single school day. Teachers and parents of struggling readers often experience ‘ah ha’ moments during this session. The simulations address reading problems experienced by students of all ages. They include struggling to read with fluency and learning to read with a new alphabet. After experiencing the simulations, participants will be encouraged to think about how they can change to empathize with students who struggle with reading. Participants can request the slides to be used with teachers in their schools after attending this session.
Topics: Dyslexia 101, Dyslexia Simulation, Reading Fluency & Dyslexia
Nadine Gaab is an Associate Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her work focuses on typical and atypical learning trajectories from infancy to adolescence with a special emphasis on language, reading and literacy development and the role of the environment in shaping these trajectories. Her work is at the intersection of developmental psychology, learning sciences, neuroscience, EdTech, and educational policy within a learning disability framework. Her research laboratory employs longitudinal behavioral and neuroimaging studies to characterize differences in learning as a complex outcome of cumulative risk and protective factors interacting within and across genetic, neurobiological, cognitive, and environmental levels from infancy to adolescence. Her theoretical work focuses on multifactorial frameworks of learning differences with an emphasis on early identification, and ‘preventative education’. One important key aspect of her work is the translation of research findings to address contemporary challenges in educational practice and policy. She is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Learning Disabilities, Scientific Studies of Reading, Neurobiology of Language, and Developmental Science. Furthermore, she is the co-founder of EarlyBird Education, a gamified platform system for identifying children at-risk for language-based learning disabilities.
Learning trajectories are shaped by the dynamic interplay between nature and nurture, starting in utero and continuing throughout one’s lifespan. Learning differences/disabilities are often not identified until childhood or adolescence but diverging trajectories of brain development may be present as early as prenatally. Furthermore, children’s experiences and their interactions with their environment have long-lasting influences on cognitive and brain development and future academic outcomes. This talk will focus on learning differences in reading acquisition within a learning disability framework. It will present results from our longitudinal behavioral and neuroimaging studies that characterize differences in learning to read as a complex outcome of cumulative risk and protective factors interacting within and across genetic, neurobiological, cognitive, and environmental levels from infancy to adulthood. Results are discussed within an early multifactorial framework of learning differences, emphasizing screening in educational and community settings, early identification, and preventative strategies. Finally, using a global lens, the implications of these findings for contemporary challenges in educational and clinical practice and policy are discussed.
Topics: Diagnosing of Dyslexia/Screening, Dyslexia 101, Dyslexia and the Brain, Myths and Misconceptions of Dyslexia, Science of Reading and Dyslexia
Sarah Gannon worked as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, and literacy coach for 18 years. Currently, she is the Co-Director, along with Melissa Orkin, of Crafting Minds Group, an educational consulting practice in Boston. Sarah bridges her knowledge of the body of research, known as the Science of Reading, to the practical application in the classroom. She brings her experience with screeners and assessments to use a data-driven approach to instruction. Her knowledge of multi-sensory methods and interventions for students struggling with aspects of reading helps teachers plan targeted Tier 2 interventions to address weaknesses in decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Sarah completed her certification at the Associate Level in Orton-Gillingham in the fall of 2021. She is trained in Rave-O and has deep experience with various assessment and screening tools such as the DIBELS, supplemental inventories like the PAST, and standardized assessments like the RAN/RAS & TOWRE.
In many educational settings, practitioners have adopted a “one size fits all model” to remediate the decoding and fluency challenges associated with dyslexia. However, both cognitive neuroscience (Ozernov?Palchik, et al., 2017) and behavioral research (McWeeny, et al., 2022) have established that dyslexia is a heterogeneous learning disability that can be organized based on the area of deficit. These areas include phonological, naming speed, and double deficit (both a phonological and naming speed deficit).
This workshop will introduce participants to a graphic organizer that allows users to arrange and interpret data collected during an evaluation for eligibility determination. Workshop content will support attendees in identifying and planning instruction based on students’ deficits. For example, while students with a phonological deficit benefit from traditional specialized phonics instruction, students with a naming speed or double deficit are likely to require an approach that integrates the multiple aspects of word knowledge to support retrieval and fluency development (Wolf, et al., 2009). At the conclusion, participants will have an understanding of the learning strengths/needs of students with dyslexia depending on their area of need, be familiar with a graphic organizer tool that supports data interpretation, and have knowledge of the key characteristics of effective instruction that maximize student achievement.
Topics: Diagnosing of Dyslexia/Screening, Dyslexia Therapy/Intervention, Evaluation Interpretation
Rebecca Gotlieb, PhD is a human developmental psychologist and educational neuroscientist. She is an Assistant Researcher in the School of Education and Informational Studies at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Gotlieb is a member of both the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice and of the University of California/California State University Collaborative for Neurodiversity and Learning. Dr. Gotlieb’s work examines the coordinated development of literacy and social emotional functioning in early childhood through young adulthood. She has contributed numerous publications to advancing the study of individual differences in the field of Mind, Brain, and Education. Dr. Gotlieb completed her Ph.D. as a National Science Foundation Research Fellow in the Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education at the University of Southern California and completed post-doctoral training at UCLA.
Increasingly, there are calls for the need to support the literacy development of the whole child by considering their social-emotional development, cultural context, and profile of (dis)abilities. Rooted in a synthesis of available research from neuroscience, psychology, and education, this session will present evidence of and implications that literacy and social-emotional development are coordinated, individually variable, dynamic and sensitive to contextual influences. This coordinated developmental process highlights the heterogeneity that exists within the category of dyslexia and reveals important principles to incorporate when preparing teachers to meet the needs of students with dyslexia. Helping children, and especially children with dyslexia, to organize their brains and minds for literacy requires the use of culturally inclusive, emotionally responsive and developmentally appropriate instructional practices, aligned with the latest evidence from the science of reading. In this session, we will explore some of those practices.
Topics: Dyslexia and the Brain, Science of Reading and Dyslexia
Jan Hasbrouck, Ph.D. is a researcher, educational consultant, and author who works with schools and agencies in the U.S. and internationally. Dr. Hasbrouck worked as a reading specialist and literacy coach for 15 years and later became a professor. Her research in reading fluency, academic assessment and interventions, and instructional coaching has been widely published. She is the author, coauthor, and co-editor of several books along with some assessment tools. She continues to collaborate with researchers and school colleagues on projects related to reading interventions, assessment, and instructional coaching.
Reading fluency is one of the well-documented challenges that most students with dyslexia face. In fact, low fluency in reading is one of the widely accepted characteristics of dyslexia. Some studies have found that even when early, appropriate, and intensive reading instruction is provided, some students still struggle to read text fluently. This session discusses the specific considerations for assessing and providing intervention in reading with a focus on fluency. Issues specific to early and later phases of reading development will be discussed, making this session relevant for K-12 educators who teach reading or provide reading intervention.
Topics: Dyslexia Therapy/Intervention, Reading Fluency & Dyslexia
Michael Hunter, M.Ed., is a founding partner of Readsters, a small company dedicated to supporting and developing excellent reading instruction so all students learn to read. Michael found his passion for teaching struggling readers as a volunteer, teaching adult non-readers. He is now dedicated to helping teachers teach every student to read. Michael has co-authored instructional materials with his business partner, Linda Farrell, including Phonics Plug-In ONE & TWO, Practice Packets for Fixing Common Confusions, and Teaching Vowel Sounds. Michael delivers professional development and advises schools nationally. Some of his favorite work with schools includes coaching and modeling in the classroom. This work with students and teachers keeps Michael’s skills fresh. This work also continues to inform the creation of additional instructional materials for beginning and struggling readers of all ages. Michael’s work at Readsters has even taken him to Africa to consult on early reading instruction in tribal languages.
Teachers are often puzzled by their students who can orally segment and blend phonemes and know letter names and sounds yet continue to read many words by first sounding out each letter and then blending the sounds into a word. Most of these students are in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grades, with a few in 4th grade or higher. The core problem with most of these students is that they have not mastered complete phonemic awareness, which David Kilpatrick explains so well in his book, Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties. Participants will (1) learn why these students don’t progress to whole word reading, (2) learn steps to help these students move to whole word reading, (3) practice activities to help students progress, and (4) receive some materials they can use with these students.
Topics: Reading Fluency & Dyslexia, Science of Reading and Dyslexia
DeJunne’ Clark Jackson, M.A., M.A.T., M.Ed., CALT, LDT, serves as President at The Center for Literacy & Learning. She is an educational professional with well over a decade of experience in education. DeJunne’s current leadership includes serving as President of The Reading League Louisiana and state leader of Decoding Dyslexia Louisiana. DeJunne’ has the honor of being selected to the Louisiana Department of Education’s Dyslexia Bulletin 1903 Workgroup, Special Education Advisory Panel and chair of the Louisiana Literacy Advisory Commission. DeJunne’ is the co-author of The Speech Language Pathologist’s Guide to Dyslexia and the founder of Learning Fundamentals Educational Therapy & Consulting. DeJunne’ is a Certified Academic Language Therapist, a Louisiana Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, a national AET Educational Therapist, and an education advocate.
Embark on a journey of understanding and empowerment with our presentation, “Navigating Dyslexia in Louisiana Schools.” This comprehensive session addresses the multifaceted aspects of dyslexia within Louisiana’s educational landscape, including identification, remediation, accommodation, and accountability. Learn how educators, parents, and school administrators can work collaboratively to create a supportive environment that recognizes and responds to the unique needs of students with dyslexia. In addition, we will explore the crucial aspect of accountability in addressing dyslexia within Louisiana school systems. Learn about policies, practices, and advocacy initiatives that promote a culture of responsibility and inclusivity. Discover how schools can proactively provide necessary resources and support for students with dyslexia. This presentation is a must-attend for Louisiana educators, school administrators, parents, and anyone interested in championing the rights and potential of students with dyslexia.
Topics: Dyslexia 101, Dyslexia Therapy/Intervention, LDOE Specific – Bulletin 1903; Guidance; SBLC; 504
Adrianne Meldrum is the founder and owner of Made for Math (MFM), an all-online math center focused on serving students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and math learning disabilities. She is a certified Multisensory Math Instructor through Marilyn Zecher. She is the co-author of Math Facts to Memory, a resource for teaching students with dyslexia and dyscalculia.
This presentation will delve into the research and theoretical foundations that inform effective math instruction for students with dyslexia and other learning differences. We will explore the prevalence and impact of dyslexia and dyscalculia on students’ mathematical abilities, understand key research findings and explore the cognitive and neurological underpinnings of these learning differences. Participants will learn the importance of explicit instruction and multisensory techniques in supporting students with learning differences. By the end of this session, educators will have a solid understanding of the theoretical frameworks and research that support effective math instruction for students with learning differences.
Topics: Dyslexia Therapy/Intervention, Multisensory Math, Myths and Misconceptions of Dyslexia
Dr. Jeremy Miciak is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Houston, and affiliated faculty with the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics (TIMES). He conducts research around learning disabilities and learning risk, with a special emphasis on issues of identification and intervention, particularly in diverse cultural and linguistic settings. Dr. Miciak earned a doctorate in Special Education from the University of Texas at Austin. He has served as Principal Investigator and/or Co-Investigator on multiple grants funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Institute of Education Sciences. He is co-investigator at two national research centers focused on improving outcomes for English learners and students at risk for learning difficulties: the Texas Center for Learning Disabilities and the Center for the Success of English Learners.
In this presentation, participants will review research on proposed methods for dyslexia identification, emphasizing the research on methods that incorporate instructional response and intraindividual patterns of cognitive processing strengths and weaknesses. This presentation details the necessary components of a comprehensive assessment, highlights inherent challenges to reliable dyslexia identification, and provides recommendations for improved identification processes.
The content builds on research related to dyslexia identification completed by the Texas Center for Learning Disabilities (TCLD), one of three interdisciplinary research centers focused on learning disabilities in the U.S. The presentation highlights research and recommendations featured in
a free, downloadable manual on learning disability identification by Fletcher & Miciak (2019).
Topics: Diagnosing of Dyslexia/Screening, Myths and Misconceptions of Dyslexia, Science of Reading and Dyslexia
Beth Ellen Nash has her education degree from the University of Wisconsin—Madison and has 26 years of experience working with dyslexics and other outside-the-box learners. She was the founder, director, and lead teacher for 8 years at Hope Academy, a school for struggling middle and high school students in Madison, WI. In 2011, she shifted toward an individualized online and homeschool hybrid option and founded Wings to Soar Online Academy to empower students with dyslexia and other outside-the-box learners to gain the skills and confidence to thrive in school and in life without the feelings of failure, shame and inadequacy through online Path to Success™ Personalized Learning Plans for kindergarten through 12th grade.
Beth Ellen is currently the Founder, Director, and CEO of Wings to Soar Online Academy. Beth Ellen has tutored, assessed, and consulted with hundreds of families. Beth Ellen presented at the UC Irvine TEDx event. She is the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book, Dyslexia Outside-the-Box as well as Wings to Soar Spelling Foundations. In addition, Beth Ellen is a sought-after speaker for many homeschooling and educational conferences. Beth Ellen tailors her talks to the needs of the audience drawing upon her experience with students ages 3-21 with dyslexia, ADHD, autism spectrum, RAD, OCD, anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, and those who otherwise learn differently from traditional schooling.
Students with dyslexia are NOT broken! Their brains are just wired for different kinds of excellence! We’ll explore four ways individuals with dyslexia have brains wired for different kinds of excellence including right brain and cross hemispheric, 3D visual-spatial, big picture and contextual learning, and intuitive reasoning strengths.
Topic: Dyslexia 101, Dyslexia and the Brain, Dyslexia Therapy/Intervention
Beth Ellen draws upon her 26 years of experience with hundreds of dyslexics to help parents compare several different approaches to dyslexia remediation with which she has experience. These include Orton-Gillingham phonics-based remediations and Davis Dyslexia remediation, teaching approaches that work for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning challenges, and approaches such as BrainWare Safari, National Institute for Learning Development, and Fast ForWord that address underlying neural pathway weaknesses such as auditory processing, memory, attention, processing speed, and sequencing.
Topic:Dyslexia 101, Dyslexia Therapy/Intervention
Tim Odegard, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Middle Tennessee State University. He holds the Murfree Chair of Excellence and leads the Tennessee Center for Dyslexia. He also serves as the editor-in-chief of Annals of Dyslexia and a consulting editor of the Journal of Learning Disabilities. He is a past editor at large for Perspectives on Language and Literacy. He is a contributing author to the IDA knowledge and practice standards for teachers of reading. His work extends to putting research into practice by supporting efforts in the U.S. and Canada through service leadership to ensure the human rights of literacy for all learners. He has received the Innovator Award from the IMSLEC, the Luke Waits Service Award from ALTA, the Massey-Sexton Dyslexia Advocacy Award from the Tennessee Branch IDA, the AIM Institute Founder’s Award, and the Research Excellence Award from the University of Texas, Arlington.
In our evolving understanding of dyslexia, recent insights reveal a complex risk-resiliency model that underscores the interplay between individual factors and environmental influences on dyslexia and its severity. Beyond its impact on reading and writing, dyslexia’s primary characteristics significantly affect mental health and overall well-being. These modern realities challenge us to consider how we define, approach, and address dyslexia. This keynote explores the implications of word-level difficulties characteristic of dyslexia on mental health and examines strategies to address the mental health challenges prevalent among individuals with dyslexia.
Topics: Dyslexia 101, Dyslexia Therapy/Intervention
Kayla Reggio is a Certified Academic Language Therapist and Qualified Instructor who has been in dyslexia education for 14 years. She spent a decade of her career supporting the growth and development of Louisiana Key Academy, a public charter school system for children with dyslexia where she had the opportunity to develop the Dyslexia Resource Center’s Dyslexia Therapy Training Program, the first accredited training program in the state of Louisiana. Kayla is currently completing her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at Louisiana State University. Her family relocated to the Mississippi Gulf Coast last year where she now serves as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Lighthouse Academy for Dyslexia.
Dyslexia results in a persistent lack of fluency despite higher-level thinking skills, growing vocabularies, and increasing comprehension abilities. This session will discuss the important role of building fluency in dyslexia remediation and how to include students in the tracking process. The most up-to-date scientific evidence regarding building and measuring fluency will be explored along with practical ways to include these practices in your classrooms.
Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D. is the author and founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute. She is a national speaker, advocate and expert witness for students and their families. Dr. Kelli has studied Structured Word Inquiry (SWI), the Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach, Lindamood-Bell, RAVE-O and Read Naturally. She co-created and produced “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” as well as writing the well-received books, Dyslexia Advocate! How to Advocate for a Child with Dyslexia within the Public Education System, Dyslexia & Spelling: Making Sense of it All and The Adult Side of Dyslexia. Dr. Kelli earned a Doctorate in Literacy with a specialization in dyslexia from San Diego State University and the University of San Diego. Her love of language led her to earn an additional MA degree in Linguistics from San Diego State University as well as a TESOL certificate from UC San Diego.
In this session participants will have the opportunity to experience the frustration of trying to succeed in a classroom when reading and spelling are a struggle. The simulation includes two reading and two writing simulations in conjunction with a conversation about how students with dyslexia feel in the classroom environment. We will also discuss the important role of accommodations.
Rebecca Tolson is the Director of the Center for Structured Literacy at the University of Akron and a national literacy/dyslexia consultant and speaker. She has a Doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Akron and is a Certified Dyslexia Therapist and Qualified Instructor. Rebecca is an experienced educator with over three decades of teaching experience in the classroom and private tutoring using a structured literacy approach to teach students with learning differences. Rebecca served as Vice President of Literacy Initiatives at the Neuhaus Education Center, a national non-profit organization specializing in teacher professional development. She co-authored three Ohio laws related to dyslexia and was appointed to the Ohio Dyslexia Committee (ODC) in 2020. Rebecca serves as the current chair of the ODC, overseeing the implementation phase of the Ohio Dyslexia Guidebook.
Dyslexia and dysgraphia are often misunderstood conditions that significantly impact individuals across various stages of life. This presentation aims to debunk prevalent misconceptions surrounding these learning differences, providing insight from current research and practical experience. We will explore common myths such as the belief that dyslexia is purely a visual problem or that dysgraphia is simply bad handwriting. By delving into the neurological underpinnings and psychological implications, we will elucidate the complex nature of these conditions. Practical strategies for educators and individuals will be discussed to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment.
Join this insightful presentation aimed at educators interested in supporting adolescent learners with dyslexia. Dyslexia can present unique challenges during the critical teenage years, impacting not only academic performance but also self-esteem and social interactions. In this session, we will explore effective classroom practices and interventions tailored specifically for adolescents with dyslexia. Participants will gain valuable insights into fostering academic success and promoting positive well-being among dyslexic adolescent learners while receiving actionable tips for creating learning environments that support students with dyslexia. Participants will be empowered with tools and strategies to champion adolescents on their educational journey. Together, we can cultivate a supportive community where every learner thrives, regardless of their unique learning profile.
Dr. Tracy White-Weeden is a global keynote speaker, a forward-thinking leader, and a fervent literacy advocate. She advocates for literacy as a fundamental human right of the 21st century. With over 28 years of educational leadership experience, she has devoted her life to co-creating evidence-aligned innovative programs. These programs, propelled by exceptional teams, create transformative educational outcomes for children and adults. As the President and CEO of Neuhaus Education Center (NEC), White-Weeden inspires stakeholders and advocates to champion a vision of Literacy for All. Drawing on her extensive experience with change management, she provides valuable counsel to accelerate literacy results, regardless of zip code. This involves empowering educators to propel students to proficient and advanced levels of achievement. White-Weeden’s unwavering dedication extends to serving all children and families, with respect for the dialect or the home language they are loved in. She provides consultation to state department representatives, central office leaders, and school principals on change management linked to implementation science. Her commitment is evident whether the setting is urban, suburban, or rural. She firmly believes in empowering educators to become the most impactful change agents in society. White-Weeden believes that when educators are apprenticed based on proven science, they win at their work. By elevating effective literacy transformation for nonprofit, university, public, charter, and private school communities, White-Weeden is dedicated to transforming the family tree through literacy.
In the 21st-century knowledge economy, literacy is crucial for both children and adults to thrive. Failing to teach language structure can contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline, particularly affecting the most vulnerable. As a literacy ally, your role is pivotal in fostering a movement that prioritizes reading success for everyone, including children and adults with dyslexia.
