Complimentary parking is included.

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9:00-10:30   Keynote Address

10:30-10:45  Break  Coffee  Exhibits

10:45-12:15  Session 1

12:15-1:30    Lunch    EXHIBITS WILL BE OPEN

1:30-3:00      Session 2

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Maryanne Wolf, Ed.D., Director, Center for Reading and Language Research; Professor of Child Development; John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service; Tufts University

Dr. Wolf will present on how the brain learned to read 5000 years ago and how every young child learns to read today.  These principals will be used as the basis for a new conceptuallization of dyslexia and for new modes of intervention and teaching.

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10:45am	SESSION 1
	1:  A Developmental Model of Fluent Comprehension and its Implications for Intervention Maryanne Wolf. Ed.D., Tufts University’s Center for Reading and Language Research A developmental, multi-component model of reading fluency and fluent comprehension.   2: Writing Matters: Developing Writing Skills in Struggling Students William Van Cleave, MA, Educational Consultant  This hands-on workshop develops useful strategies for developing students’ writing skills, including grammar and sentence creation, idea generation and paragraph development, and proofreading and revising techniques. Participants learn a structured, sequential approach to developing students’ writing skills. They practice wit the various teaching strategies introduced and learn techniques they can apply the very next day in their classroom!   3:  The Challenges of Dyslexia in Higher Education and How to Succeed in College: A Panel Discussion Christine Craig Seppi, M.A., Tutor Supervisor, The 32 Masonic Learning Centers for Children; Private Orton-Gillingham Tutor Ms Seppi and a panel of college students with dyslexia will present and discuss the particular challenges that dyslexia presents in higher education and how to successfully prepare for and deal with those challenges. A question and answer period will follow the presentation.   4:  Ten Tips for Helping Older Struggling Students Michelle Joyce, M.Ed., Secondary Special Education Reading Specialist/Coach, Pittsburgh Public Schools Older struggling readers often lack basic reading skills. This session will address ten strategies for helping older struggling readers improve their phonological, orthographical, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.   5:  7 Ways to Improve Your Child's (or Student's) Memory, Attention, and other Vital Areas of Executive Function Carol Utay, Ed.D., Executive Director, The Total Learning Centers If you have not heard of Executive Functioning yet, just wait. It is the newest buzz phrase in both psychology and education. This session is a summary guide to inform parents, teachers, counselors, and other interested parties how to recognize and assess problems with Executive Functioning, programs that can improve it, what teachers and schools can do, what parents can do at home, and how others may help if needed.   6:  Tools of the Reading Trade: The Use of Assistive Technology in Supporting Reading (and Writing) Skills Lynn M. Chiafullo, M.A., CCC/SLP/IL, Assistive Technology Consultant, Program for Students with Exceptionalities, Pittsburgh Public Schools This session will provide an overview of a variety of assistive technology tools used to support the development of reading and writing skills. These tools will include hardware and software solutions.   7:  The Brain: The Four Processing Systems that Support Word Recognition Wendy Farone, Ph.D., Educational Consultant, PaTTAN Pittsburgh In order for reading to occur, several major regions of the left half of the brain must perform specific jobs in concert with the others. This interactive session will highlight each of these regions and their specific jobs called the Four-part Processing System Model. This knowledge is a useful concept because it suggests the various ways in which reading problems might develop; and why reading instruction should target several kinds of skills. Come build neural pathways and feed your brain!
1:30pm	SESSION 2
	8:  Orton-Gillingham: A Multisensory Approach Beverly Anderson, Director, The 32° Masonic Learning Centers for Children "Introduction to This session will provide an overview of the basic principles of the Orton Gillingham Approach. Participants will have the opportunity to view an Orton Gillingham lesson and learn how multisensory elements are incorporated throughout the lesson to enhance learning.   9:  Neuropsychological Testing and Dyslexia Sharon Arffa, Ph.D., MPPM, Chief of Neuropsychology, The Watson Institute Neuropsychological assessment and diagnosis will be reviewed in this lecture. The psycho-educational model of reading disorder will be contrasted with the medical/neuropsychological definition of dyslexia. The core cognitive deficits and comorbid conditions common to dyslexia will be discussed. The developmental course of dyslexia will be discussed.   10:  Classroom Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities Sheila Conway, Ph.D., Clinical Faculty, University of Pittsburgh This session will provide an overview of current practices and research regarding effective accommodations for students with learning disabilities. We will examine the purpose and goals of these accommodations. Finally, participants will review a framework for organizing and developing appropriate accommodations for their own classroom and students.   11:  Every Kid a Brainiac and Every Kid a Reader! Maria A. Barron, M.A., Research Associate, University of Pittsburgh This session will help you understand why some instruction is more (or less!) effective for struggling young readers. First, you will be introduced to the brain processes used in reading. Second, you will review some common instructional practices. Then you will put this information together so that you recognize why certain practices are more effective in helping young readers master needed skills. Come prepared to talk, laugh, and think!   12:  Team Building and Effective Advocacy Strategies Diane Hartman, Director of Outreach, The Total Learning Centers This lecture will review the importance of looking beyond “power” and “anger” when analyzing parent/professional relationships.  The development of team members transitioning from being part of a “group” to being part of a “team” will be presented. Strategies will be shared to help the team through conflict and infighting to becoming and interdependent and synergized team.   13:  Cutting Edge Technology for Reading Development: RTI Solutions Kathleen J. Smith and John W.R. Smith, Ph.D., Consultants, Partners in Education Differentiated instruction is now truly feasible by automating student assessment, direction, response and virtual teacher feedback. Teacher clerical efforts are greatly reduced for individualized or small group direct instruction, record-keeping, progress monitoring and IEPs. Evidence-based programs provide a wide range of applications for reading across the spectrum of both age and ability: Product Presentation: Lexia, My Reading Coach, and FLRT (Fluent Reading Trainer).   14:  Word Smarts: Morphology Development and Advanced Decoding William Van Cleave, M.A., VC Educational Consulting Recognizing that most schooling provides decoding at only the primary level, this workshop picks up where basic word attack leaves off. In fourth or fifth grade, students are introduced to textbooks filled with longer, multisyllabic words. In early high school, the caliber and complexity of that reading increases substantially. Even with effective basic phonics instruction, readers are often unable to handle both the increased quantity of text and its complexity. Participants briefly examine the origins of our language, learn about characteristics of the major languages of influence, look over basic word parts, and study some effective tools for instructing students in this valuable area. Tools such as these help the student whose word decoding abilities have plateaued to move to the next level -- for decoding, vocabulary development, and ultimately comprehension.

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• understand an introductory overview of neurological princi ples that underlie the brain‟s capacity to learn to read
• hear a presentation of a new conceptualization of reading development and dyslexia.
• hear a discussion of the implications of this knowledge for teaching and interventions with struggling readers.
• identify the basic components of the Orton Gillingham Approach.
• identify a variety of ways to incorporate multisensory elements into the learning process.
• be informed about latest technology to support individualized instruction/intervention and progress monitoring.
• learn and be able to utilize new strategies for developing effective teams.
• learn how students with dyslexia and their parents prepare in advance for a successful college experience.
• learn about the challenges for college students with dyslexia and accommodations that can help those students be successful.
• define „Assistive Technology.‟
• become familiar with the evaluation process for identifying appropriate Assistive Technology.
• learn approaches to the assessment of dyslexia.
• understand several of the core cognitive problems in dyslexia and common co-occurring conditions.
• describe what makes learning easier for young brains—and primary students.
• link certain instructional practices to the needs of young learners.
• recognize which practices are more likely to be effective with struggling young readers.
• describe 11 specific practical activities to immediately implement in the home or classroom environment.
• learn 18 ways to collaborate with professionals in the community to strengthen executive functioning skills.
• list 8 ways Executive Functioning impacts school performance.
• gain knowledge of 5 ways Executive Functioning is measured and progress can be monitored.
• use a graphic organizer to define and describe the four mental processing systems involved in the reading process.
• use their knowledge of the four processing systems to practice strategies and methods for improving phonological and orthographical memory of letters and sounds, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

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Click here for a mail-in registration form.

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Sharon Arffa, Neuropsych Testing, 9

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