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Webinar #1 on February 24
DYSLEXIA: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT KIND OF INSTRUCTION WILL HELP? Devin Kearns, Ph.D.

Dyslexia is a serious reading disorder affecting 5 to 10% of individuals in the United States. However, its causes and the best treatments for it are not well-understood. Dr. Devin Kearns will begin with an explanation of the skills students require for reading success and then address the nature of dyslexia and how it causes reading problems.  Finally, Dr. Kearns will provide guidance about the elements of instruction that are essential for the success of students with dyslexia and how to address dyslexia within an MTSS/RTI process. The goal of the presentation is for attendees to leave with a strong understanding of the types of problems involved in dyslexia and knowledge about the critical elements of instruction.

Following this one-hour presentation, we will invite questions from the audience.

Audience: Elementary & middle school classroom and reading teachers & administrators, tutors, SLP’s, psychologists, and parents

IDA-GA is offering this series free of charge to all registrants. Certificates of Attendance will be made available for those who need to document contact hours.

Devin M. Kearns, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut (UConn). He researches reading disabilities—including dyslexia—in school-age children. His research focuses on linking educational practice to cognitive science and neuroscience in collaboration with colleagues at Haskins Laboratories and the Brain Imaging Research Center at UConn. He and his colleagues examine the neurobiological change that occurs as students learn to read. They are also developing a new reading intervention designed to link word reading and meaning and examining how the intervention affects students’ patterns of cognitive processing. He and his colleagues are also developing and testing a game-based dyslexia screening app. Devin has seven years of classroom experience as a teacher, literacy coach, and reading specialist. He continues to help schools and districts implement high-quality reading instruction—including demonstrating how to implement evidence-based reading instruction.