Dyslexia Advocacy and Training Simulations will be Showcased During Annual Neurodiversity Symposium
The LaFetra College of Education’s will be hosting its 6th Annual Neurodiversity Symposium at the 西瓜影视;Verne on Saturday, April 29.
This year, the symposium is dedicated to . Participants will learn how to foster equitable education practices and create transformative learning experiences that help students, educators, families, and community leaders value neurodiverse and dyslexic learners.
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that inhibits the brain鈥檚 ability to express accurate and/or fluent word recognition, which results in poor spelling and decoding abilities. One in five people have dyslexia, which can affect the quality of classroom instruction due to under-representation and under informed leadership.
The symposium will include discussions on dyslexia policy at the state and national level and learn about the direction of education research, policy, and practices. Guests are also invited to connect with families, educators, and legislative staff to establish a comprehensive approach to supporting dyslexic learners, with an aim to increase academic achievement and social engagement. Participants will leave with a greater understanding of dyslexic learners and how to help champion social equity for them in the classroom, at home, and in their communities.
The keynote speakers will be Professor Marga Madhuri and Associate Professor Cathy Johnson.
Madhuri is a professor of teacher education at the 西瓜影视;Verne. Madhuri has taught K-12 and has been a literacy educator for more than two decades. Madhuri helped build and is the chair of the Dyslexia Teacher Training Program at the 西瓜影视;Verne, a structured literacy intervention program for striving readers. In her talk, Madhuri will discuss how her mindset and practice as a literacy educator has evolved over the years as well as how neuroscience supports educators in providing targeted instruction to all students.
Johnson is an associate professor and librarian at the 西瓜影视;Verne. Johnson has been a licensed speech language pathologist since 1991 and is certified as a structured literacy teacher by the Center for Effective Reading Intervention. She will discuss the wide variety of assessments available to gauge decoding, reading, phonological processing, and other evaluated domains for individuals with dyslexia. Johnson will also share the assessments she currently uses in her dyslexia academy to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses in a variety of areas.
A dyslexia simulation will be offered in the morning by 庐, developed by the Northern California Branch of International Dyslexia Association. This will be a hands-on workshop that invites participants to experience the challenges and frustrations that people with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities may face daily. The simulation provides a lively, thought-provoking experience for teachers, parents, and anyone interested in better understanding the lives of individuals with dyslexia.
The symposium will take place in the Abraham Campus Center at the University of La聽Verne.
Registration is now open. Additional information and .
(CNLW)聽is a resource center within the university鈥檚 LaFetra College of Education. The center offers a multifaceted program of educational services, professional training, research, and community engagement intended to promote a greater understanding of neurological diversity in our culture.
