Dyslexia: What it is, What it is Not and How to Help Students

Day Three: The General and Special Education Summit

Presented by Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D and Tracy Block-Zaretsky, BA

Wednesday, December 4, 2019  |  Richmond, bc

Date & Location

In this course participants will experience a dyslexia simulation that will include experiencing difficulty with reading, writing and processing in conjunction with a discussion of the signs and symptoms of dyslexia. Participants will learn about many popular myths about dyslexia and their realities. Appropriate remediation for students with will be described and participants will have the opportunity to practice those strategies.  We will also discuss current accommodations available to children and adults with dyslexia.

Additionally, participants will be provided an overview of Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) and how to begin to use SWI to provide remediation. SWI provides a logical process, based on linguistics, for analyzing and developing an understanding of the underlying structure of the spelling of English words. Developing true understanding of spellings will assist students with reading and spelling. SWI is instruction that assists all students, those with or without dyslexia. Participants will learn how to support students through word investigations to understand the spelling of any English word so instructors no longer utter, “Well, English is just crazy, you will have to memorize that word?

Recommended Reading

Who Should Attend

Education and Clinical Professionals: K–12 Classroom Teachers, School Counsellors/Psychologists, Learning Assistance/ Resource Teachers, School Administrators, School Paraprofessionals including Special Education Assistants, Classroom Assistants and Childcare Workers. All other professionals who support students including but not limited to: Nurses, Social Workers, Psychologists, Clinical Counsellors, Family Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Addiction Counsellors, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Probation Officers, Police Officers, and Early Childhood Educators.

Parents, Caregiver, Foster Parents, Grandparents, and Extended Family raising a child.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will be able to correctly define what dyslexia is and what dyslexia is not.
• Participants will be able to identify three appropriate accommodations for students with dyslexia.
• Participants will be able to demonstrate two appropriate interventions for students with dyslexia.
• Participants will be able to describe the underlying structure of English orthography and understand how that teacher/instructor knowledge can improve instruction.
• Participants will be able to identify at least three myths about dyslexia and be able to dispel those myths.

Your Presenters

Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D

Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D. is an author and co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute.  Dr. Kelli is a certified special education advocate assisting parents and children through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan process. She has training in mediation and also serves as an expert witness in the area of dyslexia. Dr. Kelli has studied Structured Word Inquiry, the Orton-Gillingham approach, Lindamood-Bell, RAVE-O and Read Naturally. She is a Past-President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association as well as a dyslexia consultant working with schools to improve services offered to students with dyslexia and training teachers. Dr. Kelli co-created and produced “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” and she is a frequent speaker at conferences. She is the author of the well-received book, Dyslexia Advocate! How to Advocate for a Child with Dyslexia within the Public Education System. She received her doctorate in literacy with a specialization in reading and dyslexia from San Diego State University and the University of San Diego. She is currently in her second year of MA program in Linguistics and is finishing book about dyslexia and spelling. 

Tracy Block-Zaretsky, BA

Tracy Block-Zaretsky is the co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute. She has provided remediation for children and adults with dyslexia for the past 20 years and has developed and taught workplace and family literacy program. She is a certified Special Education advocate assisting parents and children through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan process. She is a past President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.Tracy has training in Structured Word Inquiry, the Orton-Gillingham approach, Lindamood-Bell programs, Read Naturally and a variety of reading and writing assessments. She co-created and produced, “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” and has provided professional development for educators and training for parents at numerous conferences, private on-site trainings and online courses and webinars. Tracy is also a parent of a child with dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADD and Executive Function Disorder.

Registration & Fees