Reading, Writing and the Brain: Developing Effective Interventions

Day Two: The General and Special Education Summit

Presented by Steven G. Feifer, D.Ed., ABSNP

Tuesday, December 3, 2019  |  Richmond, bc

Date & Location

This workshop will examine reading and written language disorders from a brain-based educational perspective, and classify each disorder into distinct subtypes. There will be a detailed discussion linking each learning disorder’s subtype with scores of evidence based interventions.

Four universal truths when teaching reading will be shared, in addition to five essential steps for effective written language instruction. There will also be a discussion on new research developments revealing that brain chemistry and neural pathways can actually be altered based upon effective interventions. We explore the neuropsychological underpinnings of the writing process to assist educators and mental health professionals in both diagnosing and remediating written language disorders in children.

The ability to generate and produce written language requires multiple linguistic skills involving both phonological and orthographical functioning (the elementary components of language), word retrieval skills, executive functioning skills to organize inner thoughts and ideas, and working memory to hold our thoughts in mind long enough for effective motor skills output.

Lastly, the Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR) battery, a comprehensive and innovative new reading test designed to examine the underlying cognitive and linguistic processes that supports proficient reading skills will be introduced to both educators and mental health professionals. The instrument is unique in that it helps school teams determine the specific subtype of reading disorder, features a dyslexia screener, and also yields numerous intervention strategies as well.

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

• Examine the current literacy rates in the United States and Canada and the effectiveness of the No Child Left Behind legislation
• Discuss the four universal truths of reading and explain why relying solely upon IQ scores, or a curriculum-based measurement approach, can be misleading when identifying reading disorders in children
• Discuss four subtypes of reading disabilities from a brain-behavioural perspective, and link scores of evidenced-based interventions and relevant classroom strategies to address each subtype
• Introduce a brain-based educational model of reading and written language disorders by classifying each disability into basic subtypes, with specific remediation strategies linked to each subtype
• Introduce the Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR) battery as a more viable means to both assess and remediate reading disabilities in children from a brain-based educational perspective
• Introduce the 90 minute LD evaluation measuring eight core constructs associated with learning disorders in children, including the Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR) Battery
• Develop comprehensive assessment batteries for specific learning disorders when presented with various clinical case presentations
• Discuss the neural architecture responsible for written language development in children and learn key brain regions responsible for the organization and production of writing skills
• Discuss three specific subtypes of writing disorders, with particular emphasis on how “frontal lobe” processes such as working memory and executive functioning impact each subtype
• Discuss five essential steps for effective written language instruction, and learn intervention strategies for written language disorder subtypes

Your Presenter

Steven G. Feifer, D.Ed., ABSNP

Steven G. Feifer, D.Ed., ABPdN is dually trained as both a nationally certified school psychologist and board certified pediatric neuropsychologist.  He has more than 20 years of experience working directly in public education, and is currently in private practice assessing children in Frederick, Maryland.  Dr. Feifer has earned numerous distinctions throughout his career including being awarded the Maryland School Psychologist of the Year, the National School Psychologist of the Year, and recently the Legends of School Psychology award.  He remains a popular speaker at many state, national, and international conferences, and has authored eight books on learning and emotional disorders in children.  Lastly, Dr. Feifer has also authored three tests on diagnosing learning disabilities in children, all of which are published by PAR.

Testimonials

 “I love the speaker. He knows how to engage the audience and keep us focused. Interesting and applicable info and stories, very organized and will timed presentation.”
– Richmond, BC | December 2, 2019

“This professional learning workshop was very targeted and well organized. The presenter was well prepared and very knowledgeable. He explicitly connected the neuropsychology and the intervention piece. A very worthwhile and informative session.”
– Calgary, AB | November 1 – 2, 2018

“Very good presentation. Thorough scientific content. Very clear about information. Afternoon presentation, very clear, excellent content. This is a deeply competent, expert + well informed.”
– Langley, BC | November 20 – 22, 2017

“Congratulations Dr. Feifer on being one of the first American presenters I have heard who took the time to do research + make slides with Canadian info + statistics, when presenting in Canada!”
– Langley, BC | November 20 – 22, 2017

“Very engaging speaker – obviously passionate about what he does. Fantastic balance of theory/practical applications. Visual format of slides were easy to see/follow plus he used to guide his discussions but didn’t read off them. Feifer made the audience feel at ease and welcome to ask questions.”
– Saskatoon, SK | May 10 – 12, 2017

“Thank you so much for an interesting workshop. I enjoyed the information because the neuropsychology aspect is so important to why and where we need to go with literacy interventions.”
– Tracie McDonald | Winnipeg, MB | December 3, 2015

“Very much enjoyed Steven Feifer’s ability to translate neuropsychology concepts into practical insights.”
– Dan Ross | Calgary, AB | October 29, 2015

“Very well informed, important information, great sense of humour, and love of his area of study and the audience. Great!”
– Robert Paulet | Winnipeg, MB | December 3, 2015

“Presenter was excellent!”
– Winnipeg, MB | December 3, 2015

“Best workshop I’ve been to! Very practical and relevant to my needs with respect to my current caseload. Thank you!”
– Winnipeg, MB | December 3, 2015

“Dr. Feifer has helped me to solidify my understanding of how to assess and intervene on learning disabilities. I found this workshop to be extremely practical and I intend to use the information to improve my practice in school psychology.”
– Winnipeg, MB | December 3, 2015

Registration & Fees