BREAKOUT SESSIONS
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Tiffany P. Hogan, PhD, CCC-SLP
This presentation examines developmental language disorder with a focus on its impact on educational outcomes. Practical, evidence-based implementation resources will be shared within the framework of multi-tiered systems of support. Participants will leave with new insights into strategies for improving childhood language and reading outcomes.
Tiffany P. Hogan, PhD, CCC-SLP is a Professor at MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston and Research Associate at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hogan studies language and reading assessment and intervention in schools, especially for neurodiverse children with Developmental Language Disorder, Dyslexia, and/or Speech Sound Disorders. Her advocacy for children with language, speech, and literacy differences has led her to co-found a DLD informational website (dldandme.org), and host a podcast, SeeHearSpeak Podcast.
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Lindsay Young, Ed.D. and Dr. Sue Sears
This session provides an overview of effective reading instruction and intervention for adolescents. The implications of adolescent reading difficulties, including social emotional impacts, academic expectations and achievement at the secondary level, and employment outcomes will be examined. Elements of a multicomponent approach to instruction, with a focus on word and sentence level skills, will be discussed. Finally, specific instructional practices designed for older striving readers will be presented.
Lindsay Young, Ed.D., is a national presenter, the author of several teacher activity books, and co-author of the WordBuilder Intervention application. Lindsay works for a large urban school district where she implements reading interventions and plans and facilitates district-wide literacy professional development. As a classroom teacher, Young earned National Board Certification, was featured on The Teaching Channel, and was named an Educator of the year by the California League of High Schools. She received her doctorate from University of Florida in Special Education with a specialization in dyslexia and is an adjunct faculty member at CSU Northridge.
Dr. Sue Sears is the Co-Faculty Director of the UC/CSU Collaborative for Neuroscience, Diversity and Learning and Professor Emerita, Department of Special Education, California State University, Northridge. Dr. Sears is the recipient of numerous personnel preparation grants and was most recently Co-Director of a federally-funded adolescent literacy model/demonstration project. At CSUN, Dr. Sears was Director of the Teaching, Learning, & Counseling Consortium, a multidisciplinary clinic that provides low-cost counseling, literacy tutoring, and resources to families and schools in the local community.
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Adrianne Meldrum, M.Ed.
Cracking the Code on Math Struggles reveals why so many students—especially those with dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, or autism—hit a wall in math and what to do about it. Drawing on evidence-based practices and the Science of Learning, this session explores how memory, language, and cognitive processing impact math success. You’ll discover how systematic, explicit instruction using the CRA (Concrete–Representational–Abstract) approach helps students truly understand math instead of memorizing steps. Participants will leave with research-informed strategies and practical tools they can implement immediately to transform frustration into confidence and clarity in the math classroom.
Adrianne Meldrum, M.Ed. is the founder and owner of Made for Math (MFM), an all-online math center focused on serving students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and math learning disabilities. She is a certified Multisensory Math Instructor through Marilyn Zecher. She has a Master’s Degree from Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity. Adrianne is married with three boys and lives in Queen Creek, AZ where she enjoys soaking up gorgeous sunsets!
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Keryn M. Kwedor, M.S.Ed.
Though "write" may be a small, seemingly innocuous word, it presents one of the most daunting tasks for students with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia. There are many hidden demands that make writing challenging, including comprehension of the task and topic, the ability to organize ideas in logical order, and knowledge of grammar conventions. Helping all students feel equally successful in sharing their ideas requires scaffolding, consistency, and adherence to a clear process. The key to writing instruction is introducing new skills at an appropriate pace and constantly reviewing them as students move on to more complex tasks. This session will highlight a clear hierarchy for teaching writing skills, as well as a process that can be applied to a variety of writing assignments.
Keryn M. Kwedor, M.S.Ed. has taught at Landmark High School in the language arts and literature departments since 2003. As Landmark Outreach associate director, she manages content development and production, and she assists in overseeing all aspects of the program. For Outreach, Keryn has been a school consultant, produced materials for the DESE, and organized the Professional Development Seminars for Cape Cod Educators, in addition to coordinating and teaching courses for the Summer Institute, Landmark Outreach Online, and the Landmark SNHU partnership. Keryn holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Colby College and a master’s degree in special education from Simmons University.
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Laura Rhinehart, PhD and Julie Rinker, M.Ed., WCT, CALT
This interactive workshop is designed for educators seeking practical and evidence-based tools to support students with dyslexia and co-occurring ADHD in reading instruction. Participants will learn how the characteristics of dyslexia and ADHD uniquely impact reading development. Together, we will examine effective intervention strategies to add to structured literacy interventions to meet the needs of students who struggle with both reading and focus. Attendees have an opportunity to practice these strategies, so they will leave with actionable approaches to enhance engagement, promote progress, and build confidence in young students with co-occurring dyslexia and ADHD.
Laura Rhinehart is an Assistant Researcher in the Department of Education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Rhinehart’s research on reading, learning disabilities, ADHD, and dyslexia has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals. In 2024, she received the Early Career Publication Award from the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Research for her article, “Children Who Receive Special Education Services for ADHD”, published in the Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Her current research focuses on dyslexia, assessment/screening, and children’s executive functioning skills. She is also interested in developing and testing interventions for students with ADHD and/or dyslexia.
Julie Rinker is a doctoral student in Special Education in the Cal State LA/ UCLA Joint Doctoral Program. Her research interests include literacy and dyslexia interventions for secondary and post-secondary students, human rights curriculum, and mentoring teachers as they become increasingly specialized as literacy instructors.
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Bianca Dino, M.A.T.
In every classroom, there are students whose brilliance is overshadowed by the challenges of dyslexia. This session invites educators to step into their world, experiencing the emotional, academic, and social hurdles these students face, and to discover how small shifts can spark profound change. Through interactive exploration and research-based strategies, you’ll learn how to use relationship-building, personalized instruction, and innovative technology to remove barriers and elevate learning. Together, we’ll reimagine classrooms as inclusive spaces where every learner feels seen, supported, and capable of success. Walk away equipped with practical tools and renewed purpose to empower students with dyslexia and to help them realize their full potential.
Bianca Dino, M.A.T. brings a wealth of experience as a former classroom teacher, instructional coach, and educational consultant. She holds a master’s degree in Teaching and Curriculum Design from the University of Southern California and is a certified Dale Carnegie Coach and Trainer. As Manager of Professional Learning at Learning Ally, a 75-year-old nonprofit dedicated to supporting struggling readers, Bianca leads the design and implementation of results-driven professional learning solutions that elevate literacy instruction and drive transformative change in educator practice.
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Nanci Shepardson, M.S.Ed., Ed.S., W.D.P., CPACC
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an exciting new technology that has created quite the buzz across all industries. In education, the use of AI generates a lot of questions for teachers and students alike. For students with dyslexia, the implications of the use of AI are potentially very exciting. This session will provide an overview of what AI is, how it is used, what the preliminary research is saying about its effectiveness with students with reading disabilities. Finally, AI tools that support the learning process for students with dyslexia will be presented.
Nanci Shepardson, M.S.Ed., Ed.S., W.D.P., CPACC is a Reading and Educational Specialist. She is a seasoned teacher, a credentialed K-12 Reading Specialist, and an International Dyslexia Association and Wilson Reading System Dyslexia Practitioner (WRS Level 1 Certified). In 2022, she earned her CPACC credential. Nanci has taught preschool, kindergarten, second grade, and fourth grade, was a Reading and Educational Specialist for grades 7 through postgraduate, and has tutored all ages. She consults for the International Dyslexia Association, is a published author, an advocate for students with disabilities and their families, and is also a professional speaker on Dyslexia, high-incidence disabilities, and assistive technology throughout the country. Before joining Wilson Language Training, she was the Head of Learning Resources at The Chapin School in Manhattan.
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Nancy Redding, M.Ed., ATF/OGA, C-SLDS/IDA
Students in upper elementary and beyond often struggle with reading, spelling, and understanding multisyllable words. Yet, most meaningful words in their readings contain two or more syllables and are built of morphemic units. The key to tackling longer words is knowing how to chunk them, using syllable and/or morpheme division. Syllables are helpful for ease in decoding, but division by morpheme adds meaning and leads to more efficient mapping. A knowledge of morphology, the basis for spelling in English, also leads to more accurate spelling. This workshop will look at the efficacy of combining these strategies and offer an abundance of ideas for teaching and practicing syllabication and morphological division with your students.
Nancy Redding, M.Ed., is an Accredited Training Fellow in Orton Gillingham Academy and certified as a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist by IDA. Currently, she trains teachers and tutors for all levels of certification in the Academy. She has served as a learning specialist in elementary, high school, and Community College, utilizing the OG approach in these settings and in private practice for over 40 years. Nancy is the co-author with Marcia Henry, Ph.D. of Patterns for Success In Reading and Spelling, a literacy program using Orton-Gillingham based lessons. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Orton Gillingham Academy. Nancy is past president of the Northern CA branch of International Dyslexia Association, and continues to be active in IDA locally and nationally.
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IDALA Board Members
During this workshop, facilitators will challenge you with a series of tasks that take you inside the dyslexic mind. By engaging in this simulation, you will gain a deeper understanding of how people with learning differences (LD) think and learn differently and what sorts of struggles they may encounter in everyday environments that favor neurotypical learners. This immersive workshop—designed by the International Dyslexia Association, Northern California Branch— shines a light on the urgency of meeting the distinct needs of LD learners.
