Events

Events sponsored by Decoding Dyslexia CA (DDCA) are indicated on the events calendar.  Local events held by other organizations may also be listed that may be of interest to our members. DDCA does not endorse any specific program or company.

Aug
4
Fri
Orton‐Gillingham Approach: A Teacher/Tutor/Parent Workshop for Dyslexia and Literacy Instruction
Aug 4 – Aug 5 all-day

Event: 15‐hour Workshop on the Orton‐Gillingham Approach

Instructor: Nancy Redding, M.Ed., FIT/AOGPE, CDT/IDA Location: 365 1st St., Los Altos, CA, 94022

Dates and Times: August 4 and 5, 2017; 8:30am to 5:00pm daily Registration Deadline: July 20, 2017

Cost and Registration Info: $285 per person, payable to Meyers Learning Center, P.O. Box 428, Redwood Estates, CA 95044

What’s Included: Materials, professional/engaging instruction, Certificate of Completion from Orton‐Gillingham Academy (“Subscriber” level), coffee/tea, refreshments

This introductory course will familiarize participants with the signs and symptoms of dyslexia, as well as the tenets of the Orton‐Gillingham approach to literacy instruction. It meets the requirements of the Subscriber Course of the Academy. Topics will include:

  • Neurological basis of dyslexia and reading disorders
  • Efficacy of structured, sequential, multisensory literacy instruction The foundations and history of the Orton‐Gillingham Approach
  • Phonological and phonemic awareness
  • Stages of Reading and Spelling Development
  • The design and rational of the OG lesson plan
  • Case studies and sample lessons
  • History and Structure of English Language

About Meyers Learning Center:

Meyers Learning Center offers private tutoring to a diverse student population, from elementary to adult‐age students. Our experienced, reliable, and caring educators individualize their teaching to each student’s needs. Tutoring occurs at our downtown Los Altos learning center, in students’ homes, at another convenient location (e.g., school or library), or online. In addition, we provide workshops, school programs, and presentations to community audiences.

Nancy Redding, M.Ed., is a Fellow‐in‐Training with AOGPE. She has 40 years of experience with OG, both in tutoring students of all ages, and in conducting teacher training. She has worked as a learning specialist at the elementary, high school, and college levels. Nancy is the co‐author along with Marcia Henry, of Patterns for Success, an OG based reading and spelling program designed as a supplement to OG instruction. She has presented at many workshops and conference and has been active in International Dyslexia Association, both on the local and national levels.

*This special workshop is open to the community!

Download flyer HERE

Sep
29
Fri
Dyslexia & AB 1369 @ UC Merced
Sep 29 @ 8:30 am – 3:00 pm

Learn about:

  • Dyslexia
  • New Laws & Guidelines
  • Assessments & Intervention

Presenters:

  • Jeff Gilger, Ph.D., UC Merced
  • Kathy Futterman, Ed.D., CSU East Bay

Registration includes lunch.

For more information, click HERE for the flyer.

Oct
16
Mon
Supporting Students with Dyslexia AB1369 Dyslexia Guidelines Overview @ Junction School - Elementary Campus Theater
Oct 16 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

California Department of Education’s Dyslexia Guidelines were released August 2017 per AB1369

Supporting Students with Dyslexia a Dyslexia Guidelines Overview

Date: Monday, October 16, 2017

Time: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Location: Junction School – Elementary Campus Theater 9087 Deschutes Road, Palo Cedro, CA

Presenters:

Theresa Costa Johansen – Policy & Program Services Unit Administrator, CDE

Richard Gifford – Ed. Programs Consultant, CDE

Audience: Site and district administrators, school psychologists, speech and language pathologist, district curriculum and reading specialists, teachers, others service providers, parents and community members.

Participants will: Explore the AB1369 CDE Dyslexia Guidelines with state level experts and have the opportunity to ask questions about the guidelines.

Meets LCAP Priority #2 and #7

Resources available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/ac/dyslexia.asp

The California Dyslexia Guidelines (PDF; 2MB; New 14-Aug-2017) AB 1369, Statutes of 2015, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop program guidelines for dyslexia.The guidelines will be used to assist regular education teachers, special education teachers, and parents to identify and assess pupils with dyslexia, and to plan, provide, evaluate, and improve educational services to pupils with dyslexia.

Federal Guidance

Dear Colleague: Dyslexia Guidance letter (PDF) dated October 23, 2015, from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on the unique educational needs of children with dyslexia and other conditions identified as specific learning disabilities.

Senate Resolution 275 is a resolution calling on Congress, schools, and state and local educational agencies to recognize the significant educational implications of dyslexia that must be addressed and designating October 2015 as “National Dyslexia Awareness Month”.

Senate Resolution 576 is a resolution calling on Congress, schools, and state and local educational agencies to recognize the significant educational implications of dyslexia that must be addressed and designating October 2016 as “National Dyslexia Awareness Month”.

Feb
8
Thu
Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Conference @ Oakland Scottish Rite Center
Feb 8 @ 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

A one day, hands-on, special education workshop designed to meet the needs of parents and professionals serving children and teens with disabilities. Perfect for educators, healthcare providers, advocates and attorneys. This program is not disability or state specific.

For more information (parking, accommodations etc): http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/18.02.ca.htm

Each ticket includes:

  • Wrightslaw book set ($63 value) – Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, 2nd Edition and Wrightslaw: All About IEPs
  • Sandwich lunches and all-day tea/coffee bar

Early Bird Discounts until January 7, 2018*

*Early Bird registrants will also receive emailed pdf copies of Wrightslaw Special Education Law, 2nd Ed. and Wrightslaw: Special Education Legal Developments and Cases 2016 which retail for $29.95.

Sep
20
Thu
Structured Word Inquiry @ Marina Village Conference Center
Sep 20 @ 9:00 am – Sep 21 @ 3:30 pm

Both days will draw on classroom/tutoring lessons across the grades to help teachers/tutors make sense of English spelling and ways to bring that understanding in their own educational contexts. Both days will be driven by the participants questions and both will have investigations teachers will engage in, but there will be more time for digging into activities on Day 2 with the basics in place. The basic story will be something like this:

Day 1: 
– A general introduction to the big picture of English orthography and SWI
– Working with word morphological and etymological word families
– Making sense the interrelation of morphology, etymology and phonology by working with matrices, word sums (spelling-out-loud and writing-out-loud), grapheme-phoneme correspondents and synchronic and diachronic etymology
– How to draw on SWI in the process of reading instruction, and to deepen understanding of key concepts and terms in any subject area. 
– Brief description of the research

Day 2:
– A revisiting of the key concepts of Day 1, but now with much more time for activities. 
– More time for activities
– much more time for the details of “writing-out-loud” and “spelling-out-loud”, bigger investigations 
– more time learning how to work with Etymonline to inform SWI investigations
– more practice on grapheme-phoneme-correspondences and the interrelation with morphology and phonology
– a more detailed account of the research
The point is that people can get an introduction on Day 1 if they can only commit to one day. Day 2 is hugely valuable to have time to process the concepts and terms of Day 1 and to refine understanding.

Flyer

Sep
29
Sat
Structured Word Inquiry @ Athena Academy
Sep 29 @ 9:30 am – 3:30 pm

Register for the class directly through the instructor:  peterbowers1@mac.com

Full day workshop!  Who is this workshop for?

This workshop is appropriate for teachers and tutors new to SWI and those who have attended workshops and worked with SWI for some time.  Those who have attended Pete’s workshops multiple times know that revisiting these introductory sessions is particularly rich for deepening understanding and confidence in their instructional practice.  The content addresses instruction of children of all ages and abilities.

Download the Flyer for more information

Oct
11
Thu
Wrightslaw Special Education & Advocacy Training @ WestGate
Oct 11 @ 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

Pete Wright photo

Save The Date!

Wrightslaw Special Education & Advocacy Training

Comes to San Jose on

October 11, 2018  9 am – 4:30 pm

Register at: https://php.networkforgood.com/

Don’t miss this one-day, hands-on, special education workshop with Pete Wright, designed to meet the needs of parents and professionals serving children and teen with disabilities.

Perfect for parents, educators, healthcare providers, advocates, and attorneys.  This program is not disability or state specific.

For more information on Pete Wright at http://wrightslaw.com

http://bit.ly/PHP_Wrightslaw

Oct
20
Sat
Dyslexia Symposium @ Empire College
Oct 20 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Please join co-founders Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley and Tracy Block-Zaretsky of Dyslexia Training Institute and Decoding Dyslexia CA for a one day Dyslexia Symposium.  Kelli and Tracy are the developers of the “Dyslexia for a Day” simulation kit.  Attendees will participate in a simulation followed by a discussion on AB 1369 and the new California Dyslexia Guidelines.  Kelli and Tracy will be discussing what dyslexia is, its neurobiological origin, structured literacy and appropriate accommodations for students with dyslexia.  Kelli was the key dyslexia expert  that testified in support of AB 1369.  In a powerful TEDEd video Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley urges us to think again about dyslexic brain function and to celebrate the neurodiversity of the human brain.

About our speakers:

Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D. is an author, TEDEd presenter and co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute. 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 also completing her TESOL certification. 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 is trained in Structured Word Inquiry, the Orton-Gillingham approach, Lindamood-Bell, RAVE-O and Read Naturally. Dr. Kelli is a Past-President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. She is a dyslexia consultant working with schools to improve services offered to students with dyslexia and training teachers. She 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.

 

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 504Plan 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.

 

Downloadable Flyer