Reading in the City – Conference Schedule


Saturday, April 13, 2024, 8:00am-3:30pm at Colorado Academy


The Conference Pricing & FAQs Schedule Speakers

Saturday, April 13, 2024 – Conference Schedule

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see a breakout session choice when registering, then unfortunately it is unavailable. We will try to update the page regularly, but are not synced with the registration system so updates are not immediate.


Registration Check In – 8:00 to 8:45 am

Pick up Your Name Badge to confirm your attendance and grab other goodies from our sponsors!


Opening Remarks & 1st Morning Plenary Session

8:45 to 10:30 am

Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Dyslexia (and a Few Other Things)

Nancy Mather, Ph.D.

Everyone concerned with dyslexia should know certain things. This session will review ten aspects of dyslexia that need to be considered, acknowledged, and addressed by parents, teachers, and related professionals. Examples include: the importance of early identification, the necessity of systematic reading and spelling instruction with highly trained teachers, the reality of comorbidity, the impact of dyslexia on self-esteem, and the importance of nurturing strengths. This session will also include a few other things.


Break – 10:30 to 10:45 am


2nd Morning Plenary Session

10:45 am to 12:15 pm

FEAR: Reading, Attention-Anxiety and Executive Functions

Dr. Eric Tridas

In this presentation, Dr. Tridas delves into the intricate relationship between dyslexia, ADHD, and executive functions in students with learning disorders. Participants will gain insights into the diagnostic criteria for these conditions and their complex interactions. The discussion will illuminate how factors such as attention, inhibition, flexibility, planning, and working memory significantly influence student performance. Moreover, effective strategies to mitigate these challenges will be explored, offering valuable insights for educators and professionals in the field.


Lunch – 12:15 pm to 1:00 pm 

Lunch for this year will be provided by Tokyo Joe’s and will accommodate those with meal requirements such as dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan. Make sure to reserve the appropriate option during registration. We will not have extras. You may decline the meal, or bring your own, but we will not issue partial refunds. The meal options are as follows:

  • Gluten Free/Dairy Free White Chicken Bowl: white rice, chicken, mixed veggies, teriyaki sauce, & a drink
  • Gluten Free/Dairy Free Tofu Bowl: white rice, tofu, mixed veggies, teriyaki sauce, & a drink

Please note that alcoholic beverages and other items with age restrictions are not permitted on school campus. 


Afternoon Breakout Sessions

(Choose 1 of 2) – 1:00 to 2:10 pm


Understanding Orthography and How it Contributes to Dyslexia

Nancy Mather, Ph.D.

The purpose of this session is to discuss how difficulties mastering English orthography impact both reading and spelling development. The presenter will: (a) clarify terminology related to orthography, (b) review the characteristics of poor orthographic processing, (c) review past and current ways to assess orthography, and (d) discuss appropriate accommodations and interventions for students who have this difficulty. Participants will understand how orthographic knowledge is related to dyslexia and why it is so difficult for some children to learn how to read and spell. Student writing samples will be used to illustrate problems in the mastery of orthography. Difficulty developing reading and spelling skills involves more than just phonological awareness!


What on Earth is going on With This Child?! The evaluation of the student with dyslexia and related disorders

Dr. Eric Tridas

Evaluating a student with learning difficulties poses a complex challenge, yet there are numerous approaches to address these issues. In this presentation, Dr. Tridas will delve into both WHAT should be assessed and HOW these assessments should be conducted, utilizing the IDA Assessment Standards for Dyslexia as a foundation. This multidisciplinary approach underscores the factors influencing a student’s learning and proposes a model to ensure assessments comprehensively address the student’s specific difficulties. Dr. Tridas will delineate the four components of effective assessment (the HOW) and the various factors that necessitate evaluation (the WHAT). This presentation aims to equip teachers, school psychologists, educational diagnosticians, and other professionals involved in the evaluation process with the necessary tools to identify the factors impacting a student’s learning. This identification is crucial for developing an appropriate, multidisciplinary intervention plan.  


Break – 2:10 to 2:25 pm


Closing Session

2:25 to 3:25 pm

Dyslexia Unleashed: 3 Steps to Uncover Its True Power

Hector Simoudis, co-founder of eLearning Partners

The support of tutors, teachers, administrative staff, and loved ones is monumental for individuals with dyslexia, learning, and neurodiversity differences (NOT disabilities) to fuel their self-determination in discovering that their difference is their greatest strength, not a weakness. In this presentation, you will learn the 3-steps to help anyone with any difference to uncover its true power and how it is a force to be reckoned with!


Scan the Code – Take the Survey – Get Your Certificate of Attendance

3:25 to 3:30 pm

After the closing session, please make sure you visit us to scan the code at the back tables with your phone and access our Conference Survey. You can download your Certificate of Attendance from the survey completion screen!

If you don’t want to take the survey at the end of the conference, simply scan the code to visit the survey and then bookmark the survey webpage for use in the upcoming week!



“Dyslexia is a different brain organization that needs different teaching methods. It is never the fault of the child, but rather the responsibility of us who teach to find methods that work for that child.”

—MARYANNE WOLF, Director, Center for Reading and Language Research, Tufts University

 

“Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science”

—LOUISA C. MOATS, Ed.D., Author of LANGUAGE! Live® and LETRS

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