Thanks to all who Attended!

Thanks to the many people who attended the conference to learn more about dyslexia.  The movement to get equity in education for people with language-based learning differences is certainly taking hold.  We will have videos of some of the conference presentations shortly.

Thanks to Conference Organizers Rachel Hicks and Sara Page Stinchcomb

As anyone knows who has put on a conference, there is a lot of work behind the scenes.  Two Millersville University students helped organize this conference: Ms. Rachel Hicks and Ms. Sara Page Stinchcomb.  I was waiting until they were in the room to thank them, but they were always just passing through to the next assignment.  Rachel and Sara set up the brochures, the social media, many of the emails, the child care, the buttons, the raffle, and the volunteers.  They are amazing colleagues to work with.

Thanks to our Presenters and Panelists

Wow. The combined experience in the rooms was so impressive. We learned so much. Thank you, sincerely, for sharing your expertise.

The Day

The day began with 11 different tables, from the Center for Dylexia, to schools and microschools, to psychologists, to organizations like Decoding Dyslexia (both PA and VA represented),  to camps, to jewelry.  These resources enabled attendees to browse the regional resources.

Here are some links to

• Decoding Dyslexia PA
• The Center for Dyslexia
• Dr. Sarah Haas
• Literacy Foundation

Morning Sessions

The Day began with a review of what dyslexia is and isn’t, and an estimate of its impact on school-aged children with disabilities.  Dr. Janet Josephson, Associate professor of Early, Middle, and Exceptional Education got the audience members talking and engaged in understanding the foundational scientific data about dyslexia.

Dr. Josephson’s presentation  was recorded, and will be available at the end of this week.  Her slides are already available.  Ms. Page Stinchcomb then told her story about how teachers impacted her life positively by giving her a nickname in second grade (“Miss Math”) and by using multi-modal teaching to give students different avenues to comprehend the materials.

Dr. Peg Kay then explained about how what testing reveals, and how the varied tests can be used to modify instruction to help the student in the classroom.  In the photo at the left, she indicates how students who have established an IQ at the higher hand may be determined to have a disability by testing in those areas with scores at the lower hand.  This deviation from expected performance is what establishes the disability.

In the past in Pennsylvania, students would have to do so poorly in their classes that they would be in the lower percentages of the population (the “wait to fail” model), but in recent years Dr. Kay explained how the “Response to Intervention” model would work.  Unfortunately, many students with dyslexia are not identified in the 0-10 window (by their grade) where interventions would help.  The system also is ill prepared to identify dual exceptionals (students with both a disability and a gift).

Dr. Kay also talked through instances of multiple disabilities, including students who may have ADHD and dyslexia or a visual impairment and dyslexia.  She noted that vision therapy for students who have a visual impairment (in addition to the phonological impairment that dyslexia is–she carefully reinforced that dyslexia is NOT a visual impairment) is now covered by insurance due to the USDE’s letter-on-visual-impairment-5-22-17.

At lunch, the power panel of Daphne Uliana (Dyslexia and Literacy Network), Rebecca Warner (middle left, Decoding Dyslexia VA, pqdb), Hollie Woodard (middle right, Council Rock School District), and  Angela Kirby (right, PaTTAN)(pictured above) discussed where Pennsylvania is in terms of meeting the needs of kids with dyslexia in K-12 and college. They noted that intervention to create a better outlook for students would probably be most successful in getting more training for pre-service teachers or teachers doing their masters.  In Pennsylvania, even a reading specialist has no required training in dyslexia. Angela Kirby mentioned that PaTTAN offers many trainings for both teachers and parents that offer scholarships. There is a three-day training in June that might be particularly helpful. The panel noted that only 7 schools in Pa are IDA certified, and 6 of these are at the masters level.

After lunch, breakout sessions began.  Millersville University Students Abigail Rissinger (right) and Sara Page Stinchcomb (left) shared their experiences with reading, writing, and school in Breakout session 1. Other sessions covered many topics, from Dyslexia with Anxiety and ADHD, to using Orton Gillingham in the Classroom.

Overall, the day offered significant expertise to the community, and especially parents and teachers of kids with dyslexia.  As one attendee put it, the conference “was OUTSTANDING!  It was incredibly organized with some of the best dyslexia thinkers our state has to offer.”  Another stated, the “organization and amount of information is outstanding and it is so important that so many teachers and parents (and administrators) need to hear and be aware of!  I wish more administrators would attend to see what curriculums would be beneficial in classrooms!  My never ending battle in the real world of teaching… getting the right curriculum and training to the teachers!”

We are happy to share our resources from the 2020 conference to help community members.

Dr. Margaret Kay:

• From Dyslexia Identification to Getting Services – Presentation
• Disconnect, the Real “D” Word – Article
• The Battle over the “D” Word – Presentation

Dr. Sarah Haas:

• Conference Handout with Links
• Relaxation Resources

Kevin Ghaffari:

Social/Emotional Concerns:

• Dyslexia and the Life Course: Michael A. McNulty (2016)
• Developmental dyslexia: emotional impact and consequences: Emily M. Livingston, Linda S. Siegel & Urs Ribary (2018)
• The Educational, Social and Emotional Experiences of Students With Dyslexia: The Perspective Of Postsecondary Education Students: Maro Doikou-Avlidou  (2015)
• Psychological Resources of Adults With Developmental Dyslexia: Marta Łockiewicz, PhD, Katarzyna M. Bogdanowicz, PhD, Marta Bogdanowicz, PhD (2013)
• Growing Up with Dyslexia: Interviews with Teenagers and Young Adults: S. Gunnel Ingesson (2007)

Compensatory Skills:

• Protective Factors and Compensation in Resolving Dyslexia, Scientific Studies of Reading, Sietske van Viersen, Elise H. de Bree & Peter F. de Jong (2019)
• Exploring the Nature of Compensation Strategies in Individuals With Dyslexia: Nicholas W. Gelbar, Melissa Bray, Thomas J. Kehle (2016)
• Morphological awareness and visual processing of derivational morphology in high-functioning adults with dyslexia: An avenue to compensation?: JEREMY M. LAW , ANNELI VEISPAK, JOLIJN VANDERAUWERA  and POL GHESQUIÈRE (2017)
• Semantic compensation and novel word learning in university students with dyslexia: Maud Rasamimanana, Mylène Barbaroux, Pascale Colé (2020)

Lauren Maffett, M.Ed. and Rachel Moore, MD:

• Tutoring Options in Lancaster – PPT
• Virtual Tutoring Handout
• Lancaster Reading Solutions

Daphne Uliana:

• Dyslexia Handbooks 
• Act 14

We are looking forward to sharing insights about dyslexia with you on February 8th.
Check out the expertise that will be “in the room.”

Speakers in Order of Appearance

Sara Stinchcomb

Ms. Stinchcomb is a student at Millersville University majoring in Mathematics. She was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 7 and has since tackled many of the challenges of dyslexia.

Dr. Jill Craven

Dr. Craven is a  Millersville University English professor. She received her Doctorate In Comparative Literature from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She is Chair of the English Department and a parent of a dyslexic child. She is the founder and organizer of this conference.

Dr. Janet Josephson

Dr. Janet Josephson is an associate professor in the MU Department of Early, Middle, and Exceptional Education (EMEE). She conducts research in Universal Designs for Learning, behavior management for inclusive settings, and the experience of pre-service teachers in field placements. In previous years, she had worked as a special education teacher in New York and Philadelphia.

Dr. Margaret Kay

Margaret J. Kay, Ed.D. NCSP, FABPS is a licensed psychologist in PA and DE, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, and a Fellow of the American Board of Psychological Specialties with Forensic Specialization in Educational and School Psychology. Dr. Kay has been in private practice since 1980 and performs Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE’s) for school-age children, college students, and adults with language-based learning disorders of the dyslexic type.

Rebecca Warner

Rebecca Warner is a founding member of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia and the creator of the Dyslexia Symbol pqbd.  A graduate from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, and a jewelry designer by trade, Rebecca’s advocacy began about 10 years ago as she began navigating her two sons through public school with dyslexia and ADHD.  She serves on the Special Education Advocacy Committee with the Virginia Department of Education and is a partner with the Dyslexia Friendly Libraries of Virginia, but her passion is connecting with parents who are trying to support their dyslexic children.  “Apparently it DOES take a village.”

Lauren Maffett, M.Ed

Lauren Maffett is a Pennsylvania-certified public school teacher with a master’s degree as a Reading Specialist. She currently works as a preschool director. She has two dyslexic children of her own. In addition, she is a Certified Dyslexia Practitioner with the Children’s Dyslexia Center and co-founder of Lancaster Reading Solutions, LLC.

Rachel Moore, MD

Rachel Moore has worked as a family physician, an artist musician, and a teacher. She lives with her daughter and husband, who both have dyslexia. She is a Certified Dyslexia Practitioner with the Children’s Dyslexia Center and co-founder of Lancaster Reading Solutions, LLC.

Hollie Woodard

Hollie Woodard is a high school English teacher and technology coach from the Council Rock School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She is the PAECT Advocacy Chair, 2017 Keystone Technology Star, 2018 and 2019 Keystone Technology Star Lead Learner, and a member of PTAC and Decoding Dyslexia PA. As the mother of a special needs child, she is a passionate dyslexia advocate and credits much of her teaching innovation to her desire to meet the needs of her most vulnerable students.

Dr. Stacey Irwin

Dr. Stacey Irwin is Professor in the Media & Broadcasting program at Millersville University where she teaches a variety of courses in media production, public speaking, and leadership. Her husband and daughter are unique learners and the inspiration for her documentary, Raising Faith: Stories About Dyslexia, released in 2019. She hosts the dyslexiastories.com website where she shares information about the film and the forthcoming Dyslexia Stories podcast.

Heather Hinkel

Heather Hinkel has been the Director of the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Lancaster since 2013. She received her Certified Dyslexia Practitioner-1 (CDP-1) certification in 2008 and her CDP-2 certification in 2012. In 2015, she received certification as an Instructor of Practitioners and has been certifying adults as dyslexia practitioners at both the initial and advanced levels through the Children’s Dyslexia Centers. She has helped students of all ages overcome challenges associated with dyslexia.

Angela Kirby

Angela Kirby is the PaTTAN (Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Center)- Harrisburg Office Director and has held this position since 2008. She has previously worked as a teacher, administrator, educational consultant and special assistant to the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education.

Daphne Uliana

Inspired by struggles with her three dyslexic children, Daphne along with other advocates helped to pass Act 69 of 2014, which established a pilot program to screen all children for reading difficulty in Pennsylvania.  In 2018, she helped to pass a two-year extension for the pilot program, and she–along with other parent advocates–was instrumental in having an audio version of the Pennsylvania driver’s manual placed online. In 2018, Daphne started the Dyslexia and Literacy Network, an all-volunteer nonprofit to help parents who have children with dyslexia, bring more awareness of dyslexia and advocate for change.

Dr. Sara Haas

Dr. Sara Haas  is a licensed child psychologist in PA who specializes in treatment and evaluations for toddlers through young adults with behavioral and attention struggles. As an established researcher and as a private practice owner (CenterForActiveMinds.com), Dr. Haas often sees clients with dyslexia and co-occurring ADHD and/or anxiety. She is dedicated to empowering youth and young adults to overcome their academic and behavioral challenges. A Buffalo, NY native, she has been sought after for many therapist and teaching positions locally, including positions at Penn State Hershey, Penn State Harrisburg, Dickinson College, and Elizabethtown College.

Kevin Ghaffari

Kevin Ghaffari has been teaching middle and high school students with reading challenges for over 20 years. He has taught in public and private schools in California, New York, Maryland, and, now, Pennsylvania. He is currently teaching at Wheatland Middle School in Lancaster.

Abby Rissinger

Abby Rissinger is a Millersville student with dyslexia.

Faith Irwin

Faith Irwin is a Millersville student with dyslexia. She is the inspiration for the documentary “Raising Faith: Stories about Dyslexia” which focuses on dyslexia and how it presents in children, along with the challenges dyslexia poses.

Katie Shuey

Katie Shuey has been working at The Janus School for four years. In 2012 she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Stevenson University in Baltimore, Maryland. Katie got her first teaching job at a public school in Baltimore County. After two years, she decided she wanted to dedicate her time to children who learn differently. She transferred to The Odyssey School in Baltimore, MD, focusing on dyslexia and a variety of learning differences. After two years at the Odyssey School, Katie moved to Pennsylvania for some life opportunities. Katie loves working at The Janus School where she can teach ALL learners and put her students first.

Jen Risser

Jen Risser has been a teacher and Reading Specialist at the Janus School for 19 years. She graduated from Millersville University with a Bachelor’s degree and a certification in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and a Master’s degree in Reading and Language Arts and a certification as a Reading Specialist.

Organizations

Decoding Dyslexia is a grassroots movement of parents concerned with the limited access dyslexic students have in public schools to services, technologies, and reading programs that truly work for them. Decoding Dyslexia PA is led by volunteer parents and other interested people who work together to increase awareness of dyslexia and related neurolinguistic learning disabilities; to educate parents, educators and policy makers; and to advocate for children with dyslexia. Chapters of Decoding Dyslexia are in every state in the USA, and the movement has spread to other countries, such as Canada.

Children’s Dyslexia Center

Since opening its doors in 2002, the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Lancaster has helped remediate reading and written language skills of over 200 children, and trained nearly 50 tutors. Housed inside the Masonic Center of Lancaster County on Chestnut Street, the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Lancaster operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and tutors children for free on a first-come, first-served basis regardless of race, ethnicity, economic status, gender, or religious affiliation.

The Janus School

The Janus School is an independent and accredited day school offering a core academic program to students in central Pennsylvania with learning differences such as language- or math-based learning disabilities, ADHD, high functioning autism, executive function difficulties, nonverbal learning disorders, or auditory processing disorder.  The Janus School aims to inspire, prepare, and uplift students who learn differently to become thriving participants in diverse communities, empowered by their educations and enabled to succeed.

Lancaster Reading Solutions, LLC

Lancaster Reading Solutions offers private lessons and group lessons for students with dyslexia.