We sit down with Dr. Jeff Karp, a distinguished chair at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, professor at Harvard Medical School and MIT, and upcoming keynote speaker at our 62nd Annual Conference. Dr. Karp discusses his experience with learning disabilities, and how he began ‘thinking about thinking,’ and using pattern-recognition to begin to thrive. Dr. Karp shares some of his “Life Ignition Tools,” discusses how learning disabilities still impact him as an adult, addresses the self-shame many with LD can feel, and more. 

Learn more about our 62nd Annual Conference at: https://ldacon.org/ 
Visit Dr. Karp's website at: www.jeffkarp.com

In this second part of our conversation with Dr. Jan Wasowicz, Dr. Wasowicz delves into what an ideal intervention for developmental language disorder would look like, how language screeners are no longer a common practice in schools, and how interprofessional collaboration between speech language pathologists, school psychologists, and special education teachers is essential to effectively identify and support students with language disorders. 

Resources: 

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The Language Literacy Network

A Review of Screeners to Identify Risk of Developmental Language Disorder

Dr. Jan Wasowicz, a speech language pathologist and board certified specialist in child language, discusses Developmental Language Disorder, the signs of DLD, what an ideal evaluation would look like, and more. 

Resources:

Join the SPELLTalk listserv

We Need to Keep (But Revise) The Specific Learning Disability Construct in IDEA

www.DLDandme.org

www.RADLD.org

Neurodiversity Alliance Ambassadors Lydia Pinto and Shoshana Holt-Auslander join us to talk about their journeys of becoming learning disability advocates, and how their current graduate school research projects are benefiting the disability community. Lydia and Shoshana also discuss defining success for themselves, the importance of sharing neurodiverse experiences to erase stigma, and more!

Jesse Sanchez, the Managing Director of Programs for the Neurodiversity Alliance, joins us to discuss the challenges that students with learning disabilities can face in the school setting, the importance of a shared, supportive community for neurodiverse students, and how to build self-knowledge, self-confidence, and self-advocacy skills for these individuals. 

The Neurodiversity Alliance is a nonprofit dedicated to building community, developing leadership skills, facilitating peer-to-peer support, and raising awareness for the 1 in 5 who learn differently. Learn more at thendalliance.org

Harold Jordan, a nationwide education equity coordinator at the ACLU of Pennsylvania, discusses how students of color and students with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by unfair discipline practices in schools. Harold discusses how bias, the misuse of police in schools, and the shortage of support staff can contribute to students having early interactions with the justice system, and how the consequences of this can follow them into their adult lives. Harold also provides insights into creating more equitable schools to disrupt this school-to-prison pipeline. 

Adventure athlete and dyslexia advocate Meghan Buchanan is in the final stages of completing the Explorer's Grand Slam and was recently featured on Netflix's survival series, Outlast. In this episode, we dive into Meghan's experience on the show, her relentless pursuit of her goals, and how her dyslexia led her to develop GGRIT: Gratitude, growth, resilience, integrity, and tenacity. 

Tune in to our first episode with Meghan: From Injury to Everest, Dyslexia Gave Me GGRIT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1133861/11249533 

Dr. Rebecca Resnik, a past special education teacher and current psychologist, discusses the importance of holistic learning disability assessments, evidence-based intervention, and communicating neuroscience to educators to incorporate into practice. Dr. Resnik also reviews LDA's SLD Evaluation Principles and Standards and breaks down why these standards are so important.   

Linda Karanzalis is a board-certified cognitive specialist, Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD) and ADHD advocate, and author of Misnamed, Misdiagnosed, Misunderstood: Recognizing and Coping with NVLD from Childhood Through Adulthood. In this episode, Linda discusses her own experience with NVLD and ADHD, the mental health issues that come along with these conditions, considerations for teaching, and more. 

LDA’s Education Director Dr. Monica McHale-Small talks with Dr. Nancy Mather, a Professor Emeritus of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies, about the importance of keeping the category of specific learning disabilities in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and how the SLD category could be better revised. 

Dr. Mather also discusses RTI as a part of the identification process for learning disabilities, how comorbidities impact an accurate learning disabilities identification, and more. 

Read the paper mentioned in the podcast at: https://ldaamerica.org/we-need-to-keep-but-revise-the-specific-learning-disability-construct-in-idea/