The LDA Podcast

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/ 

Pediatric occupational therapist Sydney Krueger joins us to discuss what an occupational therapist does, how an OT can help someone with learning disabilities, ADHD, or mental health issues, different strategies that she uses in her practice, and more. 

Learning and behavior consultant Bev Johns and Mental Health Committee member Rachel Krueger discuss the symptoms and impact of depression on students with learning disabilities, dealing with transitions, and strategies for parents and educators to support students. 

Lois Letchford, a reading specialist, dyslexia advocate, parent, and speaker joins us to share how her dyslexic son Nicholas went from non-reading to earning a PhD in Applied Mathematics from Oxford University. Lois talks about teaching Nicholas, the importance of focusing on strengths, and more. 

Bev Johns, a learning and behavior specialist, and parent Rachel Krueger, members of LDA's Mental Health Committee, provide insights into the prevalence of anxiety, the impact of anxiety in children with learning disabilities in school, strategies for educators and parents to support those dealing with anxiety, and more!

Educational diagnosticians Laurie Peterson and Dr. Abbey Weinstein are co-hosts of the popular Let's Talk Learning Disabilities Podcast, and join us to talk about the inspiration for the podcast, the meaningful impact it has on its listeners, and more!

Tune in to the Let's Talk Learning Disabilities Podcast at: https://ltldpodcast.com/
Listen to DJ's episode at: https://ldaamerica.org/ltldDJ

Currently schools in the U.S. can utilize three different evaluation methods when assessing children for learning disabilities, which can lead to learning disability identification varying from school to school. LDA's Education Director Dr. Monica McHale Small was a co-writer of LDA's principles and standards for evaluation, and shares why standardization of evaluations is so important, what's essential to consider in an evaluation, and how listeners can push for LD evaluation standardization.