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Carol Allen 2019 Australian Tour

Internationally recognised education advisor Carol Allen is coming to Australia this year. Carol’s expertise in the area of ICT and learning difficulties is highly sought-after in the UK, and she was recognised as a “Top-ten Educator Using Technology” for 2018 by the UK parliament.

Carol will be presenting full-day teacher workshops in five capital cities focusing on how to use assistive technology as an integrated support rather than a stand alone activity. The workshops will be packed full of activities, including interactive demonstrations, which teachers will immediately be able to take away and add to their toolkit of potential ideas.

Carol has been teaching since 1980 in both primary and secondary mainstream schools, and schools for students with learning difficulties. As an English specialist, Carol is aware that communication lies at the heart of all effective teaching. As a result, the majority of her work has centred on the creative and engaging use of technology to support struggling students.

Carol Allen’s work centres on easy to replicate practice which is fun, achievable and will improve educational outcomes. Carol has provided workshops and keynote presentations in Denmark, Geneva, ATIA Florida, Riyadh, BETT, Birmingham, Manchester, London and Australia.

Photo of attendees around round tables watching Carol Allen present in Perth, 2018

Carol Allen’s 2019 Australian Tour Dates and Locations

Perth Monday, August 26th www.dsf.net.au for details
Melbourne Thursday August 29th www.speldvic.org.au for details
Adelaide Saturday, August 31st www.speld-sa.org.au for details
Brisbane Tuesday, September 3rd www.speld.org.au for details
Sydney Friday, September 6th www.speldnsw.org.au for details

 

Carol Allen will also run workshops for parents. Please check your local SPELD’s calendar for details.

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2019 DSF Conference Keynote Addresses Available Online

AUSPELD was a proud supporter of the DSF Language, Literacy and Learning Conference which took place in April this year. The filmed keynote presentations from the conference are now available to interested parties for a limited period. Online access is ideal for people who were unable to attend the conference in person as well as for delegates seeking to review these incredible presentations. The films may also be viewed with colleagues at staff or team meetings.

The cost to access these high quality and informative films for a six month period is:

 

Conference Delegates $95.00
Non-Delegates $145.00

 

For more information please visit the DSF 2019 Conference Keynotes page

Professor Stanislas Dehaene delivers his keynote address

 

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Revised AUSPELD Understanding Learning Difficulties Guides now available!

TGreen cover for Understanding Learning Difficulties: A Practical Guide picturing child and teacherhe first AUSPELD Understanding Learning Difficulties: A Practical Guide was published in 2014 and rapidly became a must-have title for any educator or allied professional supporting students with learning difficulties or specific learning disorders. The two guides, one for teachers and one for parents, provide readers with an in-depth understanding of learning difficulties and specific learning disorders. The guides also share advice and practical information on the best approaches to use with students who have learning difficulties or diagnosed specific learning disorders.

After almost five years, the guides have now been revised to ensure they reflect current, evidence-based practice. Additional information and several new tip sheets have also been added to the latest edition.

Hard copies of the revised guides can be purchased here.

 

Red cover from AUSPELDs Understanding Learning Difficulties: A guide for Parents - Revised edition

 

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LETRS – Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling

LETRSLETRS is a research-based professional development that leads to more effective instruction and improved student outcomes. The course is now available in Australia as a two-year course of study incorporating online coursework, in-person workshops, accompanying print resources and online support.

LETRS courses commence on the following dates:

 

Queensland Thursday 11th July
New South Wales Saturday 13th July
Victoria Monday 15th July

 

Courses in South Australia and Western Australia are already in progress and new dates will be released soon.

A LETRS brochure can be downloaded here and course dates are listed here.

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Understanding Learning Difficulties Course – Now Online

The Understanding Learning Difficulties e-Learning course was designed by DSF (Dyslexia-SPELD WA) and is proudly supported by AUSPELD. This online learning program consists of six interactive modules that systematically cover: an introduction to learning difficulties and learning disorders; the cognitive processing skills implicated in learning; and, the response to intervention model. Participants will also learn about how to reduce the incidence of literacy and numeracy difficulties, remediate learning difficulties and put in place appropriate support strategies and accommodations.

The e-learning course was designed to equip teachers, school psychologists, speech pathologists, specialist tutors and parents with the knowledge required to support students with learning difficulties throughout their education. To find out more about the e-learning course please visit the DSF ULD course page.

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DSF e-alert – Learning Disorders and the NCCD

This DSF e-alert focuses on the NCCD and what it means for students with learning disorders.

Sign up for the AUSPELD/DSF e-alert parent newsletter here

 

Relevant Legislation

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE) require that all Australian students with disability must be able to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers. Under the DDA, disability includes:
“A disorder … that results in the person learning differently…”

 

Reasonable Adjustments

Adjustments may be necessary in order to ensure that students with disability have access to education. These adjustments are based on the professional judgements of teachers, in consultation with the student and/or their parents, guardians or carers. Students with learning disorders (including Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and/or Dyscalculia) are eligible for adjustments to ensure they have access to education. Adjustments may include the provision of text-to-speech and speech-to-text assistive technologies, extra time to complete written tasks and/or intensive intervention using a structured and systematic evidence-based program (see below for further information).

Appropriate adjustments for students with Reading Disorders (Dyslexia) can be found here.

 

The NCCD

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) is an annual collection of information about Australian school students who are receiving adjustments due to disability. The data collected from the NCCD is used by teachers and schools to improve understanding and inform planning. Students with a learning disorder who require adjustments in the classroom (as defined according to the DDA) are included in the NCCD.

 

Available Resources

The NCCD website includes information about how the NCCD should be integrated in the continuing process of teaching and learning in school. The website also includes a range of resources and tools to assist teachers and schools in planning and implementing the NCCD. Information about learning differences, learning difficulties, learning disabilities and the NCCD is available here. Another relevant resource is a podcast series featuring students, parents, teachers and experts in specific areas related to the NCCD.DSF CEO Mandy Nayton, OAM, was interviewed recently for the NCCD podcast on Classroom Adjustments: Specific Learning Needs Dyslexia and Classroom Adjustments: Specific Learning Needs Dysgraphia. The podcasts focus on potential educational adjustments that can be made in class for students with learning disorders. To listen to the podcasts, click on the links provided or search for “Classroom Adjustments” in Apple podcasts, SpotifyGoogle podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts to listen via your mobile device.

Appropriate adjustments for students with Written Expression Disorders (Dysgraphia) can be found here.

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David Kilpatrick Tour for LDA

Recent Advances in Understanding Word-Level Reading Problems: Assessment and Highly Effective Intervention

Renowned reading researcher, psychologist and author, David A. Kilpatrick, will present a series of presentations around Australia in August, 2019.

The presentations will focus on how children learn to read words and why some children struggle. Understanding word-level reading development and its problems will guide both assessment and intervention.

More information is available on the Learning Difficulties Australia website.

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An Overview of Structured Synthetic Phonics Program Sequences

The Summer 2018 edition of the DSF Bulletin featured the following article on Structured Synthetic Phonics Program (SSPP) sequences. It details each the phonics sequence of a number of SSPPs, from single letter phoneme-grapheme relationships and digraphs through to the introduction of the alternative spellings in the extended code.

Find this and other articles on the AUSPELD Articles page.

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2019 DSF Language, Literacy & Learning Conference Wrap-up

The second DSF Language, Literacy and Learning Conference was held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday April 4th to Saturday April 6th, 2019. More than 850 delegates and 90 speakers from WA, interstate and around the world contributed to this incredible event. The response from delegates, speakers and exhibitors has been overwhelmingly positive. One-half of attendees scored the conference 10 out of 10! – with the conference receiving an overall ranking of 9.1/10 from the delegates surveyed.

The conference was preceded by a full-day of masterclasses, parent workshops and technology sessions for those keen to access additional training from a number of DSF’s visiting experts. Across the six keynote addresses and 65 breakout sessions, workshops and symposia, the conference provided valuable information, insights and networking opportunities for teachers, principals, school psychologists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists.

The outstanding keynote sessions presented by Professor Stanislas Dehaene, Professor Simon E. Fisher, Professor Daniel Ansari, Professor Kathy Rastle, Dr Yana Weinstein-Jones and Mr Tom Bennett were very well received. We are grateful to the keynote speakers for sharing their expertise.

AUSPELD is a proud supporter of the Language, Literacy & Learning Conference and would like to thank the Ian Potter Foundation, the Perth Convention Bureau, the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and all other Conference sponsors for joining us in supporting this exceptional event.

We are looking forward to the next conference in 2021.

To receive notifications about the latest conference news, please register your email via the conference website www.literacylanguageconf.com.

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Revised AUSPELD Understanding Learning Difficulties Guides to be released in January

Cover image for AUSPELDs ULD GuideMany teachers, principals and families will be familiar with the two AUSPELD Understanding Learning Difficulties Guides, originally released in 2016. The teachers’ guide was designed to provide primary and secondary school teachers throughout Australia with a greater awareness and understanding of the significant impact learning disorders can have on students, and to provide information relating to the components of high quality instruction, evidence-based intervention and effective accommodation. The guide for parents was subsequently released and converted to an engaging and informative web-site for those parents keen to access the contents via the internet. This remains available at www.uldforparents.com. We are delighted to announce that a revised version of the Teachers’ Guide and a revised version of the Parents’ Guide will be available in January. These Guides will include updated information and new sections focused on up-to-date research findings and such topics as Developmental Language Disorders and Developmental Coordination Disorders. There is additional information on recommended strategies and programs as well as updated information sheets (on the enclosed CD). The Guides will be valuable resources for teachers and other professionals working with students with learning challenges. To pre-order a copy (or copies) of one or both Guides please complete this form.