Dyslexia/Language-Based Learning Disabilities

Children with any form of dyslexia are not “dumb” or “stubborn”; nor are they “not working to potential” – the three most frequent descriptions they endure.  However, they will be mistakenly described in these ways many times by many people, including themselves.  It is vital for parents and teachers to work to ensure that all children with any form of reading problems receive immediate, intensive intervention, and that no child or adult equates reading problems with low intelligence.  A comprehensive support system should be in place from the first indication of difficulty until the child becomes an independent, fluent reader, or the frustrations of reading failure can lead to a cycle of learning failure, dropping out, and delinquency.  Most important, the considerable potential of these children will be lost to themselves and to society.

Maryanne Wolf, Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain

On October 23, 2017, the Weston Public Schools and the Weston PAC hosted a presentation by Dr. Joanna Christodoulou:

Research Updates on the Neuroscience of Reading Development and Difficulties

Click here to download the slides from this presentation.

This presentation provided research updates on the science of reading across the range of ability levels. Topics included how the reading brain develops, how differences in brain structure and function are associated with reading disabilities, how effective reading intervention pairs with brain plasticity, and how socioeconomic status relates to reading outcomes. Attendees learned about the promise, potential, and limitations of neuroscience as it informs education ideas and practice.

Weston Public Schools and Weston PAC Presentation

At the November 13, 2015, Weston PAC Meeting, Dr. Nadine Gaab, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School presented on the following topic: Developmental Dyslexia: Early Identification, Brain-correlates and Remediation Strategies.

Click here to watch the presentation! 

Thank you to our partners at Weston Media Center for making this presentation available to everyone.  Dr. Gaab’s presentation is also available for download.

Thank you to Dr. Gaab and her team, and to the parents, WPS faculty members, and administrators who attended!
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• It’s a Myth That Young Children Cannot Be Screened for Dyslexia!
• A 30-minute screening test for dyslexia?