NHIDA
   NHIDA

serving the dyslexic community in Maine, NH, and Vermont
SPRING 2017  --  Edited by J. Beaton, D. Vincent, S. Lurgio, and A. Eaton
President's Message

NHIDA has a passionate Board of Directors who donate their time, energy, and knowledge to promote public awareness and understanding of dyslexia and related disorders across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.  
  The goals of NHIDA are to:
  • promote, encourage, support, and educate the community about the causes, symptoms, assessment and remediation of dyslexia, 
  • disseminate information about available resources 
  • provide multi-sensory structured language training opportunities for educators and other professionals, and 
  • collaborate with organizations working on behalf of people with dyslexia.
We strive to accomplish this through community outreach events, our annual educational conference, webinars, our newly revamped website  http://nh.dyslexiaida.org , and by partnering with other organizations.

In January, NHIDA offered another webinar for educators called “Framing Your Thoughts - Sentence Structure.”  Registrations for this webinar doubled those of last year’s webinar, and feedback was extremely positive.   We plan to offer continue....


SAVE THE DATE 

W illiam Van Cleave

Friday, September 22, 2017


William Van Cleave, an educational consultant whose specialties include morphology and written expression will be the featured speaker at NHIDA's 2017 conference on September 22nd.

A high energy, enthusiastic, nationally recognized speaker, Van Cleave will deliver a full day writing workshop on sentence structure and paragraph/short essay writing.

Van Cleave is the author of Writing Matters: Developing Sentence Skills in Students of All Ages. Schools in the public and private arenas have adopted his methodology for use by one-on-one language therapists and classroom teachers.

Van Cleave's company, W.V.C.Ed, offers a large selection of outstanding, teacher-tested materials.  A selection of these materials will be available for participants to peruse at the conference.  For a sneak peak, click here to view the catalog,

Detailed program and registration information will be coming your way in the very near future, so save the date in your calendar now!  

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NHIDA DONATES BOOKS TO SCHOOLS

Bringing quality professional development opportunities to educators is a major focus for NHIDA.  As part of that effort, in December 2016, NHIDA donated a selection of books to the professional development libraries of six elementary/middle schools in the tri-state region.  All of the books were titles that educators on NHIDA’s Board of Directors had found invaluable in their work with students. NHIDA at-large board member Leslie Benton-Norris said, “We have chosen these titles based on their foundation in scientific research of effective practices for building literacy for all students, but especially for struggling readers.”

Benton-Norris said a variety of books were selected to not only provide a solid framework for understanding the development of literacy and the qualities of good reading instruction, but also include instructional practices for building critical reading skills, such as phonological and phonemic awareness, spelling skills, vocabulary, and comprehension. 

The books donated in 2016 are: (Read More)

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Update on HB 1644

Implementation of Dyslexia Law Encounters Some Bumps in the Road
Under a law signed in June 2016, New Hampshire schools are required to begin screening kindergarten and first grade students for dyslexia by Nov. 30.

They must also begin providing age appropriate, evidence-based interventions for any student identified as being at risk for dyslexia no later than Jan. 1, 2018.

But there have been problems in implementing provisions of House Bill 1644.

The law called for creation of a reading specialist position within the New Hampshire Department of Education to help school districts identify youngsters at risk for dyslexia and begin providing appropriate interventions. That person was to provide support and develop resources for both school districts and families necessary to implement the law. The Department of Education found funding f or the position through June 30, 2017 and included funding for the position in its budget request for the upcoming biennium.  (read more)
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Research Articles
 
Dyslexia and Working Memory

A recent study suggests that individuals with language disorders including dyslexia may have a working memory deficit.  It is hoped that this new knowledge may eventually help educators find innovative ways to teach individuals with learning disabilities.

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Radio Broadcasts

NPR Series: Unlocking Dyslexia

NPR recently ran a 5 part radio and blog post series called Unlocking Dyslexia. NPR's own Gabrielle Emanuel, who is dyslexic, gives a comprehensive report on this most common learning disability which is unfortunately still misunderstood. 

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U.S. Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments
Regarding Meaningful Educational Benefit and FAPE
 
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 11 on a Colorado case involving the obligation of school districts to provide meaningful educational benefits for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.  The case appealed is Endrew F. v Douglas County (Colorado) School District.  The case involves an autistic student with ADHD, but has major implications for district services to all students with disabilities. Click here for more.


More Thoughts About Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District

Peter Wright, Esq. and Pamela Wright of Wrightslaw attended the January 11, 2017, U.S. Supreme Court oral argument in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, a case regarding educational benefit and FAPE.  They provided their thoughts about the case in Wrightslaw Way.  
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Dyslexia and Brain Research
A recent study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows it’s not just the parts of the brain used in reading that are different in people with dyslexia.

Results of the study, published in December 2016 in the journal Neuron, surprised even the senior author of the study, John Gabrielli.

Click here to read the article published by the Boston Globe.  

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UPCOMING EVENTS

 NHIDA and Nashua Community College  

present

Supporting Students with Dyslexia:

Assistive Technology,  Accomodations,

and Literacy Strategies

Thursday, April 6, 2017, 6:00 – 9:000 PM

Nashua Community College

Free and open to the public

(no pre-registration)

     Assistive technology experts Diana Petschauer and Kelsey Hall of AT for Education will deliver a 3 hour presentation intended for an audience of educators, adults and adult students with dyslexia, and parents of middle and high school students with dyslexia.  

Professional development credit available for educators.

For full program description, click here.

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Stern Center  2017 Symposium Series

03/10/17, Friday   Language The Missing Piece of Academics


03/24/17, Friday  Technology Based Interventions for the Learner with Language and/or Executive Function Based Disabilities

Click here for more information and to register

05/19/17, Friday   The Eyes Have It: Understanding the Cognitive Processes Involved in Silent Reading

Instructor: Jane  Ashby , Ph.D.

Course Description:  Struggling readers are slow to identify printed words, yet skilled readers can recognize a word in less than one-quarter of a second. In that time, the mind launches orthographic and phonological processes that accomplish word recognition. How do we do this? This seminar explores key findings from eye movement research that illuminates how word recognition happens during silent reading for meaning.


   Orton Oak status is conferred upon
 individuals who have been IDA members
for 25 years or longer. 

 NHIDA is grateful to its  Orton Oaks and to these other long-term members for their steadfast commitment to the organization.  

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  Upcoming  Teacher Training Opportunities

Orton-Gillingham 60 hour Associate Level training
with Beth MCClure, M.Ed., AOGPE Fellow
in Pembroke, NH

8:30 AM - 3:00 PM  on June 26 - 29 and July 12
and  
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM on July 6 - 8 and 10 & 11


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Orton-Gillingham Training Programs
at the Stern Center

in  Williston, VT

June 20-23, 2017 Classroom Educator Training

August 7-16, 2017 Associate Level Training


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SAVE THE DATE !
IDA's National Conference is coming up on

 November 8-11, 2017

in Atlanta, Georgia

Conference registration will open soon.
Are you a runner? Do you know people who are? Last year, NHIDA Board Vice President Michelle Stinson ran for TeamQuest in the half-marathon in Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you, Michelle!

If you would like to turn your running into a way to educate people about dyslexia and raise funds for IDA, email us at [email protected]  You can also find information on upcoming running events, as well as virtual participation opportunities, by clicking here for TeamQuest.

   Are you a teacher, parent, individual with dyslexia, professional, school, or other organization?

Become a member of IDA today!  

The benefits of membership  vary
according to membership level,
 
Are you a service provider? 

Become a member at the professional level and have your name/business included in NHIDA's provider list.  
 
NHIDA
2017 NHIDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NHIDA's Board of Directors consists of up to 15 individuals who serve on a volunteer basis for 2 or 3 year terms.   Members of the Board are guided and assisted in their work by former Directors who serve on the Advisory Board .
2017 Board Officers:

President :  Audrey Burke, Bow, NH
Past President :  Anne Eaton, Concord, NH
Vice President :  Michelle Stinson, Hanover, NH
Secretary :  Rebecca Nelson-Avery, Manchester, NH
Treasurer :  Anne Eaton, Concord, NH

2017 Members at Large:

Jayne Beaton, Amherst, NH
Leslie Benton-Norris, Manchester, NH
Shannon Dixon-Yandow, Essex Junction, VT
Anne Ehret, Arlington, VT
Kara Garvey-Knapp, East Dummerston, VT
Valerie Leuchter, Barnstead, NH  
Sue Lurgio, Dunbarton, NH
Michael Patten, Westfield, MA
Sandy Roberts, Gilford, NH
Dale Vincent, Concord, NH


Advisory Board:

Aileen Cormier, Amherst, NH
Melissa Farrall, St. Albans, VT
Claudia Golda-Dominguez, Hudson, NH
Renee LeCain, Sandown, NH
Beth McClure, Canterbury, NH
Sue Morbey, Amherst, NH
E. Bette Nelson, Manchester, NH
Caryl Patten, Bedford, NH
 
NHIDA
P.O. Box 3724,  Concord, NH 03302-3724
(603) 229-7355 (to leave a message)