The LDA Podcast

We talk with Stefan Bauer, the Co-Founder and CEO of Marker Learning, an AI support for psychologists and educators designed to help more students to receive an evaluation. Stefan discusses his own difficulty in getting an evaluation growing up, how his diagnosis of dyslexia provided him with a roadmap to success, and the highlights of being able to pay it forward by creating Marker Learning.

When teachers struggled to support her daughter with dyslexia, Kirsten Bronkovic became inspired to create an 3D experiential platform to build empathy and understanding about neurodiverse students. Kirsten, CEO and Co-Founder of EmpathEd, joins us to discuss obstacles educators face when trying to understand neurodiverse students, how misconceptions can cause harm, and how neurodiverse individuals helped EmpathEd to put teachers in their student’s shoes. 

Kelly Tanzi, a fourth grade writing teacher with a background in special education, shares how incorporating the arts into learning can create a powerful multi-dimensional learning experience for all students. Kelly discusses how incorporating arts projects can give students who struggle with reading and writing more agency in how they present their knowledge, and can hook the interest of reluctant readers. Along with examples of past artistic projects, Kelly shares resources for parents and educators looking to incorporate the arts into their student’s learning. Mentioned in the podcast:National Gallery of ArtFolger Shakespeare LibraryPhillips CollectionNational Building MuseumNational Women’s History Museum

Dr. Julia Carroll, the lead researcher of "Toward a Consensus on Dyslexia," discusses why a consistent definition of dyslexia is so important, and the findings of the study. Highlights of the study include involving individuals with dyslexia, the large role cognitive processing plays in dyslexia, the need for interventions tailored to the individual, and more. Dr. Carroll also discusses the importance of recognizing struggles in dyslexia beyond reading and identifies areas of dyslexia research that need more study.Read the "Consensus on Dyslexia" study here. 

Aaron Wolf is a neurodiversity advocate, actor, director, media host, cofounder of film production company Howling Wolf Productions, and the founder of I Am Able, a nonprofit dedicated to neurodiversity awareness. Aaron discusses his experience with neurodiversity, what led him to create I Am Able, and how his natural creativity drove him to become a storyteller of neurodiverse experiences. https://www.iamablefoundation.org/ 

“I think the most radical thing you can do in education is speak up, listen, and to make room for love because every learner has a powerful story, and it's one that can be told and received when we offer the right tools to do so.” -Caroline WeaverWe sit with LD advocate and researcher Caroline Weaver to discuss her interdisciplinary capstone project that creates an intersection of lived experience, art, advocacy, and research. Caroline’s project delves into how school systems can cause harm and deficit mindsets to neurodiverse students, the power of self-love, self-knowledge, and self-advocacy, the importance of including individuals with LD in LD research, and much more. Visit Caroline’s project at: https://cpweaver26.wixsite.com/advocacy2action  

Dr. Jeff Karp, a distinguished chair at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor at Harvard and MIT, shares his journey with learning disabilities and innovative thinking strategies. He discusses the pivotal moments that ignited his self-awareness and the importance of parental support. Dr. Karp introduces his 'Life Ignition Tools' and emphasizes the emotional challenges faced in education, especially for neurodiverse individuals. He also explores how AI could revolutionize personalized learning for all students.

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: Join the SPELLTalk listservThe Language Literacy NetworkA Review of Screeners to Identify Risk of Developmental Language Disorder

Dr. Jan Wasowicz, a seasoned speech-language pathologist with over 40 years of experience, dives deep into Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). He highlights the neurobiological underpinnings of DLD and stresses the importance of early identification. Listeners will learn about key signs and risk factors to look for in children, the connection between DLD and dyslexia, and the challenges in evaluating DLD effectively. Dr. Wasowicz also discusses the need for collaboration among professionals to enhance assessment processes and support affected students.

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!