This session will focus on cognitive and language components necessary for successful reading. A major focus the presentation will be on building strong narrative skills. These skills are important for reading comprehension and for writing. The session will Integrate age-appropriate phonemic awareness and letter/sound skills using words from the actual story or narrative.

Presenters:

Rebecca Landa, PhD, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and developmental scientist. She is the founding executive director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute, where she is a vice president. She also is a professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the founder and CEO of Bundle of Learning (bundleoflearning.com). Her extensive knowledge of language, communication, and early literacy development has been established through her clinical experience, experience coaching teachers and parents, and her federally-funded research. She has pioneered instructional approaches and materials that build on children’s strengths to improve their learning and school success. She is an internationally recognized leader in multiple fields.

John Dellegrotto, Ed. D, CCC-SLP has extensive experience in reading and in providing literacy support for students at all ages. His experience includes working directly with statewide initiatives in literacy, and in working directly with teachers in the classroom. He has worked with team of teachers for over 30 years in literacy, particularly those students who struggle with literacy. He was part of the team that developed, conducted, and followed-up on specific modules in the teaching of reading according to a structured literacy approach. More recently he has been part of the Pennsylvania Pilot for Dyslexia and now part of the Dyslexia Expansion in Pennsylvania. He has provided technical assistance to the statewide Dyslexia Project for the past 3 years, and is now providing technical assistance to expand the schools by staff development, classroom visitations, and data follow-up.

Additionally, he is a Speech and Language Pathologist who previously guided staff development for SLPs statewide for over 20 years.