The LDA Podcast

In this episode of the LDA Podcast, host Chris Lenois sits down with Dr. Staci Suits, a school neuropsychologist with 30 years of experience and founder of Eduworks North Florida. Dr. Suits shares how school neuropsychology goes beyond traditional evaluations to answer not just whether a student qualifies for services, but why they're struggling — and more importantly, what strengths can be l...

In this episode of the LDA Podcast, Monica McHale-Small sits down with Casey Harrison—licensed dyslexia therapist, certified academic language therapist, and author of Teaching Beyond the Diagnosis —to explore what it truly means to support the whole learner. Casey shares her integrated framework for working with students with dyslexia, which weaves together proper academic instruction with execut...

What are New Approach Methods (NAMs) and how do they compare to traditional rodent testing? Are computer models and cell-based tests reliable for identifying chemicals with potential neurodevelopmental impacts? Learn what NAMs are and why LDA and our partners are concerned that these tests, when misused without appropriate safety factors or other health-protective policies, are likely to result in...

LDA board chair Mark DiPietro talks with Ronnen Harary, co-founder of Spin Master and co-creator of PAW Patrol, about his new book, No Experience Necessary: Why Betting on Yourself in Your 20s Is the Best Decision You'll Ever Make. Ronnen was identified with dysgraphia at age 10 in Toronto's public schools in 1979 and credits his accommodations with getting him through high school. He al...

Michelle shares her granddaughter’s lead poisoning story, provides tips, and emphasizes resources for families struggling with (affected by? Or dealing with) lead poisoning. Michelle is a parent ambassador with the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan. LDA’s Healthy Children Project thanks our podcast co-sponsors Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan and the Ecology Center . Tracy Gregoire,...

Jenny Ponzuric is a licensed educational psychologist, educational consultant, IEP master coach, and certified leadership and mindset coach. In this episode, Jenny discusses the importance of understanding a student's full learning profile, factors school psychologists should keep in mind when performing learning disability evaluations, and how to ensure that parents and practitioners are on...

Dr. Douglas Sims is a scientist, entrepreneur, author, and learning disability advocate. Dr. Sims discusses their experience in school with dyslexia and ADHD, and shares how they harnessed their strengths to reach success. 

Dr. Rachel Rubin is an internationally-recognized college admissions expert, and the founder of Spark Admissions. In this episode, Dr. Rubin discusses the latest trends in college admissions, how students with LD can prepare, disclosing a learning disability in an application, and more!

Jeremy Didier is an ADHD coach, parent, immediate past president of CHADD's board of directors, a clinical social worker, and addiction counselor. Jeremy explains the importance of recognizing ADHD, shares how parents can support their neurodivergent children, and discusses her own ADHD diagnosis that came later in life. 

Katrina Huels, founder and CEO of Applied Harmony, discusses how burnout can impact educators and administrators. 

Breanna Raborn is a speech language pathologist specializing in pediatric private practice. Breanna discusses NVLD, and how speech language pathologists can help improve social communication and understanding of receptive and expressive language. 

Ryan Buggy of The Reading League is a PhD student in cognitive psychology, and is currently using eye tracking technology to study how the brain processes language. Ryan discusses the cognitive processes that impact reading and language and what the latest eye-tracking research can tell us about how we read. Based on this research, Ryan also shares best practices for educators and practitioners. ...

Carlin Graveline Ku discusses developmental language disorder, and shares how language skills and reading skills intersect. Carlin explains why DLD is hard to identify, and the importance of understanding the root cause of difficulties in reading.  Read Untangling DLD and Dyslexia 

Dr. Sarah Oberle and Mitch Weathers, co-authors of “Executive Functions for Every K-3 Classroom: Promoting Self-Regulation for a Strong Start” discuss the increased need of support in working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility in K-3 students, and the unique considerations and strategies needed for the primary population. 

Carolyn Skowron discusses her lived experience with Nonverbal Learning Disability, which can impact visual-spatial abilities and social abilities. Carolyn shares advice, talks about the obstacles and social-emotional challenges that those with NVLD face, and more! Visit Carolyn’s website: https://www.carolynsophia.com/unbreakable  

Zero Barriers in STEM Education is a new, free educational resource from the Smithsonian Science Education Center that gets students to investigate barriers to accessibility in their community by using social science tools.  Khadijah Thibodeaux, a Senior Science Curriculum Developer at the Smithsonian Science Education Center, shares the process of creating the guide, which includes over 60 perspe...

Amy Margolis and Prudence Fisher are two nonverbal learning disability researchers who are pushing to get NVLD included in the DSM, and proposing a rename: Developmental Visual-Spatial Disorder.  Amy and Prudence discuss the signs of NVLD, how it differs from other diagnoses, and how a lack of understanding and awareness can lead to those with a visual-spatial disorder not getting the key support...

We’re joined by Kelli Fetter, founder of Handwriting Solutions, to talk all things dysgraphia! Kelli talks with us about how dysgraphia is so much more than just ‘messy handwriting,’ how to balance building handwriting skills with accommodations, pervasive dysgraphia myths, and more.  Learn more about Handwriting Solutions at handwritingsolutions.org .  

Owen Small, a research assistant at Trinity College Dublin, shares how ADHD and dysgraphia impact his day-to-day in adulthood.  Owen discusses how the self-knowledge from a diagnosis helped to reduce his stress around handwriting and productivity, provides insight into the ‘tides’ of motivation that can accompany ADHD, and shares advice for fellow individuals with LD. 

Dr. Paul Morgan is a researcher investigating disparities in disability identification and treatment during childhood. His research has found that students of color are likely to be under-identified for special education services despite a prevailing narrative that over-identification is always the issue.  Dr. Morgan discusses the methodology of his studies, the importance of investigating a fulle...

Santina Taglialatela, a recruiting coordinator who was recently diagnosed with dyscalculia, shares her experience of living with dyscalculia as an adult.  Santina discusses some lesser known challenges that are caused by dyscalculia, managing and advocating for your learning disability in the workplace, the grieving process that can occur after getting a diagnosis later in life, and more! 

Dr. Steven Feifer, a neuropsychologist who has authored 3 diagnostic achievement assessments, talks with us about the importance of understanding the different cognitive processes involved in reading, math, and writing to answer why a student is struggling. Dr. Feifer will also be a keynote speaker at our 63rd Annual International Conference in St. Louis, and shares how his presentation will focus...

Dr. Angela Thompson and Dr. Julia Carroll join us to discuss their recent research paper: Seeing, Being Seen, and Being Able to See Dyslexia in English Schools: Parent and Teacher Perspectives.  Dr. Thompson and Dr. Carroll discuss how parents and teachers perceive inclusion for dyslexic students differently, including of lived experiences and school structure in their research, and the importance...

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 individual...