The LDA Podcast

Dr. Jessica Broitman and Dr. Jack Davis explain the challenges individuals with a nonverbal learning disability face,  helpful strategies and accommodations, and how they're part of a team working to get NVLD into the DSM. For more information on NVLD, visit The NVLD Project. 

2023 Harrison Sylvester Award winner Denise Brodey is an LD & ADHD advocate, author, senior contributor to Forbes writing about disability, equity, and inclusion, and the founder of Rebel Talent, an organization that provides support to individuals with ADHD and/or learning disabilities that are struggling in the workplace. Denise shares some of the most common issues individuals with LD &...

Before she could even read or write, Abigail Berg and her mother, Monica, began writing “The Gift of Being Different,” a children’s book that features Abigail’s journey of learning about how her dyslexia is a superpower. Abigail and Monica join us to talk about the formation of the book, how Monica helped Abigail to find her strengths, and how they’re working to encourage others to embrace their d...

"I think anybody can be a great writer, they need the support, they need the encouragement, and you need a positive attitude about it." Dr. Toby Tomlinson Baker shares tips and lessons from 13 years of teaching experience, and provides strategies and accommodations that can be helpful for all struggling writers. 

When Laura Jackson found her daughter had dyscalculia, she learned as much as she could about the SLD for six years. After her difficulty finding resources, she created a website and blog called Discovering Dyscalculia to help others to find the information she didn't have at the time.  In this episode, we sit down with Laura to discuss her family's journey, how dyscalculia affects far m...

In this episode, Dr. Vincent Alfonso, psychologist and Professor in the School of Education at Gonzaga University, discusses why early, accurate identification is so important, what developmentally-based evaluations typically entail, how early a child can be identified with an LD, and why universal screeners for learning disabilities are so essential. 

How can parents and educators talk to their child about their learning disability? Dr. Rebecca Rolland, a speech language pathologist and educator at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Medical School, talks about the importance of having rich conversations with your kids, how these conversations can build resilience and empathy, and more. 

From recovering from a life threatening injury, to becoming a rocket scientist, to summiting Mount Everest, Meghan Buchanan credits her dyslexia for the grit she’s developed. Learn more about Meghan’s story of perseverance, her goal of completing the Explorer’s Grand Slam, and how she’s climbing to raise awareness for learning disabilities. Follow Meghan’s journey on Instagram @ggrit Watch the vid...

We sit down with Elaine Taylor-Klaus, a master certified coach and co-founder of ImpactParents, to clear up common misconceptions about adults with LD and ADHD, how to ask for the supports you need to succeed, and more! 

In this episode Healthy Children Project Director Tracy Gregoire talks to Charlote Brody, the National Director of Healthy Babies Bright Futures, about a new report that analyzes the toxic heavy metals in homemade vs. store bought food for babies. 

We talk with college learning disabilities consultant Elizabeth C. Hamblet to discuss the rights of college students with LD, what documentation they may need for accommodations, what accommodations are commonly available, advice for self-advocating, and more! Mentioned on the show: https://ldadvisory.com/ 

Tracy Gregoire, Director of the Healthy Children Project, and Sydney Cook, Director of Science and Research at MADE SAFE, have a comprehensive conversation insect repellant, healthy alternatives, best practices, and more!

Though not a learning disability itself, ADHD can frequently co-occur with learning disabilities. We talk with Dr. Vincent Alfonso about the types of ADHD, how different symptoms show up in children and adults, common ADHD myths, the frequency of having both ADHD and LD, and more!

Healthy Children Project (HCP) Director Tracy Gregoire and LDA Michigan President and HCP Coordinator Amy Barto discuss tips for staying safe in the sun this summer. Learn what ingredients to avoid when choosing a sunscreen, and hear myths about sun safety get busted! Learn more about Healthy Children Project at: https://healthychildrenproject.org/

Gregg French, a special education teacher at Bullard Havens Technical High School, and President of LDA Connecticut, discusses common accommodations, the collaboration between general education teachers and special education teachers, how educators should prepare for IEP meetings, RTI, and more.

Kelly Haggerty, President of LDA Montana and dyslexia specialist at Dyslexia Screening and Tutoring Services, discusses signs of LD educators should be looking for, common accommodations for students with LD, ways to boost student's social and emotional wellbeing, and more! 

This week we sit down with LDA CEO, attorney, and parent Cindy Cipoletti to discuss what caregivers should do if they suspect their child has an LD, learning disability evaluations, the difference between an IEP and 504 plan, the IEP process, and more, all from a parent's perspective. 

We talk to Mitchell Beres, President of LDA of Virginia and father to two children with LD, about what parents can expect when their child is identified with a learning disability.  Mitchell shares advice on how to explain your child's LD to them, how to help your child with their homework–without doing it for them!–how to connect with your child's school, and more.  We also discuss the...

We sit down with learning and behavior consultant Bev Johns to discuss the prevalence of mental health issues in individuals with learning disabilities, current mental health statistics, and strategies for parents and teachers to monitor and work with students with mental health issues and LD. 

Special education attorney Grace Kim and mother Michelle Norman co-founded Partners in Promise, an organization that works to protect the rights of military children in special education. In this conversation Kim and Norman share their own experiences with the special education system, highlight the unique challenges military children in special education face, and share advice for all parents who...

Dr. Nancy Cushen White, a clinical professor at UCSF and a certified instructor of teaching for the Slingerland Multisensory (Multimodal) Structured Language Approach, sits down to talk to us about dysgraphia, the cognitive skills writing uses, how handwriting can improve reading and spelling skills better than typing, recommendations for handwriting instruction, and much more!  

LDA's Healthy Children Project Director Tracy Gregoire sits down with Safer Chemicals Healthy Families Director Liz Hitchcock to discuss the work that both organizations have done to push corporations to remove toxic chemicals from their products. This episode dives into why LDA fights to prevent toxic chemical exposures, what 'forever chemicals' linger in our food packaging, how ca...

After struggling in school for all her life, at age 19, Patty Gillespie taught herself to read. With five learning disabilities, Gillespie was unable to thrive in the classroom, and had to find learning strategies that worked for her. These solutions would serve her in the future as she went on to become a reading specialist and educator, and her own life experience would give her empathy and a co...

In this episode, LDA President Monica McHale-Small sits with special educator Dr. Lauren McClenney-Rosenstein to discuss the misidentification of learning disabilities in students of color, the intersection of environmental justice and disproportionality, the challenges that low income communities and communities of color face in getting the right support in education, and more. 

Carolyn Phillips, an expert in assistive technology, believes that her learning disabilities are "kind of a superpower." Beth McGaw, past president of LDA, says her son's struggles have made him resilient and stronger. Scientist Collin Diedrich explains how thinking differently can benefit his work.  Although having a learning disability can come with many challenges, in this last e...