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Welcome to Learning Difficulties Australia

Learning Difficulties Australia is an association of teachers and other professionals dedicated to assisting students with learning difficulties through effective teaching practices based on scientific research, both in the classroom and through individualised instruction.
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The Science of Effective Reading Instruction: Theory and Practice

Perth | Saturday 31 July 2021   Not sure how a comprehensive reading approach taught explicitly looks like? Join Associate Professor Lorraine Hammond, Jared Bussell, Jordan O’Sullivan and Brooke Wardana for a day that focuses on both the Science of Reading and how to teach it.
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Join a community of professionals committed to effective teaching.

By becoming a member of LDA, you will have an opportunity to meet fellow teachers, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, researchers and other professionals working in the field of education who have a passion for improving student outcomes through effective instruction based on scientific research.

Members receive regular LDA publications via post, including the LDA Bulletin and the Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties as well as member discounts for participation in workshops, seminars and conferences.

You will also have access to the ‘Members Only’ areas of our website where you can obtain past issues of our publications as well as conference and seminar notes.

Latest Publication

Bulletin | Volume 56 | No 1, April 2024

In the spotlight: Writing Instruction – From Transcription through to Critical Thinking. What works?
This issue of the Bulletin on Writing follows our recent "Think it, Say it, Write it: The Fundamentals of…
This issue of the Bulletin on Writing follows our recent "Think it, Say it, Write it: The Fundamentals of Written Expression" course. The issue covers topics around writing, including ideas presented in the books "The Not So Simple View…
This issue of the Bulletin on Writing follows our recent "Think it, Say it, Write it: The Fundamentals of Written Expression" course. The issue covers topics around writing, including ideas presented in the books "The Not So Simple View of Writing" (Berninger et all, 2022) and "The Writing Rope" (Sedita, 2019).
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Events

Demystifying Dyslexia and other SLDs

Understanding the Assessment Process As awareness of Specific Learning Disorders grows, more and more students are being referred for psycho-educational…
Understanding the Assessment Process As awareness of Specific Learning Disorders grows, more and more students are being referred for psycho-educational investigation of the nature of their academic learning difficulties. This workshop aims to provide teachers, allied professionals and parents with…
Understanding the Assessment Process As awareness of Specific Learning Disorders grows, more and more students are being referred for psycho-educational investigation of the nature of their academic learning difficulties. This workshop aims to provide teachers, allied professionals and parents with an overview of the assessment and diagnostic processes used by psychologists to identify whether a student has a Specific Learning Disorder and determine the intervention that is most likely to benefit them, based on their individual profile of learning strengths and weaknesses. The first session will review Specific Learning Disorders and the three academic skill areas – reading, written expression and mathematics – that may be impaired, with a focus on the characteristics of the disorders. The second session will focus on the way results and conclusions may be reported, and the implications of differing learning profiles for remediation and classroom instruction. **This webinar will be recorded and available for two weeks after the event** Date: Monday 20th & Monday 27th May 2024 Time: 6:30 pm – 8: 30 pm AEST (Melbourne Time) Cost: LDA Member: $50 LDA Student Member – $40 Non-Member – $70 About Peta Collins Peta is an educational and developmental psychologist. She is an experienced presenter and trainer in the areas of both written expression and reading development. Peta has been closely involved in the development of DSF's workshops in both Talk for Writing and Talk for Reading, both of which are exceptionally effective programs. Peta also delivers professional learning in a range of other topics and programs, including as a LETRS facilitator, and regularly works with schools and individual teachers to support the implementation of high-quality literacy instruction. Peta has a teaching qualification and uses a range of evidence-based programs in individual and small-group tuition with students of all ages who are experiencing literacy learning difficulties. As a senior psychologist at DSF, Peta supervises clinical staff, and regularly consults with families and teachers about learning difficulties and disorders.
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Learning how to learn: Metacognition & Specific Learning Difficulties

By definition, neurodivergent learners learn differently. However, by the end of primary school, it's a sadfact that many learners…
By definition, neurodivergent learners learn differently. However, by the end of primary school, it's a sadfact that many learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) have learned how they fail, not how theylearn. Research shows that teaching metacognition, or learning…
By definition, neurodivergent learners learn differently. However, by the end of primary school, it's a sadfact that many learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) have learned how they fail, not how theylearn. Research shows that teaching metacognition, or learning and regulating how we learn, is effectivefor all learners, and this is especially so for learners with SpLD. In this course, we will consider: what metacognition means in practice consider areas of metacognition that are impacted by SpLDs consider ways to intentionally support metacognition and self-regulation Participants will come away with some resources, ideas and strategies to empower learners with better understanding and independence in negotiating their own learning. **This webinar will be recorded and available for two weeks after the event** Date: Tuesday 4th June 2024 Time: 7:30 pm – 9: 00 pm AEST (Melbourne Time) Cost: LDA Member: $40 LDA Student Member – $30 Non-Member – $60 About Louise Selby Louise Selby works freelance as a dyslexia specialist teacher, assessor, trainer, consultant and author.She has experience as an advisory teacher in Hertfordshire Local Authority (UK), primary school teacher,SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) and teacher of learners with English as an AdditionalLanguage.Louise’s first book, Morph Mastery, a Morphological Intervention for Reading and Spelling, was publishedby Speechmark (Routledge) in 2021, and her next two books for the same publisher are called All AboutDyslexia (primary and secondary) are due for publication in 2024.Louise's tagline is enabling, equipping, empowering. She is passionate about working with educators,schools and parents to enable the best outcomes for children with specific learning difficulties.Website: www.louiseselbydyslexia.comEmail: louise@louiseselbydyslexia.comFacebook: facebook.com/LouiseSelbyDyslexiaTwitter/X: @louiseselby21LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/louise-selby-dyslexia/
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LDA Blog

2024 AGM – Save the Date!

***Please note the date change.*** This year's Annual General Meeting is open to all Standard and Consultant Members and will…
***Please note the date change.*** This year's Annual General Meeting is open to all Standard and Consultant Members and will be held via zoom at 1:30pm on Saturday 19th October 2024. An email with details on how to register your…
***Please note the date change.*** This year's Annual General Meeting is open to all Standard and Consultant Members and will be held via zoom at 1:30pm on Saturday 19th October 2024. An email with details on how to register your attendance will be sent out to eligible members soon.
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Insurance Info for Private Practitioners

It has been brought to our attention by a consultant member that LDA consultants and members operating a business…
It has been brought to our attention by a consultant member that LDA consultants and members operating a business from the home might not be aware of their disclosure obligations and coverage with regards to their home building and…
It has been brought to our attention by a consultant member that LDA consultants and members operating a business from the home might not be aware of their disclosure obligations and coverage with regards to their home building and contents insurance. We strongly encourage you to make your own enquiries of your broker or insurance provider. Please see additional information here.
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Effective Instruction

Teachers are a major force for improving society. To be successful, the teaching profession must base its instructional practices on the results of good quality empirical research, and this involves keeping abreast of scientific developments. One of LDA’s main goals is to keep bridging the gaps between evolving scientific knowledge and members of the teaching profession, including educational policy makers, teacher education faculties, and teachers at the chalkface. Visit the skill areas below to learn about initiatives, approaches and programs that are being used effectively in each area.

Reading
Reading is a complex skill and it is a relatively recent invention, as far as human timelines go. Unlike speaking and listening, humans aren’t predisposed to develop reading skills naturally.
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Spelling
Reading and spelling are closely linked, but also draw on different skills and processes. At the most basic level, spelling is a production task while reading is one of recognition.
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Writing
As with reading, writing is not a natural skill and therefore must be taught. Unfortunately, many teachers do not feel well prepared to teach writing.
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Numeracy
Numeracy is a concept that is referred to as the ability to make use of mathematical concepts adeptly in our daily lives.
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