CEU BOOK LIST...Through a Multisensory Approach by Joshi, Dahlgren and Boulware-Gooden. 3. The Scholarship Committee announced the recipients of three $300 scholar-ships. These scholarships

Academic Language Therapy Association®

13140 Coit RoadSuite 320, LB 120Dallas, TX 75240-5737

Did you miss the April 2002 Academic Language Therapy Association Spring Conference and Annual Meeting?Each participant received an ALTA tote bag and you will want one too! It’s great for carrying books and teaching

supplies.The bags are 100% cotton and cost $8, payable by check, Mastercard,Visa or American Express.Theprice includes the cost of the tote bag and shipping. Send your order to ALTA, 13140 Coit Rd., Suite 320, LB 120,

Dallas,TX 75240, fax (972)490-4219, or email [email protected].

CEU BOOK LIST

Remember that active ALTA members willagain be required to have 20 contact hoursof continuing education credit beforerenewing membership in the spring of2003. In addition to attending conferencesand workshops, members may earn up to15 of these hours by reading books andjournals. The books must be current – pub-lished in 1998 or later. Books publishedearlier are, of course, still valuable sources ofinformation, but for purposes of CEUs, weare focusing on learning the most CUR-RENT information available. Book reportforms, available from the ALTA office, mustbe completed and retained in members’personal files. Three (3) contact hours willbe earned for each book read. The followingbibliography contains a few suggestions.

Beck, I., Kucan, & L., McKeown, M.(2002). Bringing words to life: Robust vocab-ulary instruction. New York: Guilford Press.

Hanbury King, D. (2002). English isn’t crazy:The elements of our language and how to teachthem. Timonium, MD: York Press, Inc.

Dickenson, D., & Newman, S. (Eds.).(2002). Handbook of early literacyresearch. New York: Guilford Press.

Lehr, F., & Osborn, J. (Eds.). (1998).Literacy for all. New York: Guilford Press.

Levine, M. (2002). A mind at a time.New York: Simon & Schuster.

Birch, J. (Ed.). (1999). Multisensory teach-ing of basic language skills. Baltimore,MD: Brooks Publishing Co.

Caswell Tuley, A. (1998). Never too late toread: Language skills for the adolescentdyslexic. Timonium, MD: York Press, Inc.

Adams, M., Beeler, T., Foorman, B., &Lundburg, I. (1998). Phonemic aware-ness in young children. Baltimore, MD:Brooks Publishing Co.

Beck, I. & Stanovich, K. (2000). Progressin understanding reading. New York,Guilford Press.

Glassner, H., & Easley, J. (1999).Transforming the difficult child: Thenurtured heart approach. Children’sSuccess Foundation.

Bain, Bailet, & Moats, L. (2001). Writtenlanguage disorders: Theory and remedia-tion (2nd ed.). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. ✍

Dear Members,

The Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) Board ofDirectors met on June 1 2002, at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital forChildren to discuss issues and plan for the future of our organiza-tion. The intent of the nominating committee to bring diversity toour board was evident with seven members from the Dallas metro-plex, seventeen from the state of Texas and two from out-of-state.Each member is dedicated to promoting and strengthening the mis-

sion of our organization. As stated in our by-laws, “The mission of ALTA is to establish,maintain, promote and strengthen standards to assure that Certified Academic LanguageTherapists will perform quality professional services for students with dyslexia and/or relat-ed disorders.”

To achieve its mission, the Academic Language Therapy Association shall: 1) provide uni-form standards for the teaching centers and their students; 2) establish uniform certifica-tion/registration standards for Academic Language therapists; 3) promote public confi-dence regarding the integrity, competence and professionalism of Academic LanguageTherapists; 4) establish, promote and monitor standards for professional conduct; 5) unite

Inside thebul•le•tin

• ALTA CentersCouncil NewsPage 3

• Giving BackPage 6

• FUN•da•men• ta lLearning Center“Specialists in BringingLearning to Life”Page 8

• An Open InvitationPage 9

President’s Message

Dear Fellow ALTA Members,

This may be difficult to believe, but I am actually sad that my term as Vice-Presidentof Programs is over. However, after filling this position for two years, I feel I finallyhave it down to an art. Here is some information about the spring conference, includ-ing the “behind the scenes” planning, decision making, and membership reaction tothis year’s conference.

Reflections on the2002 Conference

w w w. A LTA r e a d . o r g

Academic Language Therapy Association®

Dedicated to the remediation of written-language skills.

bul•le•tinS u m m e r 2 0 0 2

The bul•le•tin is a triannual publication of theAcademic Language Therapy Association (ALTA),and is free to its membership.

ALTA assumes no responsi-bility for errors or omissions.To submit news items or arti-cles, which are subject toediting for space and style, orfor advertising or other infor-mation, contact:

Joanne WhiteEditor

Madeleine CrouchExecutive Director

ALTA13140 Coit RoadSuite 320 LB 120

Dallas, TX 75240-5737972/233-9107 ext. 204

Fax 972/490-4219Hopeline 1-866-283-7133

toll free

See Reflections on the 2002 Conference on Page 4

See President’s Message on Page 5

Kay Peterson, CALT

ALTA, President

2 ALTA bul•le•tin/Summer 2002

From The Past PresidentOfficers 2002-2003Kay Peterson, PresidentMelanie Royal, President-ElectKathy Gilman, VP/MembershipJana Jones, VP/ProgramsJoanne White, VP/Public RelationsPat Sekel, SecretaryLinda Byther, TreasurerMartha Sibley, Historian

Board of DirectorsJudy BrupbacherSandra BurrowsElsa Cárdenas-HaganNancy CoffmanJean FortuneSue KirkAlice LehtonenVicki MaxwellGina MitchellConnie PetersJuancita PetroLinda Sullivan

Past PresidentsJamie WilliamsSherry MalphursCorinne TycherAvril GreenbergPeggy ThorntonNell CarvellBarbara FoxElizabeth CantrillMartha Sibley

Committee ChairsKathy Gilman, Continuing EducationEdith Hogan, Ethics and GrievancesDiana Bass, ExhibitsLinda Byther, FinanceJoanne White, NewsletterMelanie Royal, Registration ExaminationJean Fortune, Spelling Bee ProjectKaryl Gindling, Telephone HelplineAlice Lehtonen, Website HelplineRae Cromeens and Jeanine Phillips, Website

Centers CouncilLiaisonsValerie Tucker

Dear Members,

Instead of looking back on the past year, I want thisfarewell letter to turn our eyes toward the current andfuture challenges and opportunities. Kay Peterson,joined by the other Officers and Directors, will leadus well as we journey toward the Academic LanguageTherapy Association’s (ALTA) goals together. In otherarticles in this newsletter, you will notice severalimportant “next steps” that we will be taking.

The Alliance was formally organized during a meetingin June and officers were elected. As one of the twocertifying bodies in the Alliance, ALTA will be pro-pelled into responding to certification issues on a larg-er scale than ever before. This will precipitate the long-

overdue examination revision, for which the groundwork has already been laid.Our goal is to design an exam that is stringent enough professionally to preservethe uniqueness of the designation of Certified Academic Language Therapist, andyet, pragmatic enough to prevent its being just another academic exercise. Iencourage each of you to contribute to this project from your storehouse of expe-rience, knowledge, and wisdom.

We have been challenged to change the perception that ALTA is a “Dallas” organi-zation. The location of the national office in Dallas and the many Dallas-Fort Wortharea individuals who are such willing workers add to this mistaken perception. Inreality, ALTA has always been of national scope, and recently leadership has beenselected purposefully to represent the geographical diversity of our membership.

We can all be cognizant of ways to encourage colleagues to become vitallyinvolved in ALTA’s leadership. However, even more important, each of us can finda niche to fill with our own time and talent. This is no time for reticence! If youhave expertise that you know would be valuable to one of the committees, ALTAneeds you. Besides, you will enjoy it! There is no substitute for direct involvementto deepen resolve, commitment, and appreciation for any worthy cause.

On a personal note, working with the ALTA Board and Committees has strength-ened my faith for the potential of professional collaboration and collegiality. I havenever observed anyone trying to escape responsibility. Conversely, I have seen thosewith astounding workloads enthusiastically absorb one more project because of a spe-cial ability or interest in that area, or just because it needed to be done! It has beenextremely refreshing to watch individuals volunteer for a task without hesitation. Thisis only one of the reasons that it has been a distinct pleasure to be on the ALTA Boardfor the last three years. I feel as if I have many new “best friends” whom I have cometo deeply appreciate. Now I look forward to getting to know many more of you.

Sincerely,Martha Sibley, CALTHistorian

Future Exam DatesSeptember 21, 2002, at LEAD,

Argyle,Texas

September 28, 2002, at the Center for Youth & Families,Little Rock,Arkansas.

October 5, 2002, at the Center for Literacy & Learning,Abilene,Texas.

October 12, 2002, at Stratford Friends School, Havertown,Pennsylvania.

Martha Sibley, CALT

Historian

ALTA bul•le•tin/Summer 2002 3

COMMITTEESVP/MembershipKathryn Gilman, ChairMembersCharlotte ForemanKim Spitzer

Continuing Education Kathy Gilman, ChairMembersJudy BrupbacherMary DahlgrenKaryl GindlingLois GrundyStacey MahurinGinny McCreaPat SekelLana Stripling

Ethics and Grievance Edith Hogan, ChairMembersMargery DeLaneyJean FortuneRuth Ann Jewel

Registration/Examination Melanie Royal, ChairMembersEdith HoganJeannine PhillipsPat Sekel

VP/Public RelationsJoanne White

Exhibits Diana Bass, ChairMembersCindy HipesJoAnn HortonHelen MacikGina Mitchell

Newsletter Joanne White, ChairMembersElisa BarnesBarbara Fox Pat SekelJudy Thornton

Telephone HelplineKaryl Gindling, Chair

Website Helpline Alice Lehtonen, ChairMembersDianne BokelmanMonica Castro

Website Rae Cromeens, ChairJeanine Phillips, Co-chairMembersAnita BruckJeannine PhillipsBarbara Fox

Programs Jana Jones, Chair

Finance Linda Byther, ChairMembersJudy CarterPauline HartleyJan HershbergerSandy Morgan

Spelling Bee Project Jean Fortune, Chair

MembersOpal AndrewsMichelle Saltamachia

The ALTA Centers Council (ACC)held its annual meeting on April 5,2002. A majority of the accredit-

ed centers and one formal candidate wererepresented either in person or by report.

Topics of interest included:

1. The Accreditation Committee announcedthat five site visits have been completedand reaffirmation of accreditation wasawarded to Stratford Friends School MSLTraining Program, Payne EducationCenter Therapist Training Program,LEAD, Southwest Multisensory TrainingCenter and The Multisensory LanguageTraining Institute of New Mexico. Sitevisits have been scheduled for theremaining accredited centers and will becompleted by the end of the year.

2. The Curriculum/Research Committeedistributed two research papers, TheSpelling of Final Letter Patterns: AComparison of Instruction at the Levelof the Phoneme and the Rime by Post,Carreker & Holland, and TeachingReading in an Inner City SchoolThrough a Multisensory Approach byJoshi, Dahlgren and Boulware-Gooden.

3. The Scholarship Committee announcedthe recipients of three $300 scholar-

ships. These scholarships were awardedto Jo Ann Sibley, Kathryn Camp andDiana Mizusawa. Congratulations!

4. The Nominating Committee submit-ted a slate of officers to fill expiringterms. The following officers wereelected: Valerie Tucker, President; NellCarvell, Vice President; Stacey Mahurin,Secretary; Karen Avrit, Treasurer; andDr. Susan Fleming, Public Member.

5. The ALTA Exam Committee Chair,Melanie Royal, distributed notebookscontaining guidelines and proceduresfor the ALTA Registration Examinationto each accredited center.

6. The ACC approved the formation ofan advisory board.

7. IDA and IMSLEC have elected to haverepresentatives on the ACC board. IDAwill be represented by Lenox Reed andIMSLEC will be represented by Karen Avrit.

8. The ACC, ALTA and IMSLEC willco-sponsor a presentation by GordonF. Sherman, PhD, in September, 2002.

ACC will hold its next meeting duringthe IDA Conference in Atlanta. ✍

ALTA CENTERSCOUNCIL NEWS By Valerie Tucker, ACC President

Access the ALTA bul•le•tin On-line

You may now access the Academic Language Therapy Association

newsletter, ALTA bul•le•tin, on-line. Go to ALTA’s web site at

www.ALTAread.org and click on the title “RESOURCES” in the

heading.You will then come to the Newsletters page.There is a large

banner-type heading announcing the availability of the ALTA

bul•le•tin. Click on the icon that says:“click here.” The newsletter in

its entirety will be downloaded to your computer. The newsletter,

which is in Adobe Acrobat PDF and has numerous pages,will take sev-

eral minutes to download.


Most tasks are usually easier the secondtime around, but this year was an excep-tion. After having the conference at thebeautiful Texas Scottish Rite Hospital(TSHR) for so many years, there wereseveral areas that “ran themselves.” Ofcourse, it helped to have so many of ourmembers who worked at the TSRH tohelp with last minute details. The TSRHhad a full time dietary staff to assist inmeal planning, as well as a full time staffto serve breakfast and lunch. Also,audio/visual needs assistance was avail-able. Suddenly, I realized that the moveto Highland Park Presbyterian Churchpresented new challenges.

One challenge I faced both years wasselecting our keynote speaker. Whatkind of format would the membershipappreciate? Would participants likeinformation that they could use onMonday with a student? Would they liketo hear the latest in research that theycould share with a parent or colleague?This year, I attended The InternationalDyslexia Association’s annual conferenceand scouted prospective speakers. Twoin particular dazzled me – the two weinvited to speak at our conference. Ourintent was to have an informationalmorning and an inspirational afternoon.

The majority of those in attendancewere happy with these two speakers. Dr.Henry provided us with some tools touse in therapy and Ms. Smith discussedwhat we could do with our talents.Many participants were overwhelmedwith emotion as those who had beenincarcerated gave their testimoniesabout the wonderful influence of Ms.Smith’s program, HOPE Literacy.

Another important challenge was food!The search for a caterer began. We pon-dered what to consider when choosingwhat to eat. A variety, something thatcould be served in 45 minutes, vegetari-an choices and easy clean-up were allconsidered. The majority of participantsenjoyed the lunch. Seventy percent ofthose who completed the evaluationrated lunch a five, the highest rating. Ahandful of participants were disappoint-ed and some expressed missing thatsalad at TSRH.

Then there was the facility to consider.As our membership has grown, we havehad to restrict the number attending dueto space limitations at the TSRH. It wasobvious that we needed a larger facility.We looked into several hotels (whichwould accommodate lunch and park-

ing), but I also realized that the cost toattend the conference would increasesignificantly. Mr. Larry Evans, principalat the Hillier School of Highland ParkPresbyterian Church, generously helpedus keep our conference registration feethe same as the previous year.

Overall, the evaluations were supportiveof the efforts of the ProgramsCommittee. Thank you for taking thetime to give your input and suggestions.We not only read every evaluationturned in, but we also compiled themfor the ALTA Board of Directors. JanaJones will be the new Vice-President ofPrograms and will appreciate yourinput, suggestions, and help for nextyear’s conference.

Finally, there is a little saying that I keptin mind for the past two years. “Youcan’t please all of the people all of thetime, but you can please some of thepeople some of the time.” One partici-pant wrote, “Lunch was great!” andanother wrote, “Lunch was horrible!” Itmakes me wonder if they had the samelunch!

Connie Peters, CALT ✍

Connie J. Peters, CALT

Lucy Smith, director of HOPE Literacy, Inc. (second from right), talks with (l

to r) an ALTA member and former HOPE Literacy program members.

Continued Reflections on the 2002 Conference from page 1

Katy Farmer, ateaching staff mem-ber at NeuhausEducation Centersince June 2001, isas busy as everhelping to teachmyriad courses andworkshops. In herspare time, shespends time withher children andgrandch i ld ren ,

sews quilts, writes children’s books and pro-vides academic language therapy for a nine-year-old who, at one time, was struggling tolearn reading and spelling. Although Jamesis in the gifted and talented program in anarea Houston Independent School Districtelementary school, reading and spelling didnot always come easy for him. James previ-ously attended a private school, and it wasthen that he was diagnosed as dyslexic.

Katy began working with James inSeptember 2001, several days a week.After making substantial progress withacademic language therapy, James’ gradesin school were exceptional. Katy believesthat using Basic Language Skills, anAlphabetic Phonics-based curriculum,allows a student with a language learningdifference to know what to expect atevery session, which is, in part, whyJames has been so successful. As withKaty’s former students, James enthusiasti-cally strives to learn new concepts. Hismother believes that working with Katyhas changed her son’s life because he hasgained such confidence and self-esteem.In addition, James’ handwriting hasimproved dramatically, and he does a fan-tastic job applying what he has learned.Katy now places a great deal of emphasison reading fluencypractice during theirsessions together.

Katy, who has been working as a pri-vate therapist since 1989, describesJames as the typical dyslexic. He hashad difficulty with spelling, wordretrieval, and math word problems.However, he has an extensive vocabu-lary and participates in the sport offencing where he has done very well intournaments. Katy describes workingprivately with students as a wonderfulexperience and says it is “so much funto see the light bulb go on,” and itsurely has for James. During Christmasvacation last year, he read Hatchet byGary Paulsen and has since read otherbooks by the same author. Anotheryoung life has been touched by acade-mic language therapy. ✍

ALTA bul•le•tin/Summer 2002

Continued President’s Message from page 1

5

Academic Language Therapistsin private practice or public andprivate schools; and 6) promoteknowledge and awareness of theprofession in the community. The committee chairs havebegun work for 2002-2003.Many of them expressed theneed for new members to theircommittees. Would you considerfilling this need? There are manyopportunities to volunteer. Ourdesire is to involve as manymembers as possible in the workof ALTA. Please contact theALTA office or any member ofthe Board of Directors if you arewilling to serve on a committee.

When we look at the ALTAmembership, it becomes evidentthe number of states represented

by Certified Academic LanguageTherapists is growing. Due tothe dedication to academic lan-guage therapy, students through-out the states who have beenunsuccessful in reading, writingand spelling are being taughtskills that will last a lifetime.

It is important for us as profes-sionals to seek current informa-tion and continue to read up-to-date research. The ALTAweb site lists dates for trainingand most region service centershave a list of courses. I hopeyour summer was filled witheducational as well as recre-ational time.

Kay Peterson, CALTALTA President

Katy Farmer,

Instructor Neuhaus

Education Center

Another Student Success StoryBy Joanne White, CALT


A s a little girl growing up, I wasoften thought of as happy, out-going, very friendly and wise. I

was an average student in school, butwith all the strengths I possessed and thethings others saw in me, inwardly I wasshy because I could not read. No onewould have known it because I had thegift of speaking. The way I survived wasto have my friends and sister read myassignments to me. Then I summarizedwhat they said by drawing pictures andsymbols to help me remember. When Ihad to present the assignment, I spokewith confidence. This went on for yearsuntil I reached seventh grade.

English class was my most stressful timeof the day. The teacher would have ustake turns reading. She was so pre-dictable because she would call ournames in order. I would memorize allthe words before my turn, and when Iwas called on, I read well. The stressfulpart came when I had to pay close atten-tion to what everyone else read. I hadthis reading thing under control, or so Ithought. However, one day when I cameto class, the teacher gave the instructionsabout the reading of the day, and youknow what she did? She randomly calledon each student and I was third. I didnot have time to memorize anything. Iwas usually 12th or 13th, but not thistime. As I began to read, I felt my heartbeating to every mistake I made, ampli-fying my stumbling and mumbling overunfamiliar words, which was most of thetext. I did not know how to break thewords down. I did not know anythingabout rules of words or the language.Moreover, that day everyone else knew ittoo. That day I died inside. All the con-fidence I had was gone. My self-esteemand self-worth were shot. I did notbelieve I could do anything because nowmy friends thought I was dumb.

I am so very glad my story did not endthere. There is so much more to tellabout the struggles. However, toshorten my story, a teacher by thename of Ms. Bell came into my life.She was the special education teacher.Back then, for special education class-es, students were taken out of the reg-ular classroom. When Ms. Bell cameto get me, everyone knew I was goingto “THE DUMB ROOM” as the stu-dents called it, and every day Ithought of myself as “dumb.”

Ms. Bell did not think of me in that way.She never acted as if I were that way. Thethree sentences she said to me EVERYSINGLE DAY were, “I BELIEVE INYOU! YOU CAN DO IT! YOU AREBRILLIANT!” These were her mottos. Iheard these words of encouragementfrom her every day, and although I didnot feel brilliant, she treated me as if Iwere. She had high expectations for me.

She loved me, which helped me to lovemyself. She brought out the best in meand I began to believe in myself again. Iwas beginning to read. I mean actuallyread. Oh, I still struggled, but Iimproved.

Years have passed since seventh grade.Because of Ms. Bell, a teacher who tookthe time to care for the heart of a stu-dent like me, I went on to graduate fromhigh school. From there I went to col-lege, graduated with honors, andbecame a teacher. These were greataccomplishments for a person like me,but my most treasured moments camewhen a man by the named of LeroyMcClure Jr. introduced me toAlphabetic Phonics. At the time, I wasteaching in a private school and hewould come and get my low reading stu-

Giving Back By Dede Toney, CALT

ALTA President Kay Peterson (standing far right) greets Spring

Conference attendees (standing l to r) Jeanine Phillips,ALTA web site co-

chair; Rae Cromeens, web site chair; (seated l to r) Dede Toney and

Lannie Turner, FOCUS Learning Academy.

See Giving Back on Page 8


In 1991, Jeanine Phillip’s son, Cooper, wasdiagnosed with profound dyslexia while infirst grade. The school psychologist told herthat it would be unfair for her to expecthim to learn to read. As a mom and ateacher, Jeanine refused to accept the psy-chologist’s prognosis. Jeanine decided totravel from Wichita, Kansas to Dallas,Texas to attend the Alphabetic Phonicstraining program to learn how to teach herson to read. With a great deal of hardwork, Cooper is now a successful highschool student at a college preparatoryschool in Wichita, KS. Jeanine credits Dr.Beverly Dooley, Aylett Cox, and theScottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, Texas forbeing such an important factor in herchild’s success. In the following article,Jeanine Phillips, founding director of

FUN•da•men•tal Learning Center in Wichita, KS, shares infor-mation about the center. It was established to provide a placewhere parents, teachers and other professionals could learnresearched-based techniques for helping children with learning dif-ferences. FUN•da•men•tal Learning Center also provides afford-able services for children with learning differences to teach themreading, handwriting, spelling, listening, and written expression.

A t the FUN•da•men•tal Learning Center, we havethree main strands of service. We assess and servechildren between the ages of 4 and 18 years of age.

This has forced us to become familiar with the TOPA,CTOPP, TPRI, Get Ready to Read, GORP, TOWL, and otheracronyms I never thought I would ever be able to name. Wehave a team of six individuals who do assessments most everyday of the week. In addition, we serve 48 children between theages of five and 17, in classes of four, during the school daywith Alphabetic Phonics, Reading Readiness, andMultisensory Reading and Spelling. We currently contract sixAcademic Language Therapists to work with these groups ofchildren at our Center.

FUN•da•men•tal Learning Center“Specialists in Bringing Learning to Life”By Jeanine Phillips, CALT

Southwest Academy

Jeanine Phillips, founding director, FUNdamental

Learning Center See FUN•da•men•tal on Page 8


We educate regular classroom teachersand Academic Language Therapists. Weoffer three levels of Alphabetic Phonicstraining classes three times per year, with92 therapists-in-training currently insome level of education. Approximately35 therapists working within many ofthe public, parochial and private schools

in Wichita and the surrounding areahave completed the Alphabetic Phonicscoursework and have graduated. Almost520 children are currently being servedby one of our specialists. In addition, weoffer the workshops Reading Readiness,Multisensory Grammar, and ScientificSpelling one Saturday per monththroughout the year to regular educationteachers.

Finally, we help parents by offering aparent lunch lecture series on Tuesdays.Topics include dyslexia, ADHD, chil-dren’s legal rights and parental responsi-bilities, and assessment and evaluation.The sixteen individuals supporting theservices at the FUN•da•men•talLearning Center stay very busy. ✍

dents and teach them to read. After working with my strugglingreaders, some of them began to read just as well as my other stu-dents. I knew then that I did not have the tools I needed to keepnon-readers from falling through the cracks. So Mr. McClurearranged resources to put me through training. He placed me inthe loving arms of three women, Barbara Fox, Kay Peterson andRae Cromeens. They were my instructors whom God had sentto help me teach children the way they learn. Another dearfriend named Lannie Turner joined me and together we wentthrough three years of training with these women. Many dayswe would mentally quit, but we were on a mission. Too manychildren were failing to read and we wanted to make a differ-ence. We became encouragers and supporters to one another.With this team, Leroy, Barbara, Kay and Rae, we could not fail.

On the other hand, should I say they were not going to let usfail? They had the same motto as my seventh grade teacher, “IBELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO IT! YOU ARE BRIL-LIANT.” With the daily echo of those words, in April of 2000Lannie Turner and I graduated from training. We took our testin June of that same year and both succeeded. We are nowCertified Academic Language Therapists teaching at FocusLearning Academy.

Ms. Bell died before I had the chance to share my accomplish-ments. She never knew I became a teacher, but every day that Ilove a child and teach him/her in the way he or she learns best,I am giving back.

Thank you, Barbara, Kay and Rae, for believing in me every dayand for having high expectations. Thank you, Lannie, for walk-

ing along side me during thosetimes when it was tough. Thankyou, ALTA, for being an organiza-tion that supports the training ofteachers and certifies them so thatthey can properly teach childrenreading, writing and languageskills in the ways that they learnbest. Finally, thank you, LeroyMcClure, Jr., for investing in mylife and for giving me the toolsthat will help me teach kids for alifetime, for I am now equipped toeffectively, “GIVE BACK.” ✍

Continued FUN•da•men•tal from page 7

Continued Giving Back from page 7

LEAD


A t the dinner following the Academic LanguageTherapy Association (ALTA) Spring Conference andAnnual Meeting, a person made an interesting state-

ment to one of the ALTA officers: “We need to work on mov-ing the leadership of ALTA out of Dallas.”

Since ALTA has made strong efforts during the last two yearsto gain representation from outside Dallas, she learned fromher dinner partners that the 2001 board and committee chairsincluded only five with Dallas addresses and six from othertowns close to Dallas. Therefore, a majority of the 30 totalmembers are from areas other than the Dallas-Fort WorthMetroplex.

The 2002 group of officers and directors continues this trend.It includes only four with Dallas addresses, seven from townsnearby, and nine from locales completely outside the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

During the dinner, discussion on this topic moved ahead on avery positive level. Everyone agreed that, in fact, expandingthe sphere of influence and representation on the board hasalready been accomplished to a great degree. The rest of theconversation, then, centered on the need for more members toexpress a willingness to offer their talents to do small segmentsof the work of ALTA.

To make it simpler for members from afar to participate, lastyear’s leadership conducted only four general board meetings,with much of the intervening decisions and committee workbeing accomplished via e-mail and telephone conferences.This proved to the group that business can be conducted quiteeffectively by individuals who are geographically distant. Inaddition, the committees were organized so that each com-mittee chair was aligned with one of the vice presidents forsupport and collaboration. This “de-centralized” the work ofthe board even more and put most of the problem solving anddecision-making in the committees. This enabled the board tofocus on major issues and committee decisions that deservedconsideration by the board.

This structure has provided avenues for anyone to partici-pate. No one should hesitate because of his or her location.In fact, the next suggested change is to try to move some ofthe meetings to other cities, perhaps with various boardmembers serving as hosts. Such a plan would enlarge per-

spective, as well as enable members from scattered locationsto participate more fully.

Someone at the table suggested that the next step is for mem-bers to be made aware of opportunities to participate and waysto volunteer. In fact, no one has to wait for another election ofboard members to volunteer for ALTA leadership becausethere are many positions on committees that will need to befilled in the next few weeks.

The committees are listed in this newsletter, so individualsmay even choose the one that seems most interesting. Any ofthe officers, board members, or committee chairpersons wouldcount it a privilege to connect members with the appropriateindividuals who appoint committee members. Also, if theyprefer, members could e-mail ALTA via the on-line Helpline atwww.ALTAread.org, or call the National Office at (972) 233-9107 to offer their expertise.

It is always appropriate for members to let someone know of awillingness to serve as an officer or director on the board in afuture year. The nominating committee works from lists ofinterested members whose names are given to them in a vari-ety of ways.

Consider this an open invitation for you to submit your nameor the name of other members who will be an asset to ALTA.It will be to everyone’s benefit to have as many members aspossible involved in the activities and decisions. ALTA and itsmembers will be the richer for it! ✍

An Open InvitationBy Martha Sibley, CALT

Social Skill Groupsand one-on-one counselingnow available for all ages.

If you are interested or have questions, contact:Lana Stripling, L.P.C. (972) 386-534312810 Hillcrest Plaza, Suite B118, Dallas, TX 75230


This is part one of a two-part research arti-cle written by Dr. Jeffrey L. Black, M.D.,director of The Luke Waites ChildDevelopment Center at Texas Scottish RiteHospital for Children, Dallas, Texas. Thisresearch article first appeared in The Asset,the newsletter for the Dallas Branch of TheInternational Dyslexia Association.

Children with oral language disordersand dyslexia are frequently said tohave auditory processing problems.

The use of this term has become widespreadin the absence of a precise and generallyaccepted definition. This lack of precision andagreement has contributed to confusion aboutthe etiology of dysfunction in the auditory sys-tem. Clinicians from diverse disciplines havefocused on different elements of the auditorypathway in developing approaches to assess-ment and treatment (Table 1).

A number of interventions designed toimprove some aspect of auditory process-ing have achieved popularity despite sig-nificant theoretical limitations and flaws inefficacy research. Three of the most popu-lar and controversial theories and therapiesare: central auditory processing - assistivelistening devices, auditory temporal pro-cessing - acoustically modified speechtraining with computer-based multimediagames (Tallal), auditory distortion —auditory integration training (Tomatis).

Central auditory processing disorder(CAPD) is said to involve the auditorysystem from the inner ear (cochlea) to thecerebral cortex. CAPD cannot be attrib-uted to impaired hearing sensitivity orintellectual impairment. Symptoms ofCAPD are nonspecific: distractibility,inattentiveness, difficulty hearing innoisy environments, trouble with soundlocalization and difficulty following com-plex verbal instructions. The evaluation

often includes tests of uncertain validityand reliability, particularly in a popula-tion with a high prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Some testsused in CAPD assessment are so atten-tion dependent that they appear to mea-sure little other than attentional process-es. Treatment known to be effective forADHD appears to be equally efficaciousfor changes in CAP test scores. Evidencefor the efficacy of the commonly recom-mended treatment, auditory trainer orFM assistive listening device, is lacking.These devices, designed for the hearingimpaired student, increase the loudnessof the teacher’s voice above classroomnoise using a teacher microphone andstudent receiver, often earphones.

Tallal has published extensively on thehypothesis that language impaired childrenare deficient in the ability to perceive rapid-ly presented sounds. This perceptual deficitis postulated to interfere with the ability todiscriminate between phonemes, a prereq-uisite skill for reading. It has been proposedthat the deficit lies in the fast conductingsensory pathway, the magnocellular sys-tem. Tallal’s collaborators also cite neuro-science research claiming that training pro-duces functional reorganization changes inthe brain resulting in improved perceptualabilities. A computerized treatment hasbeen marketed, based on these hypotheses,and a small-scale intervention study thatmeasured oral language outcomes. Recentresearch has not found Tallal’s test of audi-tory temporal order judgment to be corre-lated with phonological awareness or read-ing achievement. The sample size, practiceeffects, outcome measures used, multipletraining components, phonemic awarenessgains, and absence of reading measures ofthe computer treatment study have beencriticized. There are a limited number ofpublished studies in peer-reviewed journals

on a second phase of the CD-ROM-basedtraining program, FastForWord, which hasadditional components teaching phono-logical awareness and word recognition.

Tomatis, a French otolaryngologist and psy-chologist, has developed a neurophysiologicaltheory about auditory system impairment.Auditory distortion due to hyperactive haircells in the cochlea (inner ear) is presumed tocause a wide range of communication, behav-ioral and learning disorders. The diagnosis ofauditory distortion typically involves findinghypersensitivity at one or more pure-toneaudiometric frequencies. Multiple sessions oflistening to music through a device that filtersor modulates frequencies reportedly correctthe hair cell function and cures the disorder.There is no scientific support for hypersensi-tivity at one or more pure-tone frequencies.The short treatment course is counter torequirements for existing auditory or com-munication skill intervention.

Clinicians who advocate and parents whochoose, for their child, assistive listeningdevices for CAPD, FastForWord fordyslexia or auditory integration training(AIT) for any language disorder haveadopted unproven methods. A samplingof the literature critical of these treat-ments are cited in the references. While itis helpful to have a basic understandingof the anatomy and function of the audi-tory system to evaluate the theories uponwhich auditory treatments are based, it ismore important to review the researchsupport of these treatment approaches.

Auditory integration training (AIT) failsto achieve scientific support on severalcriteria. There is no convincing evidencethat some hair cells are hypersensitive.The small variations in hearing thresh-olds at different frequencies, said to bediagnostic of auditory distortion, are

Controversies In AuditoryProcessing By Jeffrey L. Black, M.D.


common in the normal population.Controlled studies of AIT have not beenreported in peer-reviewed journals, abasic requirement of scientific proof.

The basic tenets of CAPD are reasonable,that children differ in their ability to distin-guish auditory figure-ground and discrimi-nate between sounds that vary in volume,pitch or rate. The main difficulty with theCAPD diagnosis is the audiologic evaluationwhich relies heavily on the Screening Test forAuditory Processing Disorders (SCAN),which can be abnormal in children withADHD who have no auditory deficits. Also,the CAPD evaluation sometimes fails to fullyconsider other causes of poor listening, suchas - receptive language/semantics, workingmemory/chunk size capacity, low intelli-gence/incomplete concept formation, men-tal distractions/ stress or mood, selectivehearing/resistive behavior. An assistive listen-ing device for CAPD is often recommendedwhen only one SCAN subtest is reportedabnormal. Yet there are few studies whichcompare the response to treatment using an

assistive listening device with modificationsteachers can make in the classroom - seatpreferentially, reduce background noise, gainattention, check comprehension, rephrase/restate, or use visual teaching aids.

The arguments of critics and proponents ofFastForWord are stated in the referencedarticles from the fall 1996 issue ofPerspectives. Both sides of the debate agreethat poor readers make errors discriminatingstop-vowel syllables, like /b/-/d/, at rapidrates of presentation. Tallal attributes this toa deficit in the perception of rapid frequen-cy changes not limited to speech. Brady andothers from Haskins Laboratories view thedeficit as a speech specific failure in phono-logical representation. This deficit underliesthe dyslexic’s difficulty detecting sound units(phonemes) in speech and learning relation-ships between sound units and written sym-bols (alphabet). Other investigators, in addi-tion to the Haskins group, have not foundpoor readers to be deficient in processingbrief patterns of rapidly changing acoustic(non-speech) information.

The strongest criticisms of the intervention

study of the precursor to FastForWord are

not complex problems with research

design. Tests of reading were not given, so

valid conclusions about the effect on read-

ing cannot be drawn. There were less than

20 subjects in the experimental group. The

absence of a broad set of conventionally

used receptive and expressive language tests

both before and after treatment makes

gains in oral language skills difficult to

interpret. Subsequent independent investi-

gations (Gillam, 2001) of FastForWord

with small sample sizes did find gains in

some aspects of language comprehension,

production and phonemic awareness but

no improvement in reading skills. Failure

of FastForWord to improve reading skill is

consistent with studies showing best results

when phonological awareness training is

paired with explicit word analysis instruc-

tion. No evaluation data is available on the

See Controversy on Page 12

FUNCTION/DYSFUNCTION

central auditory processing

perception of rapid soundsequences

phonological awareness

auditory distortion

receptive language

verbal active working memory/chunk-size capacity

*controversial

ANATOMICLOCATION

inner ear to cerebral cortex tests of auditory cortical function-ing including verbal and nonver-bal stimuli (e.g. SCAN)

assistive listening device*listening accommodations

acoustically modified speech train-ing with computer-based multime-dia games (FastForWord)*

phonological awareness trainingincluding letter-sound (see Winter-97 issue of Orton Asset)

auditory integration training*(Tomatis)

oral language therapy

accommodations that reduce volumeof information that must be held andanalyzed in short-term memory

tests of auditory temporal orderjudgment (e.g. Tallal RapidPerception Test)

tests of segmenting, blending,deleting, rhyming sounds inwords (e.g. PAT, TOPA, LAC)

history and/or audiogram show-ing hypersensitivity at one ormore pure-tone frequencies

CELF, TOLD

subtests of the TAPS, WRAML,WISC-III

inner ear to cerebral cortex(magnocellular system)

inferior frontal gyrus(Broca’s area)

cochlear hair cells(inner ear)

left perisylviancerebral cortex

executive network connect-ing to the frontal cortex

ASSESSMENT

TABLE 1ACCEPTED AND CONTROVERSIAL

AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDERS AND TREATMENT

INTERVENTION


new FastForWord Language to Reading, which contains training in

sound-symbol associations. Larger scale replications by indepen-

dent investigators would be necessary before FastForWord can be

accepted as a proven intervention for children with language-based

learning disorders.

REFERENCES

Brady, S., Scarborough, H. and Shankweiler, D. (Summer1996). A perspective on two recent research reports.Perspectives: The Orton Dyslexia Society, 22, 5-8.

Friel-Patti S.: Clinical decision-making in the assessment andintervention of central auditory processing disorders. Language,Speech and Hearing Service in Schools, 30: 345-352, 1999.

Gillam, R.B., et al: Looking back: A summary of five explorato-ry studies of FastForWord. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 10:269-273, 2001.

Miller, S. and Tallal, P. (Spring 1996). Acoustically modifiedspeech training studies: Implications for dyslexia. Perspectives:The Orton Dyslexia Society, 22, 8-9.

Mody, M., Studdert-Kennedy, M. and Brady, S. (1997). Speechperception deficits in poor readers: Auditory processing orphonological coding? Journal of Experimental ChildPsychology, 64, 199-231.

Riccio, C.A., et al. (1994). Comorbidity of central auditoryprocessing disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disor-der. Journal of the American Academy Child AdolescentPsychiatry, 22, 849-857.

Studdert-Kennedy, M. and Mody, M. (1995). Auditory temporalperception deficits in the reading-impaired: A critical review ofthe evidence. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2, 508-514. ✍

History IsMade By Pat Sekel

P roof that ALTA continues to grow, the Austin

Area Chapter of the Academic Language

Therapy Association (ALTA) was officially rec-

ognized in April 2002 by the ALTA Board of Directors.

The chapter began as a way for Certified Academic

Language Therapists (CALT) to network and encourage

student membership in ALTA.

In September 2001, an informal meeting was held at an

Austin restaurant to gauge the interest of area profes-

sionals. With over 20 CALTs in attendance, the answer

was clear. After the meeting, ALTA was contacted on

how to proceed in setting up a local chapter.

At the January 2002 annual conference of the Austin Area

Branch of The International Dyslexia Association, the first

formal meeting of the Austin Area Certified Academic

Language Therapy Association (AACALTA) was held and

officers were elected. The officers include Pam Craig, pres-

ident; Lynne Cohen, vice president; Pat Sekel, secretary;

and Andrea Colgan, treasurer.

Plans are currently being made to have the first AACAL-

TA conference this fall at the Austin Scottish Rite Theater.

The officers intend to collaborate with other interested

professional groups and schools in co-sponsoring future

events and speakers.

Congratulations AACALTA! ✍

Continued Controversy from page 11

FairHill School

ALTA members

are responsible for

maintaining their own

personal CEU records

for possible audit.

Dear ALTA,Thank you for the scholarship you extendedto me back in 1999 when I began LanguageTherapy Training with an introductorycourse in Sounds and Syllables. I have con-tinued the training through the therapy leveland am now applying to take the certificationexam from ALTA. The wonderful progressthat my students have shown in our worktogether has been a very gratifying reward.

Thank you again for your early support. Ijust wanted you to know that the grantwent toward helping in the developmentof another language therapist.

Terry DavisArroyo Seco, New Mexico

Dear ALTA,I have just returned from Washington, D.C.where our small school district in Alaskareceived the Malcolm Baldrige NationalQuality Award. We, along with a large schoolin New York and a college, were the first ineducation to receive this award given by theDepartment of Commerce. The President ofthe United States presented the award.

So, why do I want the Academic LanguageTherapy Association (ALTA) to know aboutthis? Many ALTA members were essentialplayers in what this district has done in the areaof reading. I was fortunate enough to be thereading specialist for Chugach School Districtfor the past 7 years. The superintendent of ourschools, Roger Sampson, had been given themandate to teach the students of ChugachSchool District to read. Seven years ago, 80%of our students were reading below grade level,according to the California Achievement Test.Mr. Sampson had observed the use ofMultisensory Teaching Approach (MTA) inmy multi-graded classroom in the little villageof Tatitlek. At the end of the year, all my stu-dents were reading above grade level. I wasasked to come into the district office and headup staff development and to develop a method

of teaching all our students to read. I hadreceived my training as a therapist from theLearning Therapy Program at SouthernMethodist University in Dallas and had usedEdith Hogan and Margaret Smith’s MTAmaterials for several years with much success inAlaska. Naturally, I wanted to use AlphabeticPhonics as the main thrust of reading instruc-tion after giving all our students the WoodcockReading Mastery Tests and discovering ourstudents could not decode. Since comprehen-sion instruction assumes students have theability to decode, we hadno other choice but tostart with teaching ourstudents to break thecode. Jamie Williamscame from Texas andtrained our staff in aMontana one roomschoolhouse. We pur-chased MTA kits foreach teacher and made atwo-year commitmentto teach AlphabeticPhonics using MTA forone hour every day at allgrade levels. I had the joy of retesting our stu-dents at the end of the first year. The progresswas amazing and at the end of two years, unbe-lievable. We have an amazing staff, administra-tion support, and community encouragementalong with some very wonderful children whomade all this possible.

The Department of Commerce has given outthe Baldrige National Quality Award to busi-ness for years, but in 1999, they branched outto look for models in education that were real-ly making a difference in student perfor-mance. Our district applied to be a part of thisintense scrutiny in order to have quality feed-back for improvement. Most applicants donot get a site review the first time they apply,but we did! No entity has ever won the awardthe first time they applied, but we did. One ofthe best pieces of evidence of success we hadwas the reading improvement of our students.At the end of the last school year, 90% of ourstudents were reading at or above grade level.

Jamie Williams presented the reading modelof Accuracy, Fluency, and Comprehensionto equal a Competent Reader during ourreading staff development. Now, five dis-tricts in Alaska have designed their develop-mental report cards around this model.

We have been so fortunate to have won-derful people and excellent materials touse at our sites. One of our visitingexperts was Dr. Marcia K. Henry. Shemodeled the use of her materials in all

our remote sites. What a privilege is wasfor me to spend time with her.

So now, you see just how many ALTAmembers have been involved in our trek toWashington, D.C. If you would like toknow more about this, there is some infor-mation on our web site, www.chugach-schools.com. I would also be willing toshare our data with anyone interested.

I wish I could have attended the SpringConference in April. Missing out on theALTA activities is one price I pay for livingso very far away. I will forever be grateful tothe Aylett Cox Foundation for providingthe means for me to receive the trainingthrough SMU Learning Therapy Program.

Sincerely,Betty Sue Crain, CALTChugach School DistrictAnchorage, Alaska ✍


Letters From Our Members

Dr. Marcia K. Henry (center) discusses language learning

with ALTA members.


bul•le•tin CalendarEvents: Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills

(Introductory Course)Dates: August 5-16, 2002Sponsor: Multisensory Language Training Institute of New MexicoLocation: Albuquerque, New MexicoTelephone: (505) 898-7500

Event: ALTA Registration ExaminationDate: October 5, 2002Sponsor: Hardin-Simmons UniversityLocation: 2200 Hickory Street, Abilene Hall, Room 106,

Abilene, TXContact: Collene SimmonsTelephone: (915) 671-5784Email: [email protected]

Event: Basic Language SkillsDates: September 17, 24, October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29,

November 5, 12, and 19, 2002Sponsor: Neuhaus Education CenterLocation: 4433 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TXContact: Judy ThrasherTelephone: (713) 664-7676Email: [email protected]

Event: Basic Language Skills Advanced CourseDates: January 8, 15, 22, 29, February 5, 12, 19, 26,

March 5 and 12, 2003Sponsor: Neuhaus Education CenterLocation: 4433 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TXContact: Judy ThrasherTelephone: (713) 664-7676Email: [email protected]

MilestonesWelcome, new student members EchoAlexander, Audrey Baker, Katherine Balch,Sarah Bell, Ellen Bennett, Michelle Bilderback,Mary Blankenship, Peggy Brooks, SusanBroyles, Kathy Bryan, Carolyn Burden, KathyCamp, Shirley Canon, Jane Chancellor,Rachel Davis, Judy Denton, Gail Evers, JillFearing, Cynthia Fryar, Patricia Giles, ErikaGrizzaffi, Wendy Gunn, Donna Hagan,Denise Hershey, Vickey Holley, DeborahHouston, Cherie Howell, Barbara Land,Margaret Little, Jodi Madden, Linda Main,Charlotte Mathews, Lisa McCulloch, KimMcGehee, Gayla McKnight, Judith Nelson,Jamie Nettles, Jeanne Patterson, Nancy Patton,Janice Pelzel, Sammy Quattlebaum, DonellaReynolds, Kathryn Rhodes, Ann Riggan, LiseRollert, Christina Salter, Lynette Scallorn,Jodye Sharp, Collene Simmons, Kara Smartt,Kellye Stark, Gloria Stephens, Sandra Taylor,Carolyn Wiginton, Cathy Wyatt

Welcome, new active members MichelleBufkin, Mary Buhman, Shirley Burleson,Patricia Clark, Patricia Daily, TerryDavis, Peggy Donnell, Drenda Haddock,Suzanne Hall, Maura Hunter, MarietteJohnson, Janice Kirkland, Ethel Martin,Jan Paris, Cynthia Ploch, Debra Pollard,Kathleen Power, Penny Voss, PatriciaWachtel, Marge Wilkov, Cindy Woolf

Congratulations, new qualified instructorsRae Cromeens, Patricia McHugh, Sara Rivers.

The Academic Language TherapyAssociation Centers Council (ALTA CC)Scholarship Committee is pleased toannounce the recipients of the 2002Scholarships for Teacher Training. Thisyear three people will receive $300 each toapply toward tuition at one of the ALTACC accredited training centers. The recipi-ents and their chosen training centers areJoAnn Sibley, LEAD, Argyle, Texas;Kathryn Camp, Southwest MultisensoryTraining Center, Allen, Texas; DianaMizusawa, Multisensory Language TrainingInstitute, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Eight individuals completed NeuhausEducation Center’s Dyslexia SpecialistPreparation Program this spring. Thegraduates were Patricia Clark, AlvinIndependent School District (ISD);Stephanie Ellzey, Hardin-Jefferson ISD;Suzanne Hall, private practice; ElizabethHendrix, Conroe ISD; Janet Lenhart, KatyISD; Dianne Poole, Alvin ISD; BridgetRahbany, Alvin ISD; and Paula Selle, pri-vate practice. The Dyslexia SpecialistPreparation Program and the Graduates of2002 were spotlighted at the SixteenthAnnual Neuhaus Benefit Luncheon onMarch 7, 2002, at the Westin Galleria

Hotel, Houston, Texas. Walter Negley,Neuhaus advisory board member, present-ed certificates of completion to the attend-ing graduates. Graduate Stephanie Ellzeyand her student, Timothy Baker, spoke tothe audience of 1,100, sharing theirthoughts about the impact of the programon their lives. Following the presentation,Dr. Robert Sternberg, IBM Professor ofPsychology and Education at YaleUniversity, delivered the keynote address,Successful Intelligence: Why There IsMuch More to Intelligence Than IQ.

Congratulations to SusanPatteson who was namedDyslexia Specialist at RegionXIII Education ServiceCenter, Austin, Texas.Susan was formerly thedyslexia coordinator for HaysConsolidated IndependentSchool District, Kyle, Texas.

Position available: SheltonSchool seeks qualifiedWilson Language spe-cialist for Upper Schoolclassroom position. For more informationvisit www.shelton.org or contact AnneHendrick-Thomas, APR, director of pub-lic relations & human resources at972/774-1772, ext. 241. ✍

Susan Patteson,

Dyslexia Specialist

Curriculum & Instruction

Region XIII Education

Service Center


CEU CalendarEvent: Written Composition Date: August 1, 2002Sponsor: Neuhaus Education CenterLocation: 4433 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TXContact: Kerin MayneTelephone: (713) 664-7676E-mail: [email protected]

Event: Developing Accuracy andFluency

Date: August 2, 2002Sponsor: Neuhaus Education CenterLocation: 4433 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TXContact: Kerin MayneTelephone: (713) 664-7676E-mail: [email protected]

Event: Reading Readiness SkillsDate: August 5, 2002Sponsor: Neuhaus Education CenterLocation: 4433 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TXContact: Kerin MayneTelephone: (713) 664-7676E-mail: [email protected]

Event: Dyslexia Assessment Conference: The Identification of Dyslexia

Date: August 5, 2002Presenter: Helen MacikSponsor: Region XIII Education

Service CenterLocation: Scottish Rite Learning Center,

207 W. 18th Street Austin, TXContact: Susan PattesonTelephone: (512) 919-5395E-mail: [email protected]

Event: Foundations for Language Date: August 6, 2002Sponsor: Neuhaus Education CenterLocation: 4433 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TXContact: Kerin MayneTelephone: (713) 664-7676E-mail: [email protected]

Event: History of the English Language Date: August 12, 2002Sponsor: Neuhaus Education CenterLocation: 4433 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TXContact: Kerin MayneTelephone: (713) 664-7676E-mail: [email protected]

Event: Reading Comprehension Date: August 13, 2002Sponsor: Neuhaus Education CenterLocation: 4433 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TXContact: Kerin MayneTelephone: (713) 664-7676E-mail: [email protected]

Event: Multisensory Keyboarding Dates: September 9 and 11, 2002

Presenter: Nancy RedingtonSponsor: Southwest Multisensory

Training CenterLocation: 600 Jupiter Rd., Allen, TXTelephone: (972) 359-6646Fax: (972) 359-8591

Event: Brain Research Date: September 19, 2002Presenter: Gordon ShermanLocation: Shelton School, 15720

Hillcrest Rd., Dallas, TXContact: Marty CooleyTelephone: (972) 774-1772, ext. 223Fax: (972) 991-3977

Event: Dyslexia Laws Date: September 20, 2002Presenter: Helen MacikSponsor: Southwest Multisensory


Event: The ADHD Child Date: September 20, 2002Presenter: Paul Warren, M.D.Sponsor: Southwest Multisensory

Training CenterLocation: Shelton School, 15720

Hillcrest Rd., Dallas, TXTelephone: (972) 359-6646Fax: (972) 359-8591

Event: DysgraphiaDate: September 26, 2002Presenter: Regina RichardsSponsor: Austin Area Chapter of the

Academic Language TherapyAssociation Austin AreaBranch of The InternationalDyslexia Association

Location: Scottish Rite Temple, 207 W.18th Street, Austin, TX

Contact: AABIDATelephone: (512) 452-7648

Event: Informal Assessments andEffective Interventions forStudents Struggling with BasicReading and Writing Skills

Date: October 5, 2002Presenter: Nancy Mather, Ph.D.Sponsor: Houston Branch of The

International Dyslexia Association,Neuhaus Education Center,The Briarwood School

Location: J.W. Marriott Hotel-Galleria,Houston, Texas

Contact: Cathy LorinoTelephone: (713) 664-7676E-mail: [email protected]

Event: Visualizing and VerbalizingStrategies for Comprehension

Dates: October 14 and 16, 2002Presenter: Nancy RedingtonSponsor: Southwest Multisensory


Event: All Dyslexia All the Time / 2002Dyslexia Conference

Dates: October 28-29, 2002Sponsor: Council of Educators of

Students with Disabilities Location: DoubleTree Hotel, 9801

Anderson Mill Road, Austin, TXContact: CESDTelephone: (512) 219-5043

Event: The Learning DisabilitiesAssociation of Texas StateConference

Dates: October 30-November 2, 2002Location: Renaissance Austin Hotel,

1011 W. 31st StreetContact: LDATTelephone: (512) 458-8234Fax: (512) 458-3826 or (800) 604-7500E-mail: [email protected]

Event: Editor’s Checklist for WrittenLanguage

Dates: November 18 and 20, 2002Presenter: Nancy RedingtonSponsor: Southwest Multisensory


Event: PowerPoint Presentations Dates: January 27 and 29, 2003Presenter: Nancy RedingtonSponsor: Southwest Multisensory


Event: Verbal into Written Expression Date: February 28, 2003Presenter: Beverly DooleySponsor: Southwest Multisensory


Neuhaus Education Center On-line Workshops Contact: Visit www.neuhaus.org

Documents

CEU BOOK LIST...Through a Multisensory Approach by Joshi, Dahlgren and Boulware-Gooden. 3. The Scholarship Committee announced the recipients of three $300 scholar-ships. These scholarships