Event
Developmental Dyslexia and Other Reading Disabilities: How a Neurobiological Framework of Early Language and Reading Development can Inform Educational and Clinical Practice/Policy
Nadine Gaab, PhD, is an associate professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is also an associate editor for the Journal of Learning Disabilities, Scientific Studies of Reading, and Developmental Science. Furthermore, she is the co-founder of EarlyBird Education, a gamified platform system for identifying children at-risk for language-based learning disabilities.
About This Event
Learning trajectories are shaped by the dynamic interplay between nature and nurture, starting in utero and continuing throughout the lifespan. Learning differences/disabilities are often not identified until childhood or adolescence, but diverging trajectories of brain development may be present as early as the prenatal stage. Furthermore, children’s experiences and their interactions with their environment have long-lasting effects on brain development and future academic outcomes.
This talk will focus on learning differences in reading acquisition within a learning disability framework. It will present results from our longitudinal behavioral and neuroimaging studies that characterize differences in learning to read as a complex outcome of cumulative risk and protective factors interacting within and across genetic, neurobiological, cognitive, and environmental levels from infancy to adulthood. Results are discussed within an early multifactorial framework of learning differences, emphasizing screening in educational and community settings, early identification, and preventative strategies. Finally, using a global lens, the implications of these findings for contemporary challenges in educational and clinical practice and policy are discussed.
Learning Objectives
- Demonstrate an understanding of the comorbidities as well as the psychological, economic, and vocational implications of developmental dyslexia and other reading disabilities
- Summarize why it is important to identify children at risk for learning disabilities before formal reading instruction starts
- Outline the role of pediatricians and other clinicians in the early identification of learning disabilities
About the Visiting Professor Lecture Series
The Child Mind Institute Visiting Professor Lecture Series invites leaders in the field of child and adolescent mental health to talk about the latest research and treatment protocols. All events are open to the public. This year, all lectures will be hosted virtually over Zoom. In partnership with Northwell Health, continuing medical education (CME) credits for psychiatrists and continuing education (CE) credits for psychologists are available to registered course participants.
