Dear subscribers, 
Below is a message from Rochelle Kenyon, moderator of the Learning
Disabilities discussion list about an upcoming guest discussion: The
Dyslexia Research Registry: Making the Difference in Reading Research!
For more information, please see  Rochelle's note about the discussion
below.

Donna

Donna Brian

Moderator, LINCS Workplace Literacy Discussion List

Off-list contact djgbrian at utk.edu

 

To post a message:

workplace at nifl.gov <mailto:workplace at nifl.gov> 

 

To subscribe/unsubscribe/change options/access archives:

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/workplace
<http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/workplace> 

******************************* 

Hi all, 
I am very pleased to announce the Learning Disabilities Discussion
List's 
next guest discussion scheduled for September 22 and 23, 2008. The title
of 
the discussion will be The Dyslexia Research Registry: Making the
Difference 
in Reading Research! Dr. Megan (Dixon) Bakan, Research Associate,
Florida 
State University, will be our guest speaker. Please read the discussion
information below. 

Guest's Bio: 
Megan (Dixon) Bakan holds a Ph.D. from Florida State University in
Cognitive 
Psychology. Her research areas included reading, spelling, phonological
and 
orthographic processing and learning disabilities in adults and
children. 
Megan obtained her Master's degree from Wright State University (Dayton,
Ohio) in Applied Behavioral Science. Her studies focused on teenage
pregnancy and gerontology. Her Bachelor's degree is from Xavier
University (Cincinnati, Ohio) in Psychology with a Business minor.

Megan became interested in literacy and reading disabilities when
working as 
the Volunteer Coordinator at the Miami Valley Literacy Council in
Dayton, OH. Through one-on-one tutoring and assisting tutor-student
pairs she became aware that many adult learners appeared to have
learning disabilities that impaired their ability to learn to read and
spell. During this time, she conducted research with Dr. Laura Weisel
using PowerPath and EMDR.

Volunteering as a tutor and tutor trainer in adult literacy has
continued to 
be a passion of Megan's throughout her career. She has also created and 
conducted family literacy workshops for Literacy Volunteers of Leon
County 
(Tallahassee, FL). 

Currently, Megan is a Research Associate for the Dyslexia Research
Registry 
and Learning Disability Center at Florida State University, funded by
The 
National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. The Dyslexia
Research Registry operates in conjunction with the Florida Center for
Reading

Research. The primary purpose of the Dyslexia Research Registry is to
facilitate research in the understanding of dyslexia by recruiting
families who are interested in volunteering for projects studying
reading disabilities. Families are then invited to participate in
research studies. Current studies include Molecular Genetic and
Behavioral Studies of Profoundly-Impaired Readers.

Outline for the Discussion 
I. What are the 4 regional Learning Disability Centers (see below) 
funded by the National Institutes of Health and what are they funded to
do? 
Florida Learning Disabilities Research Center 
Richard Wagner, PhD, Florida State University 
Northeast Learning Disabilities Research Center 
Laurie Cutting, PhD, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD 
Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center 
Richard Olson, PhD, University of Colorado 
Texas Learning Disabilities Research Center 
Jack Fletcher, PhD, University of Houston 

Questions for Consideration Leading Up to the Discussion 
A. What is the purpose of the regional Learning Disabilities Centers? 
B. How do they function? 
C. What specific services are offered to adults and children with
undiagnosed or diagnosed dyslexia through the Learning Disabilities
Centers?

II. What is the Dyslexia Research Registry (DRR)? 

Questions for Consideration Leading Up to the Discussion 
A. What is the DRR's relationship to the LD Center at Florida State 
University? 
B. How does the DRR facilitate research in the understanding of
dyslexia? 
C. How does the DRR recruit families who have a child with severe 
reading disabilities and who would like to participate in studies of
dyslexia? 
D. What opportunities do families receive to learn about each research 
project and then to participate? 
E. What opportunities are there for educators and other professionals to
be 
involved in reading research and assessing individual's reading related
skills? 
F. What assessments are used by the DRR? 

III. What past research has come out of the Dr. Richard Wagner's Lab? 

Questions Leading Up to the Discussion 
A. Who is Dr. Richard K. Wagner and what is his role with the DRR? 
B. Why is more research needed to understand dyslexia? 
C. What aspects of reading development have been the focus for research?

D. What aspects of reading have been researched by Dr. Wagner's lab? 
E. What tests have been developed to assess dyslexia? 
F. What intensive remedial instruction for children with severe reading 
disabilities is being provided? 
G. In the past decade, why has there been a greater understanding of how

children and adults learn to read and why some individuals have the 
difficulty learning to read? 

IV. What are the current research projects underway on genetics &
dyslexia? 
Questions Leading Up to the Discussion 
A. What genetics research is now being done? 
B. How do the family environment and heredity each play roles in
genetics? 
C. Is research looking for a 'dyslexia gene?" 

V. What resources are available for your information? 

VI. Conclusion 

Please share this announcement with your colleagues and those interested
in 
this important topic. In order to benefit and participate in the
discussion, 
subscription to our free Learning Disabilities Discussion List is
required. 
Subscription can be completed at 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Learningdisabilities_
<http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Learningdisabilities_>  

Thank you, 
Rochelle Kenyon, Ed.D. 
Moderator, NIFL/LINCS Learning Disabilities Discussion List 
Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee 
RKenyon721 at aol.com 
321.637.1319 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/workplace/attachments/20080912/ffb506ed/attachment.html