Learning Disabilities

Invisible Disability, Visible Damage: The Systemic Failure to Identify Language Disorders

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Psychological/Neuropsychological Assessment, Reading Programs, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests, Wilson, Orton Gillingham, Lindamood Bell & Barton Comparisons / /

As a speech-language pathologist (SLP) specializing in language and literacy assessment, I’ve reviewed hundreds of educational, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological evaluations for students with complex learning needs. I repeatedly see students who are clearly struggling in the classroom, despite strong support at home, undergoing assessments that fail to identify their needs accurately. As a result, they […]

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Orton-Gillingham (OG) Alone Won’t Cut It: What the Research Actually Shows About Helping Struggling Readers

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Contextualized Language Intervention, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Evidence-Based Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Parents, Reading Comprehension, Reading Programs, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Wilson, Orton Gillingham, Lindamood Bell & Barton Comparisons / /

When it comes to reading intervention, few programs are as widely known, or as hotly debated, as the Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach. Marketed as a lifeline for children with dyslexia and word-level reading disabilities (WLRD), OG is often touted as the gold standard. But is it? A closer look at the evidence tells a far more

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When the Wrong Professional Evaluates the Child: The High Cost of Misdirected Assessments

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Evidence-Based Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Reading Programs, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology / /

In schools and private practices across the country, families of struggling students are told, “Get an evaluation,” as if identifying a diagnosis is the solution. But what happens when the evaluation is conducted by the wrong person, who either lacks deep expertise in language development or doesn’t treat the conditions they’re assessing? The answer is

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The APD Diagnosis Trap: How a Controversial Label Harms Kids in Schools

Leave a Comment / Auditory Processing Disorder, Evidence-Based Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Speech Pathology / /

Despite its clinical ring, “Auditory Processing Disorder” (APD) remains one of the most poorly defined, inconsistently diagnosed, and least useful labels used in school-aged populations. Not only is the diagnosis itself mired in scientific controversy, but its downstream effects in schools often do more harm than good. Recently, I conducted a professional poll on social

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When Skills Don’t Line Up: Making Sense of DLD and Grade Expectations

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Grade Level, Learning Disabilities, Parents, Speech Pathology / /

Determining a student’s “grade level” can be especially challenging when that student has Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) (Ziegenfusz et al, 2022). DLD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects how children understand and use language, including vocabulary, grammar, following directions, processing questions, and expressing ideas clearly. Because language underpins all areas of academic learning, these challenges

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Acknowledging the Diagnosis: Why Denial Hurts More Than the Label Ever Could

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Parents, Speech Pathology / /

It’s a situation that sadly happens far too often. A parent or caregiver refuses to acknowledge a particular diagnosis, such as Autism, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia, or another neurodevelopmental condition. Sometimes it’s about fear. Other times, stigma (Turnock et al, 2022; Huang et al., 2023). In many cases, it’s rooted in the belief that

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Why Summer Matters Most: What Parents Need to Know About Language, Literacy & Learning Loss

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Evidence-Based Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Parents, Reading Comprehension, Social Pragmatic Deficits, Speech Pathology, Summer Learning Loss, Twice Exceptional/High IQ, Writing / /

As summer approaches, many families begin to wind down from the academic year, looking forward to a break from routines, early mornings, and school responsibilities. While rest and unstructured time are important for children, pausing language and literacy therapy over the summer can have serious consequences, especially for students with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Autism,

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One Step at a Time: Therapy for Young Adults that Works

Leave a Comment / Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Contextualized Language Intervention, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Evidence-Based Intervention, Executive Functions, Learning Disabilities, Life Outcomes, Self-Advocacy, Social Pragmatic Deficits, Speech Pathology, Young Adults / /

After my last post, a number of parents and SLPs have contacted me to find out what typical therapy sessions with young adults look like on a weekly basis. They were especially curious about how therapy can support young adults who struggle with managing emotions, staying organized, and navigating social situations. Many of these young

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Stop Saying “You’re Fine”: Why Struggling Students Deserve the Truth and Real Help

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Life Outcomes, Parents, Self-Advocacy, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / /

In the field of speech language pathology and allied services, we carry the immense responsibility of identifying and supporting children who struggle with language and literacy. Yet all too often, our good intentions are undercut by poor testing practices, superficial conclusions, and a harmful tendency to reassure students by telling them “there’s nothing wrong with

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Real Reading Requires Real Instruction: Why Accommodations Aren’t Enough

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Evidence-Based Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Life Outcomes, Reading Comprehension, Speech Pathology / /

Timothy Shanahan’s recent blog post, Accommodating Reading Comprehension with Listening—Good Idea?, raises a critical concern: when schools and educators rely on listening comprehension or text-to-speech (TTS) as a substitute for direct reading instruction, they fail to address the root causes of students’ reading difficulties. While these accommodations may provide temporary access to content, they do

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