Dyscalculia & Literacy Conference 2022 - Focus on your learner: Strengths & Challenges

Charles Hulme - Professor of Psychology at Oxford Brookes University, Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford, and Founder and CEO of OxEd and Assessment Ltd (OxEd) a University of Oxford spinout company.

Identifying and Ameliorating Children’s Language Difficulties

Language is the medium of instruction and forms a critical foundation for formal education. Many children, especially those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, enter school with poor oral language skills which compromise their ability to benefit from education.

Our work, developing and evaluating the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme, shows that an oral language intervention delivered in schools can produce meaningful improvements in children’s oral language skills, as well as resulting in improved reading comprehension and reductions in children’s behaviour problems.

The NELI programme is now being delivered in circa 10,000 English primary schools. I will conclude with a plea for the importance of embedding oral language enrichment work in early educational settings.

Target Audience: Primary

Charles Hulme is Professor of Psychology at Oxford Brookes University, Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford, and Founder and CEO of OxEd and Assessment Ltd (OxEd) a University of Oxford spinout company. OxEd develops educational assessment apps and interventions to improve educational outcomes for children. Charles is an author of the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme and a number of other effective language and reading interventions. Charles is a Fellow of the British Academy, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and a Fellow of Academia Europaea. He has received numerous awards for his research including the Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (2019).

Kinga Morsanyi - Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Cognition - Loughborough University

Dyscalculia in the school context: Identification, interventions and teachers' knowledge

Dyscalculia (i.e., a specific learning disorder in mathematics) is a condition that affects about 6% of the school-age population. Although dyscalculia is equally prevalent as dyslexia, and it can seriously affect people’s life chances, it is neglected by both educational professionals and policy-makers.

Currently, in the UK (and in many other countries), a diagnosis of dyscalculia is almost non-existent, and educational support and official recognition is lacking. In this talk, I will present information about the typical symptoms of dyscalculia, the most common co-occurring learning difficulties, and information about a new screening tool to identify pupils with mathematics difficulties in the classroom.

I will also talk about suggested intervention methods and the results of a recent survey that assessed the knowledge and awareness of educators in the UK regarding dyscalculia, and compared it with the responses of international research experts in the field.

Target Audience: This talk will be appropriate for a general lay audience, but will also present materials regarding educators' knowledge and awareness of dyscalculia (including primary and secondary school teachers, teachers in further education, and TAs).

Dr Kinga Morsanyi is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Cognition at Loughborough University. She has a broad range of research interests, which lie at the intersection of research into mathematical cognition, and reasoning and decision making. Currently, one of her main research interests is in dyscalculia (i.e., a specific learning disorder in mathematics). Dr. Morsanyi is researching the cognitive profile of individuals with dyscalculia, the demographic risk- and protective factors, typical symptoms (including problems in everyday settings), and co-morbidity with other developmental disorders. She is also leading the development of an app (Numeralis), which will comprise a standardized screening instrument for dyscalculia, tasks to assess the broader cognitive profile of learners, as well as intervention materials for individuals who are struggling with mathematics. Dr Morsanyi is also associate editor or editorial board member of several leading academic journals (the British Journal of Developmental Psychology, Developmental Review, Cognitive Science, Learning and Individual Differences, and the Journal of Cognition) and an advisory board member of the Dyscalculia Network.

Rebecca Thompson - Specialist teacher and assessor - Education Access Ltd

Writing dyscalculia reports using the APC criteria - SASC Approved

The BDA is offering assessors the opportunity to have their knowledge and experience of dyscalculia validated through APEL, leading to AMBDA Dyscalculia. This workshop provides a brief overview of using the 15 point APC criteria (as also used when renewing your APC for dyslexia) but relating this to dyscalculia and used by reviewers of reports submitted for an application via the BDA APEL route. All 15 core APC criteria will be briefly covered in this workshop.

Target Audience: Primary and secondary; Those who have, or working towards, the qualifications and experience in diagnosing dyscalculia; Those who wish to apply for AMBDA Dyscalculia via the BDA APEL route

Rebecca has been a teacher since 1996 and has been a Specialist Teacher with more than 19 years’ assessment experience, and has been passionate about bringing the best possible education to all students since volunteering in a unit for pupils with additional needs whilst at university. She has worked in mainstream, specialist schools and in LEA support services, before setting out on her own and forming Education Access in 2016.
Rebecca has supported other teachers who wish to develop in their roles supporting students with specific learning difficulties, as a mentor and tutor for the Level 5 Specialist Teacher qualification. She is also a senior assessor and mentor for the Postgraduate Award of Proficiency in Assessment for Access Arrangements (PAPAA) and is on the APC Renewal Team for the BDA. Her 5-hour mentoring programme for APC renewal has been SASC approved for 2 years now. It is definitely a two-way process; whatever she may be able to pass on, she also gains.
Rebecca is working with the BDA for the AMBDA Dyscalculia APEL route and her course relates to what is expected for a dyscalculia report, using the SASC APC renewal and is now SASC approved (5 hours). Her Feifer Assessment of Maths course has also been SASC approved (3 hours).
She is a qualified Specialist Teacher holding an approved qualification and a current Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) Assessment Practising Certificate and supporting qualifications.

**This course does not qualify you to assess for dyscalculia.**

Lynn Lovell - Head of Professional Practice - British Dyslexia Association

Report writing to SASC standards - guidance and top tips - SASC Approved

This presentation will look at assessment and report writing to SASC standards. It will cover the published guidelines whilst offering top tips about how to meet the requirements.

Target Audience: Assessors working with pre 16 or post 16 individuals.

Lynn Lovell is Head of Professional Practice at the British Dyslexia Association. She is passionate about all areas of assessment and support for individuals who face barriers to learning. She has completed an MA in Specific Learning Difficulties with a focus on developing self-esteem for those with dyslexia. Lynn has previously been employed as a specialist teacher in secondary and FE/HE settings and as an Acting SENCo.

Jill Hudson and Suzy Sheppard-Climpson

The 3 M's of Teaching and Learning: How to incorporate metacognition, memory and multisensory strategies in effective learning.

This workshop will explore the importance of metacognition, memory and multisensory strategies within teaching and learning. It will include an opportunity for attendees to discover and create a range of effective multisensory resources to help learners to be successful in their learning.

Target Audience: Teachers, tutors, SENCOs, TAs, parents and carers

Jill and Suzy are experienced specialist teachers and assessors with a wealth of knowledge and experience of working with a range of SpLDs. They have taught learners from Primary to Higher Education and, as assessors, have provided consultancy to parents and schools across all age groups.

Adil Kalooji - Behavioural Optometrist

Behavioural Optometry

20% of the population have problems processing the vision they receive from their eyes and are often encountered with Dyslexia.
This can impact students in the classroom, people at work, or athletes engaging in sports. Their eyes have no fundamental problem; they have simply not developed the control and skill they need to use their visual system well in particular situations.
This presentation explains the more holistic approach that Behavioural Optometry offers with explanations and treatment for their symptoms.

Target Audience: Dyslexia Assessors, Dyslexia Tutors, Parents of children with Dyslexia, Individuals with Dyslexia, Schools, Senco's.

Adil Kalooji is a fully qualified Behavioural Optometrist. He has a keen interest in Specific Learning Disorders (SpLDs), particularly dyslexia, specialising in visual processing, binocular vision, and visual stress analysis. Adil have a real passion for helping people with SpLDs, especially dyslexia.

Dyslexia has always been a subject close to his heart. People in his family have struggled with dyslexia, and, sadly, there simply was not enough recognition or help available during their academic years of life. Back in University, whilst doing his Degree in Optometry between 2001-2004, he was immediately drawn to visual processing issues and perceptual distortions in individuals with SpLDs, such as dyslexia. After qualifying as an Optometrist, Adil made it his career-long goal to raise awareness and make a difference for people with SpLDs in order to give something back to the community.

Over his 17 years as a fully qualified Optometrist, he has helped hundreds of patients with dyslexia and other SpLDs, both children and adults. There have been many occasions where the results have been so impressive that he has seen parents in tears of joy, which is hugely rewarding. Adil also provides support to numerous dyslexia assessors, tutors and SENCO departments for schools & universities, all to support his goal of maximising the learning potential of every person with dyslexia and bringing different professions together to achieve this. Adil has had the opportunity to present his work for SEN schools, the International Dyslexia Conference, dyslexia assessor groups, University SEN departments and parents of dyslexic children. He is also a proud supporting member of the British Dyslexia Association. He offers an in-depth Specialist Eye examination for reading analysis, including tracking, visual stress, accommodation, convergence, visual perception, visual processing and much more, for both children and adults.

Dr Susie Nyman - Curriculum Manager for Health and Social Care

How a boy with dyscalculia achieved his dreams

The seminar will be a lively interactive practical presentation which will unlock many innovative tools and strategies from Susie’s Multi-sensory Numeracy Toolbox. These tools will empower children with dyslexia to equip themselves with the skills they require to competently cope with their dyscalculia, and enjoy mathematical concepts in a fun and engaging way.

Susie will showcase innovative tried and tested easy-to-replicate strategies she has developed in curriculum support on a one-to-one basis, and in the classroom setting at The Sixth Form College, Farnborough.

Target Audience: Suitable for both Primary and Secondary education

Susie is passionate about discovering how children learn and supporting them in ways which enable them to succeed. She was appointed in 1995 as an A Level Biology teacher at The Sixth Form College Farnborough, and subsequently as Curriculum Manager for Health and Social Care where she has worked ever since.

As an international speaker, exam board moderator and CPD trainer, she thoroughly enjoys sharing her knowledge and experiences about Multi-sensory Teaching. Additionally, she has been filmed by the BDA and Oaka Books in her own classroom; footage is currently available on YouTube.
She has published articles for BBC Bitesize, The BDA and The SEN Magazine. Her innovative methods have been published by Oaka Books in her ‘Multi-sensory Toolkit’ as well as ‘How to Become a Grade Riser’. Currently, she is writing a series of dyslexia friendly GCSE Biology booklets for Oaka Books.

In recognition of over 21 years continued service at The Sixth Form College Farnborough, Susie has been nominated three times by the College for the ‘Tes FE Teacher of the Year Award’. This is an honour of which she is immensely proud.

Brenda Ferrie - Course Leader, Dyscalculia - British Dyslexia Association

Dot Patterns, how they help children conceptualise number

Some children struggle to visualise numbers and how they relate to symbols. They may also lack the flexibility of number and being able to see numbers within numbers. These basic skills form the foundations of understanding number relationships and arithmetic development.

Target Audience: Primary and Secondary

Brenda is a maths specialist and is the course leader for BDA courses for specialist support tutors, teachers and assessors.