Register. Attend. Learn. Receive a COA. All registrants had an opportunity to earn a Certificate of Attendance upon completion of a knowledge check/request for COA form after viewing the webinar (Live or Recorded). As of 3/10/25, this recording is no longer available. However, please review the slide deck and contact Dr. Catts with your questions.

View the slide deck here.

This presentation will explore key issues in defining dyslexia. It will address the dimensional nature of word reading and spelling abilities, as well as the role of instruction and supplemental intervention. A multifactorial causal model will then be introduced, outlining risk and resilience factors linked to dyslexia, and the challenges this model poses for its diagnosis. This will be followed by an examination of the limitations of exclusionary criteria related to intelligence and environmental influences. The presentation will also cover the need to consider the adverse effects of dyslexia on academic performance, psychosocial development, and overall quality of life. Lastly, reference to the importance of early detection and intervention to mitigate the negative outcomes associated with dyslexia will be considered. Dr. Catts is Professor of the School of Communication Science and Disorders at Florida State University. His research interests include the early identification and prevention of reading disabilities. He is a past board member of the International Dyslexia Association and past board member and President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. He has received the Samuel T. Orton Award from the International Dyslexia Association and the Honors of the Association from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for his career contributions in each of these disciplines. His current research concerns the early identification of reading and language disabilities and the nature and assessment of reading comprehension problems. Dr. Catts’ research interests include the early identification and prevention of language-based reading disabilities. He is currently involved in three longitudinal investigations related to early identification. In one project, he and his co-investigators are developing and evaluating a multivariate longitudinal assessment designed to screen for dyslexia and other language and literacy difficulties. This project is funded through a subcontract from Harvard U/MIT. In a related project, funded by a subcontract from University of California San Francisco, he and colleagues are validating a screening assessment to identify children at risk for dyslexia in the State of California.  In another project, he is working with colleagues in the Psychology Department to identify and follow approximately 250 toddlers with a family history of dyslexia and/or language impairment. This project, funded by NIH as part of the Florida Learning Disabilities Research Center, uses child, familial, and environmental data to model the co-development of language and pre-literacy skills and their relationship to the emergence of early reading achievement.  In addition to these projects, he continues to work with colleagues and students on projects related reading comprehension development and disorders.

Details on the Spotlight Series: https://ga.dyslexiaida.org/2025-spotlight-on-structured-literacy-webinar-series/