IDALA’S Annual Conference, Language & Learning brings together researchers, educators, clinicians, and advocates in the field of dyslexia to exchange knowledge, share best practices, and explore the latest advancements in the field.

Thanks for Attending Our Annual Conference!

A special thank you to our incredible 2025 speakers:

  • Tim DeLuca, Assistant Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Jennifer Hasser, M.Ed., founder and Executive Director of Kendore Learning

  • Tim Odegard, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and the Katherine Davis Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies at Middle Tennessee State University

  • Meghan Sebens, M.S. Ed., Academic Dean at Landmark School’s Elementary Middle School

  • Marilyn Zecher, M.A., CALT, Academic Language Therapist and former public-school classroom and demonstration teacher,

  • Jennifer C. Zvi, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor at Lewis University, Early Childhood Education Department, Emeritus Faculty from California State University, Northridge, Disabled Student Services

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Exhibitors

Past Conference Keynote Speakers

2022

Mark S. Seidenberg, PhD, Vilas Research Professor and Donald O. Hebb Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

How to Connect Reading Research and the Real World

Dr. Julie Washington, PhD, Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine (UCI)

Teaching Reading to Children that Speak Varieties of English

David A. Kilpatrick, PhD, Professor of Psychology for the State University of New York College at Cortland

Boosting Reading Skills in Struggling Readers: Understanding Orthographic Mapping and the Role of Grapho-Phonemic Proficiency

Katie Hurley, LCSW, parenting educator, public speaker, and author.

Childhood Stress and Anxiety

2020

Dr. Margie Gillis, Ed.D., CALT President, Literacy How, Inc.

The Science of Teaching Reading: Why, How, and What to Teach

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2019

Anita Archer, PhD, Educational Consultant, Author

Setting the Stage for Accurate and Fluent Reading: Decoding Foundation Skills

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2018

Dr. Eric Tridas, MD, FAAP, Medical Director of the Tridas Center for Child Development, Tampa

The Perfect Storm: Inattention, Dyslexia and Anxiety

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2017

Dr. Maryanne Wolf, John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service; Director, Center for Reading and Language Research, Tufts University

The Reading Brain in the Digital Age

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2016

Dr. Nancy Mather, Professor of Special Education, University of Arizona, Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies

The Elephant in the Room: What We Overlook Regarding Dyslexia

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2015

Dr. Louisa Moats, Author, Educator, Psychologist

Understanding Dyslexia Myths and Realities

2014

Dr. Susan Hall, President and Founder of The 95 Percent Group

How Will We Make Sure Students Learn 2,000-3,000 New Vocabulary Words Each Year?

2013

Dr. Maryanne Wolf, Author of "Proust and the Squid: the Story and Science of the Reading Brain" and Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University

How the Brain Learned to Read