2025 C W Austin In-Person Learning Disability Conference

Join us to learn about the latest advancements in learning disabilities research and support at this free In-Person Conference. Whether you're a teacher, parent, or professional in the field, this conference offers valuable insights and strategies to help individuals with learning disabilities.

Thanks: ExxonMobil

Goal: Provide parents and professionals with free practical tools and best practice information designed to help students with learning disabilities achieve academic success through presentations by experts in the field

CEUs: CEUs are free to Educators, Parents, Advocates, and Foster Parents. CEUs are available for $25 (entire conference) to Social Workers, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Counselors through Louisiana professional organizations and must be paid through an "add-on" during registration. If you don't have a credit card or need a scholarship, please send an email to [email protected]

Lunch: We will break for 30 minutes for lunch and offer sandwich box lunch ($10 "add-on" during registration) for attendees. Be sure to reserve yours if you are interested and indicate your preference.

Dedication: This conference honors Christopher Austin who was a successful college student with dyslexia. He was a talented musician, writer, and visual artist tragically killed by a drunk driver at age 20. We celebrate his gifts and hope to give parents and professionals the tools they need to support LD students in their lives through this conference.

Presentations

Adaptive Resources @ your library for students, parents and educators by Brandi Burton and Tara Dearing of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library: In this presentation, Library Service Coordinators Brandi Burton and Tara Dearing will introduce participants to the broad range of free library services and resources that will directly benefit LD Students as well as parents and providers helping them. Finding the appropriate resources to support vulnerable students can serve as a preventative tool to combat mental health issues associated with learning disabilities.

Adult Literacy Problems in America by Rebecca Parker, PhD CCC-SLP of Southeastern Louisiana University and Georgann Mire of the Greater Baton Rouge Learning Disability Coalition: Literacy issues don’t just affect children. When they are not addressed in childhood, these vulnerable adults face a myriad of problems throughout their lives. In this presentation, statistics designed to illuminate the pressing needs for adult literacy and highlight the areas of their lives affected by their reading deficits will be provided. Findings from Rebecca's recent study exposing readability issues regarding voting will be discussed. In addition, the presenters will share resources for helping adults improve their reading which are available in the Baton Rouge community.

A Guide to Understanding Evaluations by Traci W. Olivier, PsyD of Neurological Center of Louisiana:This presentation will equip parents and professionals to understand the basics of outpatient psychological/neuropsychological evaluations and how findings may help students access appropriate accommodations and supports at school. A discussion of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Bulletin 1508 guidelines will also be reviewed. Parents and providers can better find solutions to the difficulties presented by learning disabilities when they understand the evaluations used to diagnose them. With knowledge about evaluations combined with advocacy inspiration, parents and professionals will be prepared to access appropriate interventions for students with learning disabilities.

Build Better Interventions Through Empathy by Georgann Mire, President of the Greater Baton Rouge Learning Disabilities Coalition: Pull out your pencil and paper for this interactive demonstration designed to increase empathy for students with learning disabilities. Learn about evidence-based resilience and motivational interventions. Best practice accommodation and advocacy recommendations will be discussed. When judgment is set aside and empathy accumulated, parents and professionals can work together to support students with learning disabilities.

Building confidence and overcoming challenges through Martial Arts by Tia Talamantez of David Vincent’s Martial Arts: David Vincent’s Martial Arts has spent 31 years curating a program that provides students with learning disabilities a place to thrive after school. Everyone deserves to be part of a tribe that supports, inspires, and aids in a time of need. Martial Arts is one of the most popular after school activities that allows children to have fun, be active, gain confidence, as well as progress in areas such as focus, coordination, and self control. Tia will share research and first hand results that tie together martial arts training and improvements with executive function, impulsivity, awareness, and many others areas LD kids may need assistance. Her presentation will include local opportunities, personal success stories, alternative online resources, and ways to practice at home.

Communication strategies to build family engagement and support struggling students by Christina Kozik and Julie McKinney, MS of Exceptional Lives: In this session, we will review the proven impact of better family engagement, especially for families of students who struggle with learning. This impact includes improved understanding of students’ needs, school-family relationships, academic outcomes, and school climate. We will describe strategies to improve communication between schools and families as a way to enhance collaboration and build more trusting relationships. The strategies will include basic tips in plain language writing, tools to connect with families, and easy-to-read resources to share. Parents and professionals can use these strategies to support students by engaging more effectively with each other, and helping families navigate the learning environment.

Counseling College Students with Learning Disabilities by LaCrystal Wilson, PhD. and LPC of Baton Rouge Community College: In this presentation, LaCrystal will share her experiences as a mental health provider to LD college students and suggest therapeutic interventions designed enhance successful transition. In addition, she will provide information about accommodations on the college level and how they positively affect mental health. She will also share her doctoral research focused on mental health stigma in the black community and how cultural competence enhances success in her work with college students with learning disabilities.

Does Academic Support Really Matter? It Can Spell The Difference Between Pr*son And A Nobel Prize by William B. Daigle, Ph.D.: Childhood is defined by developmental growth and maturation. When a child has a learning disability, it alters the developmental process by requiring additional mental resources to be allocated to cope with the learning challenges. When the home and school environments do not provide appropriate academic support, high stakes risks are present. We need only to look at the overrepresentation of people with learning disabilities in the Pr*son system. This presentation will discuss the critical importance of academic support on healthy development versus the personal destruction caused by drowning in academic stress.

Evidence-Based Strategies to Support Language Development in Children with Language Learning Disorders by Eileen K. Haebig, Ph.D., CCC-SLP and Fatema Akhter Mitu, MS-SLP of Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge: The presentation will discuss evidence-based language intervention strategies to support language development in children with language learning disorders. Beyond defining each strategy, we will discuss how each approach can be applied and resources to support their use.

Help Lonely Children with ADHD Find School Friends by Belynda Gauthier the Past President of CHADD: Students with ADHD often have trouble making friends. Their loneliness can be debilitating for these children. Belynda will teach participants about the burdens that students with ADHD carry due to their diagnosis that get in the way of making friends. In this presentation, participants will learn about methods and interventions that parents and professionals can access to increase the social skills necessary for friend-making while supporting lonely students.

How to Understand and Respond to My Child's Behavior by Stacy Levy, M.S., L-SLP, CCC-SLP, Gillian Bently, OTD, OTR/L, & Haley Miller, OTD, OTR/L of Dynamic Therapy Specialistss: We believe that understanding the "why" behind your child's behavior helps you understand the "how to" when responding or disciplining. This presentation will be full of practical information including the ABCs of Behavior, Bribe versus Rewards, Dysregulation versus Learned Behavior, and specific methods that will promote sensory and emotional regulation at home and beyond.

Phonological Awareness: Its Importance In Early Reading by Paulan Varnau of The Brighton School: Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of language. Science of Reading research supports the importance of this skill for accurate reading. It includes recognizing and producing rhymes, breaking words into syllables, and identifying sounds in words. This presentation includes many tips, tricks, and resources for parents and professionals to implement immediately and help children with learning disabilities become successful readers.

Self Care for the Care Givers by I-Care

Specific Learning Disorder Diagnosis in the DSM 5-TR by Bora Sunseri, LCSW-BACS: This presentation will discuss diagnostic criteria of Specific Learning Disorders in the DSM 5-TR, Culture and gender-related diagnostic issues, functional consequences of Specific Learning Disorders, as well as some treatment options/resources for individuals and families with Specific Learning Disorder related needs.

Supporting Neurodivergent Students: Fostering Self-Awareness, Self-Esteem, and Self-Control by Michael Bush, MS, ALC, TESOLLicensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist, International School Counselor: This presentation explores effective strategies for supporting neurodivergent students in the classroom, with a focus on fostering self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-control. We will discuss the unique challenges these students face, such as difficulties with social and life skills, identity development, and anxiety. Attendees will learn how to create a supportive, inclusive environment that empowers neurodivergent students to develop skills necessary for navigating academic and personal challenges.

Supporting Parents of Students with Learning Disabilities: The Families Helping Families Model by Cynthia Chesterfield, Program Director of Inclusive Education of Families Helping Families: This presentation will provide information about the Families Helping Families (FHF) model used to help families through our Supportive Inclusive Education Program. A successful Individual Education Program is key to academic success and parents gain vital tools to prepare them through this innovative FHF program. In this presentation, Cynthia will share many facets of their Supportive Inclusive Education Program to help prepare parents and give professionals insights into ways they can help find resources for families of Children with Learning Disabilities.

Teaching Children Self-Regulation of Anger: A Neurodevelopmental-Systems Approach by Randall L. Lemoine, PhD.: Self-regulation of anger is a critical life skill. Surely, caregivers (parents & professionals) have a role in promoting self-regulation of anger of the children in their care. But how? This workshop presents a framework to better understand the emotion of anger, how self-regulation of anger develops, and how best to teach self-of anger regulation both at home and at school. The framework presented follows a neurodevelopmental systems approach grounded in the modern understanding of the skill of self-regulation of anger that has emerged in recent years.

The 3 P's of Anger Management: Be Prepared, Proactive, and Positive: Encourage “Mattering” to Ameliorate Angry Behaviors in the Age of AI and Screens by Darlyne Nemeth, PhD, MP, MPAP of Neurological Center of Louisiana: This is a presentation about the correlation of children’s screen time and anger outbursts. As we all know, anger management is a significant problem for youth and families. Considerable research found that if children are allowed to have access to screens/electronics before the age of 1.5, their ability to manage anger and aggression is significantly impaired. We need to teach anger management in the day and age of AI and screens.This will focus on a very successful program Darlyne created a number of years ago for Donaldsonville Elementary School. It involved 3 parts: 1 for children, staff, and lastly for parent figures. Training is necessary to prevent fear, bullying, and disruption. In modern environments where many are addicted to screens, it is especially important to develop skills to teach anger management. The use of dialogue is paramount and this presentation teaches interventions designed to elevate effective dialogue.

Unlocking the Connection: Understanding Auditory Processing Disorders and their Impacts on Academic Success by Katie Cordell, L-Au.D., CCC-Au.D. & Laurin Brian, L-Au.D., CCC-Au.D. & Vicky Roy Ph.D., L-SLP, CCC-SLP of Dynamic Therapy Specialists: Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) can have a profound impact on a student's ability to succeed academically, often affecting literacy development, attention, and overall classroom performance. This presentation, "Unlocking the Connection: Understanding Auditory Processing Disorders and their Impacts on Academic Success," will provide a comprehensive understanding of APD, its far-reaching implications for your child's educational success, and practical strategies for intervention.

Additional presenters include:

Susan Thornton, PhD

Host or Publisher The Greater Baton Rouge Learning Disabilities Coalition: www.ldhelp.org