Supporting Oral Language Development – 3-part Live Series

Oral Language is a critical skill in reading for meaning. Join us for this special 3-part webinar series presented by Dr. Suzanne Adlof, Associate Professor at University of South Carolina, who is a leader in her field. Is this series, Dr. Adlof leads us through the process of supporting oral language to promote reading, the importance of screening for oral language skills, and how to teach students who struggle with language comprehension. You will leave with a variety of strategies, research, and tools to support oral language development.

Dr. Suzanne M. Adlof, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of South Carolina where she teaches graduate courses on language and literacy and directs the SC Research on Language and Literacy Lab (SCROLL Lab). Her research investigates relations between spoken language and reading development and disorders, including dyslexia and developmental language disorder. Ongoing longitudinal studies follow children who may be at risk for these disorders as well as those who have received a formal diagnosis. The long-term goals of this research are to improve the identification and treatment of language and learning difficulties to promote positive outcomes in all children. This research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Institute for Education Sciences, the American Speech-Language Hearing Foundation, and the Central Carolina Community Foundation. In 2019, Dr. Adlof was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). She currently serves as an Editor for the journal, Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools.

Part 1: Supporting Students’ Oral Language to Promote Reading Comprehension
Date of Live Webinar: Tuesday, October 10, 2023, from 4:00-5:30 p.m. MST (access to recording & presentation until Jan 31, 2024)

Children’s oral language skills form the foundation for their literacy development. Dr. Adlof will (a) describe the language skills that are important for skilled word reading and reading comprehension; (b) explain the need to explicitly support language development in children with reading and writing difficulties; and (c) demonstrate instructional activities that can be embedded within the curriculum to increase students’ linguistic awareness and understanding.

Part 2: Impacts of Developmental Language Disorder and Dyslexia: Directly Monitoring and Supporting Children
Date of Live Webinar: Tuesday, December 5, 2023, from 4:00-5:30 pm MST (access to recording & presentation until Jan 31, 2024)

Dr. Adlof with lead us through three key areas: (a) compare and contrast the language and cognitive profiles of children with dyslexia and DLD; (b) describe the impacts of each disorder on academic performance across the school grades; and (c) discuss the value of directly measuring language skills in all students as part of screening and progress monitoring for reading and writing.

Part 3: Universal Screening for Oral Language in the Primary Grades
Date of Live Webinar: Thursday, January 18, 2024, from 4:00-5:30 p.m. MST (access to recording & presentation until Jan 31, 2024)

Learn how and why children’s language difficulties are often missed. Dr. Adlof will explain the rationale for implementing universal language screens, describe factors to consider when selecting a screening tool, review a program of research aimed at developing efficient language screening methods, and discuss how screening data can be used alongside other information in educational planning to promote strong reading and writing achievement for all.

Price: $100 / person

Discount for groups over 10 people: $75 / person

Register for the series via Eventbrite

Access to Recorded Webinars October 17, 2023, to January 31, 2024