“Dynamics of Dyslexia”

October 29th - 30th, 2025

The Dynamics of Dyslexia Fall Conference is Illinois’ largest event dedicated to supporting students with dyslexia and related learning challenges. Attendees participate in a range of breakout sessions tailored for educators, reading/dyslexia specialists, and parents covering the latest in research and hands-on strategies to support students with dyslexia.

EARN UP TO 12 PD HOURS

Meet our 2025 Keynote Speakers!

Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Mark Seidenberg, Ph.D

"Targets of Opportunity in Teaching Children to Read"

This talk will cover nine important areas that have been neglected or overlooked in recent efforts to improve how reading is taught in America. The targets of opportunity involve classroom activities and teaching goals, but aren’t limited to what happens in school. They also concern events that occur before children enter school, ways to accommodate differences in language background and family circumstances, and improving teacher education and support. Focusing efforts in these relatively fixable areas is key to achieving substantial increases in literacy. 

Mark Seidenberg is Vilas Professor and Donald O. Hebb Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Wisconsin. He is a cognitive neuroscientist who has studied reading and dyslexia since the disco era. He grew up in Chicago, where he attended the University of Chicago Laboratory School, founded by John Dewey in the 1890s as a laboratory to work out his philosophical ideas. Seidenberg received a Ph.D. and a few other degrees from Columbia University in New York, where he lived for a time with Nim Chimpsky, a chimpanzee who was being taught sign language and mostly talked about food, a shared interest.

His reading research addresses the nature of skilled reading, how children learn to read, dyslexia, and the brain bases of reading, using the tools of modern cognitive neuroscience: behavioral experiments, computational models, and neuroimaging. His 2017 book, Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can’t, and What to Do About It, describes the disconnection between reading science and educational practices, which makes it more difficult for children to become skilled readers, and how it could be overcome. His current research focuses on how differences in language experience contribute to achievement gaps in reading, and how they could be addressed.

"Turning the Page: How Reading Builds Executive Function and Executive Function Builds Reading"

We often think of executive function (EF) as the behind-the-scenes manager of reading—quietly but actively coordinating attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility to support comprehension and task completion. But what if reading could also be a tool for strengthening those very EF skills? In this session full of practical strategies, we’ll take a fresh look at reading. Instead of viewing it only as something that requires executive function, we’ll explore how reading can actually build those skills along the way.  In a world where students are scrolling more than they’re page-turning, reading demands are shifting. Digital texts invite speed, skimming, and fragmentation, while print texts offer an opportunity to slow down, simulate, and self-regulate—exactly the habits EF supports. Whether you're a literacy coach, consultant, special educator, SLP, OT, or classroom teacher, you’ll walk away with a new perspective and immediately usable tools.   We’ll also share new and practical strategies, tech tools, and resources to help students visualize, stay focused, and adjust their approach for deeper engagement and stronger comprehension.

Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP has over 30 years of experience in the treatment of executive dysfunction. She is an internationally recognized expert on executive function and presents seminars on the practical strategies she has developed with her Co-Director, Kristen Jacobsen. Together, they created the 360 Thinking Executive Function Program, which received the Innovative Promising Practices Award from CHADD. Their latest work, The Time Tracker Program—a groundbreaking three-volume book series—has received high acclaim for its innovative approach to shifting students from adult-managed to self-regulated time management. Sarah has presented to over 2,000 public and private schools and organizations across the globe. In recognition of their international impact on executive function skills in education, Sarah and Kristen were named one of the Top 10 Professional Development Providers for 2023 by Education Technology Insights Magazine.