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The LDA AGM is taking place on Saturday 19th October. To register your attendance, click here. To place a council nomination, click here.

Welcome to Learning Difficulties Australia

Learning Difficulties Australia is an association of teachers and other professionals dedicated to assisting students with learning difficulties through effective teaching practices based on scientific research, both in the classroom and through individualised instruction.
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The Science of Effective Reading Instruction: Theory and Practice

Perth | Saturday 31 July 2021   Not sure how a comprehensive reading approach taught explicitly looks like? Join Associate Professor Lorraine Hammond, Jared Bussell, Jordan O’Sullivan and Brooke Wardana for a day that focuses on both the Science of Reading and how to teach it.
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Join a community of professionals committed to effective teaching.

By becoming a member of LDA, you will have an opportunity to meet fellow teachers, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, researchers and other professionals working in the field of education who have a passion for improving student outcomes through effective instruction based on scientific research.

Members receive regular LDA publications via post, including the LDA Bulletin and the Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties as well as member discounts for participation in workshops, seminars and conferences.

You will also have access to the ‘Members Only’ areas of our website where you can obtain past issues of our publications as well as conference and seminar notes.

Latest Publication

Bulletin | Volume 56 | No 2, August 2024

Examples of evidence-based practice in oral language, writing, early childhood mathematics, MTSS and more
This edition includes 13 fantastic articles written by classroom teachers, school leaders, researchers and speech pathologists. A wide range…
This edition includes 13 fantastic articles written by classroom teachers, school leaders, researchers and speech pathologists. A wide range of topics are covered from writing assessment and intervention, to read-alouds and oral language, mathematics in the early years, supporting…
This edition includes 13 fantastic articles written by classroom teachers, school leaders, researchers and speech pathologists. A wide range of topics are covered from writing assessment and intervention, to read-alouds and oral language, mathematics in the early years, supporting ADHD in the classroom, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for literacy. There is sure to be something for all of our readers!
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Events

Maths Matters: Best Practice in Numeracy Teaching

Tickets to the recordings of our maths course are still available. The recordings will be available until 3/10/24.Cost:…
Tickets to the recordings of our maths course are still available. The recordings will be available until 3/10/24.Cost:LDA Member: $300LDA Student Member – $245Non-Member – $390SpeakersOur presenters include:Dr Steve ChinnLiana McCurryReid SmithBrydon O'Neill Guy…
Tickets to the recordings of our maths course are still available. The recordings will be available until 3/10/24.Cost:LDA Member: $300LDA Student Member – $245Non-Member – $390SpeakersOur presenters include:Dr Steve ChinnLiana McCurryReid SmithBrydon O'Neill GuySarah PowellDr Ange RogersCourse SchedulePresentation DescriptionsLearning Difficulties in Mathematics (Dr Steve Chinn)Dr Steve Chinn will provide an overview of the difficulties children can face when learning mathematics, the areas to assess when looking at basic number sense and a conceptual and developmental approach to teaching baths that can help build understanding and security, hopefully reducing anxiety.  How Leading Schools Teach Mathematics (Liana McCurry)Embarking on a Churchill Fellowship in 2023 to investigate best practices in mathematics teaching at a primary school level, Liana visited 6 countries in 7 weeks: Singapore, Japan, Finland, Estonia, Canada, USA. The presentation focuses on her experiences and looks at the commonalities and differences between primary mathematics education in Australia and abroad.Working with Curriculum Materials – Ochre Education (Reid Smith)This presentation will introduce the curriculum sequencing and high-quality lesson materials created by Ochre Education. Time will be spent discussing the development of a coherent curriculum within and between year levels, as well as the key principles which underpin the Ochre materials. Finally, the session will discuss ways in which the materials can be used to support classroom teaching.Response to Intervention in Maths- Learnings from the field (Brydon O'Neill-Guy)This session will cover the journey of establishing an evidence-based Maths Intervention Program within a government primary school context. Useful for school leaders, teachers, intervention teachers and education support staff, Brydon will share her learnings about what works (and what doesn't!) in setting up data-driven systems of support, all underpinned by the theoretical frameworks of Response to Intervention (RtI), Cognitive Load Theory, Explicit Direct Instruction and DirectWord Problems? No Problem! (Sarah Powell)Setting up and solving word problems is tricky for many students! In this session, we will review effective word-problem strategies. First, we'll highlight common attack strategies which provide students with a process for approaching word problems. Then, we'll provide examples of common schemas featured in many word problems. These schemas represent the conceptual foundation of a word problem. When students use an attack strategy combined with schemas, this approach can make word-problem solving more accessible for students!Instruction.Fact Fluency: The what, why and how (Dr Angela Rogers)In this session, Dr Angela Rogers shares the importance of developing a strategic and targeted approach to mathematics fact fluency with all students. She will start by exploring the research that underpins fluency development. Angela will explore its place in the curriculum and the impact a concentrated approach can have on student confidence, motivation and achievement in mathematics. You will walk away from this session with insights and practical ideas that will support you in implementing a research-informed approach towards fluency development with your students.
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Using Animation Clips to Enhance Literacy

A skilled writer conveys a message that can be accurately interpreted by a reader. Unfortunately, when students write about…
A skilled writer conveys a message that can be accurately interpreted by a reader. Unfortunately, when students write about what they did during their holidays or on the weekend, it is difficult to measure the accuracy of the written…
A skilled writer conveys a message that can be accurately interpreted by a reader. Unfortunately, when students write about what they did during their holidays or on the weekend, it is difficult to measure the accuracy of the written attempt as the context may not be known. Similarly, there are many students who, when asked to write, whether in the classroom or clinic, are reluctant to put pen to paper as they struggle to generate ideas. Fortunately, we know that a retell or recount can provide insight into a student’s language skills and when they write it down, it provides additional information about sentence structure, vocabulary and word meaning as well as their ability to sequence ideas into a cohesive text. Using video can be highly engaging, it can be paused and restarted to scaffold the writing task and the reader has a reference point against which they can compare the response to identify areas of strength and weakness. Furthermore, a written recount from an animated video is a task that can be administered with a whole class, providing an effective and efficient way to collect a piece of written text from a whole class during a single lesson. Join Kathryn to explore the classroom and clinic application of using animation clips to support comprehension and writing skills including practical easy to implement strategies to scaffold the success of students requiring additional support.**This webinar will be recorded and available for two weeks after the event**Date: Monday 14th October 2024Time: 7:00 pm – 8: 30 pm AEST (Melbourne Time)Cost:LDA Member: $40LDA Student Member – $30Non-Member – $60About Kathryn ThorburnKathryn is a dual qualified Speech Pathologist and Teacher with a Masters in Special Education. She has 25 years of experience as a Speech Pathologist and runs a small private practice, Language and Learning. Kathryn has 20 years experience in education, she is a NESA accredited teacher and has taught in mainstream classroom & school executive roles in NSW Department of Education, and AISNSW schools across K-12. She has worked as an Education Officer: Developmental Disabilities Role within Catholic education, piloted a Rehabilitation – Education Liaison Role for the Hunter New England Paediatric Brain Injury & Rehabilitation Teams and has more recently been involved in the curriculum reform process with NESA for K-2 & 3-6 English. Kathryn is providing expert mentor support for the Hunter NELI project as part of the AISNSW School-Based Research Project. Kathryn understands first-hand the demands placed on classroom teachers, she strives to make the complex practical and to support school in supporting learners in the most effective, time and resource efficient manner possible. For more info, see www.languageandlearning.com.au/
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LDA Blog

2024 AGM – Save the Date!

***Please note the date change.***This year's Annual General Meeting is open to all Standard and Consultant Members and will…
***Please note the date change.***This year's Annual General Meeting is open to all Standard and Consultant Members and will be held via zoom at 1:30pm on Saturday 19th October 2024. An email with details on how to register your…
***Please note the date change.***This year's Annual General Meeting is open to all Standard and Consultant Members and will be held via zoom at 1:30pm on Saturday 19th October 2024. An email with details on how to register your attendance will be sent out to eligible members soon.
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Insurance Info for Private Practitioners

It has been brought to our attention by a consultant member that LDA consultants and members operating a business…
It has been brought to our attention by a consultant member that LDA consultants and members operating a business from the home might not be aware of their disclosure obligations and coverage with regards to their home building and…
It has been brought to our attention by a consultant member that LDA consultants and members operating a business from the home might not be aware of their disclosure obligations and coverage with regards to their home building and contents insurance. We strongly encourage you to make your own enquiries of your broker or insurance provider. Please see additional information here.
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Effective Instruction

Teachers are a major force for improving society. To be successful, the teaching profession must base its instructional practices on the results of good quality empirical research, and this involves keeping abreast of scientific developments. One of LDA’s main goals is to keep bridging the gaps between evolving scientific knowledge and members of the teaching profession, including educational policy makers, teacher education faculties, and teachers at the chalkface. Visit the skill areas below to learn about initiatives, approaches and programs that are being used effectively in each area.

Reading
Reading is a complex skill and it is a relatively recent invention, as far as human timelines go. Unlike speaking and listening, humans aren’t predisposed to develop reading skills naturally.
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Spelling
Reading and spelling are closely linked, but also draw on different skills and processes. At the most basic level, spelling is a production task while reading is one of recognition.
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Writing
As with reading, writing is not a natural skill and therefore must be taught. Unfortunately, many teachers do not feel well prepared to teach writing.
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Numeracy
Numeracy is a concept that is referred to as the ability to make use of mathematical concepts adeptly in our daily lives.
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