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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 55| No 2, August 2023

In the spotlight: Oral Language and Developmental Language Disorder
This edition focuses specifically on the why and what of best practice in oral storytelling instruction, language difficulties students experience, as well…
This edition focuses specifically on the why and what of best practice in oral storytelling instruction, language difficulties students experience, as well as considerations and recommendations for small group intervention.
This edition focuses specifically on the why and what of best practice in oral storytelling instruction, language difficulties students experience, as well as considerations and recommendations for small group intervention.
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Events

Annual General Meeting 2023

All Members are invited to attend the 2023 Annual General Meeting of Learning Difficulties Australia (LDA). Attendance is free…
All Members are invited to attend the 2023 Annual General Meeting of Learning Difficulties Australia (LDA). Attendance is free and can either be in person or online. For those attending in person, afternoon tea will be provided. In addition…
All Members are invited to attend the 2023 Annual General Meeting of Learning Difficulties Australia (LDA). Attendance is free and can either be in person or online. For those attending in person, afternoon tea will be provided. In addition to general business, the day will include the presentation of Awards to the selected recipients and presentations by some award recipients. We will also be welcoming new life members and discussing the exciting future of LDA. Come along and take this opportunity to network with colleages, add to your PD hours and meet the LDA team. Date: Saturday, 14th October 2023 Time: 1:30pm – 4:30pm Location: The Treacy Centre, 126 The Avenue, Parkville 3052 OR Online RSVP: Please register your attendance by Wednesday 11th October for in person attendance for catering purposes. Online attendance can be registered until the start of the event. *** Please note that all Standard and Consultant Members have voting rights and a quorum of 10% of the membership is required to attend in order to adhere to governance requirements. In Person Attendance Ticket Online Attendance Ticket
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Best Practice using an RTI (Response to Intervention) Framework

This online conference will run over 2 days (Saturday 28th October and Sunday 29th October). All presentations will be…
This online conference will run over 2 days (Saturday 28th October and Sunday 29th October). All presentations will be recorded and available for 1 month. The timing for the event is: Saturday 28th October: 9:30 am – 2 pm Sunday 29th…
This online conference will run over 2 days (Saturday 28th October and Sunday 29th October). All presentations will be recorded and available for 1 month. The timing for the event is: Saturday 28th October: 9:30 am – 2 pm Sunday 29th October: 9:30 am – 1:30 pm On Saturday, our keynote speaker, Dr. Anita Archer, will discuss explicit instruction in her presentation ‘The Magic is in the Instruction’ and Julie Scali will present on the Fundamentals of Response to Intervention. Karina Stocker will provide examples of how a school in Melbourne has successfully used MTSS models and Julie Sonnemann will present on ‘What the research says: How to embed small group tuition in schools?’ On Sunday, screening assessments and setting targets will be discussed (Robyn Wheldall/Nicola Bell/Siobhan Merlo/Julie Scali). Louise Spear-Swerling will present on Identifying common types of reading difficulties and Alison Madelaine will present on designing Tier 3 interventions. Ticket Pricing Early Bird (This price will be available until 7th August) LDA Member $265 Non-Member $330 Student Member $185 Normal Price LDA Member $285 Non-Member $350 Student Member $205 Sponsors Gold
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LDA Blog

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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New General Manager!

Dear LDA Members,  We are absolutely delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Sherree Halliwell as the new General Manager…
Dear LDA Members,  We are absolutely delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Sherree Halliwell as the new General Manager for LDA. This position is for 0.4 FTE or two days a week, and the appointment completes our staffing recruitment….
Dear LDA Members,  We are absolutely delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Sherree Halliwell as the new General Manager for LDA. This position is for 0.4 FTE or two days a week, and the appointment completes our staffing recruitment. The LDA Executive team unanimously selected Sherree from a strong field of candidates and considers Sherree exceptionally well suited for the role with much to offer LDA. Sherree had a successful career in the private sector with high-level management experience. She has extensive experience in not-for-profit roles and has recently completed her PhD studies. She comes to LDA with impressive recommendations from her referees in both the academic and not-for-profit sectors, including high praise for her intellectual rigour, research skills, the quality of her publications, meeting deadlines, effective work with various stakeholders, and strengths in strategic planning.  Sherree will balance the GM role with continued research in health and wellbeing and an ongoing commitment as a  board member of a large not-for-profit. Sherree has a personal passion for supporting and advocating for the systemically disadvantaged and unheard communities within society. She also has a first-hand understanding of learning difficulties, strongly supports LDA’s mission and sees exciting opportunities for growth and sustaining LDA as a viable organisation for assisting students with learning difficulties. We welcomed Sherree to the LDA team on Monday, May 8th, and she has been busy meeting with the Executive, Business Administrator, and Education Manager to familiarise herself with our operations. Sherree lives in Queensland, so we have not yet had the opportunity to meet and welcome her in person, but we look forward to having that opportunity at our AGM in October. Kind Regards,  Elaine McLeish President LDA
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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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