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 54 | No 3, December 2022
In the spotlight: Writing and handwriting: Research, best practice and intervention
This issue of the Bulletin features articles on Writing and Handwriting. It also contains information on the 2022 AGM…
This issue of the Bulletin features articles on Writing and Handwriting. It also contains information on the 2022 AGM and a review of the recent Linnea Ehri events.
This issue of the Bulletin features articles on Writing and Handwriting. It also contains information on the 2022 AGM and a review of the recent Linnea Ehri events.
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Would you like access to the full publication? Become a member
Events
Understanding the NCCD for LDA Consultants
We are extending an invitation to all Consultant members to join us for this free webinar. Dianne Dawson will…
We are extending an invitation to all Consultant members to join us for this free webinar. Dianne Dawson will provide members with information on the NCCD, how it should work in schools and how we can be best positioned…
We are extending an invitation to all Consultant members to join us for this free webinar. Dianne Dawson will provide members with information on the NCCD, how it should work in schools and how we can be best positioned to advocate for our students and families.
Date: 08/02/2023
Time: 7:30pm to 9pm
Cost: Free
Registration: Open to Consultant Members Only, registration link has been emailed directly to Consultant Members. Please check your junk folder or email consultant.enquiries@ldaustralia.org if you have not received the email or need more information.
Writing Scintillating Sentences
Learn how to seamlessly link your spelling lesson with your writing lesson using an explicit, systematic, and sequential approach. …
Learn how to seamlessly link your spelling lesson with your writing lesson using an explicit, systematic, and sequential approach. This will strengthen your evidence-based practice: student learning is enhanced by linking all components of a structured literacy lesson.
We will…
Learn how to seamlessly link your spelling lesson with your writing lesson using an explicit, systematic, and sequential approach. This will strengthen your evidence-based practice: student learning is enhanced by linking all components of a structured literacy lesson.
We will practise this process by learning about adjectives as they are an easy entry point for practitioners and students alike to discover how one word may change the entire meaning, power and understanding of a sentence. Do not be fooled by their seeming simplicity!
Discover the eight categories of adjectives: objective, subjective, co-ordinating, non-coordinating, comparative, superlative, irregular and non-comparative and how they will impact a writing lesson as well as a reading lesson.
Learn how to explicitly instruct, use, and place different kinds of adjectives to help your students craft sentences for compelling effect.
LDA Blog
CodeRead Competition
Below is a link to a national Dyslexia Awareness campaign via Code Read Dyslexia Support Network. It is a…
Below is a link to a national Dyslexia Awareness campaign via Code Read Dyslexia Support Network. It is a creative response activity about Special Agent Sam McGregor. Please feel free to share it with your networks.
https://codereadnetwork.org/october-2022-dyslexia-awareness-month-ideas-for-schools-organisations/
Below is a link to a national Dyslexia Awareness campaign via Code Read Dyslexia Support Network. It is a creative response activity about Special Agent Sam McGregor. Please feel free to share it with your networks.
https://codereadnetwork.org/october-2022-dyslexia-awareness-month-ideas-for-schools-organisations/
SOLLA Event and Survey
Have you heard about SOLLA? Find out more about SOLLA and the upcoming event on 17th & 18th Oct…
Have you heard about SOLLA? Find out more about SOLLA and the upcoming event on 17th & 18th Oct below.
https://knowledgesociety.com.au/solla-sydney/
A SoL mapping survey is also currently in progress. Lisa Denny from the Institute of Social Change at UTas (also…
Have you heard about SOLLA? Find out more about SOLLA and the upcoming event on 17th & 18th Oct below.
https://knowledgesociety.com.au/solla-sydney/
A SoL mapping survey is also currently in progress. Lisa Denny from the Institute of Social Change at UTas (also a founding member of the Tas literacy alliance), will be analysing the data and preparing a report to present at SOLLA. If you'd like to contribute by responding to the survey, please do so at the link below. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete.
Link to the survey here: https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSc4plj1HU9…/viewform
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.
Find out more
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.
Find out more
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.
Find out more
Numeracy
Numeracy is a concept that is referred to as the ability to make use of mathematical concepts adeptly in our daily lives.
Find out more