Neurodiversity is increasingly common in today’s classrooms, with students who have dyslexia, ADHD, autism, and co-occurring anxiety or depression represented across grade levels. Many of the challenges these students experience in literacy are not caused by low ability, but by instructional environments that rely on implicit learning, heavy working-memory demands, and unclear language structures.
In this 30-minute webinar, Dr. Liz DeVargas-Almeida, EdD, an Early Literacy Coordinator at Pajaro Valley Unified School District and Dr. Paul Black, EdD, School Psychologist, will examine neurodiverse learners through a research-based lens, drawing on the science of reading and Structured Literacy to explain why access to explicit, systematic instruction is critical for success. They’ll explore how reading and writing require the brain to build new neural networks—and why instruction that makes thinking visible, reduces cognitive load, and provides sufficient guided practice is essential.
You will learn why outcome gaps are not intelligence gaps, how strong Tier 1 instruction mitigates barriers across learning differences, and which evidence-based practices support students with dyslexia, ADHD, and autism without lowering expectations or relying solely on intervention systems. This session is designed for educators, instructional coaches, and school and district leaders seeking research-aligned guidance for building literacy instruction that works for all learners.