Thanks to the generosity, dedication, and advocacy of our LDA Community we have achieved significant accomplishments in 2023, and we are excited to share some of the milestones we’ve reached together this year.
We look forward to working with our amazing supporters, members, and donors in 2024 as we continue to strive for a more equitable society for all learners.
We celebrated 60 years of LDA conferences at our 60th Annual International Conference in Las Vegas. LDACON60 provided 140+ sessions on a wide range of learning disability topics, including the latest research, evidence-based practices, advocacy strategies, strategies for the classroom, and much more.
Be sure to join us for LDACON61 this February in Orlando, Florida, for another outstanding LDA conference!
This year, LDA was honored to be a part of the World Literacy Summit in Oxford. The World Literacy Summit brings together leaders from 85 countries with a single focus: advocating, championing, and educating on the vital importance of improving literacy levels across the globe.
As many learning disabilities are disabilities impacting reading, LDA was eager to raise international awareness for LD. Our Education Director, Dr. Monica McHale-Small, presented on LDA’s Learning Disability Assessment Standards, and discussed comprehensive evaluation, accurate diagnosis, and effective intervention.
In August of 2023, LDA and an interdisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners partnered to develop new SLD Evaluation Principles and Standards in response to alarming achievement gaps between students with learning disabilities and their non-disabled peers.
The purpose of these standards is to guide best practices for the evaluation and identification of specific learning disabilities. This research paper serves as a valuable resource for educators, psychologists, policymakers, and anyone interested in enhancing the quality of education and support for individuals with specific learning disabilities.
To celebrate six decades of grassroots support and advocacy for individuals with learning disabilities, we’ve shared the story of the Learning Disabilities Association of America in a documentary: 60 Years of Learning Disabilities Advocacy: Celebrating Progress, Inspiring Change.
The documentary features past and present LDA members who discuss the origin of LDA, and how we’re carrying on the essential work of advocating for individuals with disabilities today.
In October in Pittsburgh, LDA hosted a two-day seminar on executive functioning for educators that featured Dr. George McCloskey, a professor and Director of School Psychology Research in the School of Professional and Applied Psychology of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
This interactive workshop was based on Dr. McCloskey’s 25 years of research and experience in the field, and helped participants to gain a deeper understanding of executive function deficits, and how these deficits impact the behavior and academic production of children and adolescents.
The training also gave participants evidence-based methods to help their students improve the use of their executive functions.
LDA hosted a virtual international math forum that brought together 17 experts from the fields of cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, school psychology, psychological assessment, special education, and mathematics education.
The well-attended forum discussed the latest advances in each of these fields, and how these advances can improve our work in the classroom and beyond. The forum participants plan to continue to meet and discuss the latest research on best practices for math instruction, disabilities impacting math, and more.
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