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De Facto Leaders

By: Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan
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  • Summary

  • On the De Facto Leaders podcast, host Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan helps pediatric therapists and educators become better leaders, so they can make a bigger impact with their services. With over 15 years of experience supporting school-age kids with diverse learning needs, Dr. Karen shares up-to-date evidence-based practices, her own experiences and guest interviews designed to help clinicians, teachers, and aspiring school leaders feel more confident in the way they serve their students and clients. She’ll cover a range of topics designed to help you support students' emotional and academic growth and set kids up for success in adulthood, including how to support language, literacy, executive functioning, and how to help IEP teams working together to support kids across the day. Whether you want to learn more effective strategies for your therapy session or classroom, be a more influential leader on your team, or find creative ways to use your skills to advance in your career, Dr. Karen has you covered.
    2023 Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan
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Episodes
  • Comorbidities and Differential Diagnosis (ADHD, DLD, Dyslexia)

    Comorbidities and Differential Diagnosis (ADHD, DLD, Dyslexia)
    May 1 2024

    When kids need support with language, reading/writing, and executive functioning, they often have multiple diagnoses.

    This makes both treatment planning, diagnosis, and determining eligibility for educational programming complicated; especially when it comes to legal guidelines as well as state and local policies.

    That’s why in episode 159 of De Facto Leaders, I’m sharing a Q & A session I did about comorbidities in my Language Therapy Advance Foundations member’s group.

    In this episode I talk about the simple view of reading and how it aligns with the essential 5 framework.

    I also talk about common comorbidities, including:

    ✅Developmental language disorder + dyslexia

    ✅ADHD + dyslexia

    ✅Dyslexia + ADHD

    I wrap up by discussing clarification from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on the use of terms like “dyslexia” and “developmental language disorder” and the difference between schools being PERMITTED to use a term vs. being REQUIRED to provide services aligned with FAPE.

    In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here (https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/).

    The following are evaluation tools that can help guide you in evaluating and treating individuals with ADHD, dyslexia, DLD, and other diagnoses that impact reading, writing, language, and executive functioning.

    I cover a complete framework for executive functioning intervention in the School of Clinical Leadership, my program for related service providers who want to emerge as the executive functioning lead on their school teams. You can learn more about that program here (https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership).

    Keep in mind when you view this list that formal evaluation tools should be used in conjunction with other non-standardized tools. It's best practice to utilize a portfolio process when doing an evaluation which can consist of a combination of observations, stakeholder interviews, work samples, data from non-standardized protocols, and formal assessments.

    You can read the full list of assessments in this article here (https://drkarenspeech.com/co-morbidities-and-differential-diagnosis-adhd-dld-dyslexia/).


    We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.


    IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

    • Simplify and streamline technology
    • Save teachers’ time
    • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
    • Improve student performance on state assessments

    🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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    50 mins
  • Literacy and background knowledge: Essential skills for life (with Dr. Pamela Snow)

    Literacy and background knowledge: Essential skills for life (with Dr. Pamela Snow)
    Apr 24 2024
    The most effective reading instructional practices aren’t always the ones that gain traction.It’s the ones with the most successful marketing campaigns. The best marketer wins; but this certainly isn’t a win for the students who go without effective instruction or the school staff struggling to support them. That’s why I was so excited to talk with Dr. Pamela Snow about the growing body of research relating to literacy and its impact on life outcomes; as well as how we can improve the discourse surrounding effective instruction and improve instructional practices.Pamela Snow is a Professor of Cognitive Psychology in the School of Education at the Bendigo campus of La Trobe University, Australia. She is also Co-Director of the Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab. Pamela is a registered psychologist, having qualified originally in speech-language pathology and has taught a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate education and health professionals. Her research has been funded by nationally competitive schemes such as the ARC Discovery Program, ARC Linkage Program, and the Criminology Research Council, and concerns the role of language and literacy skills as academic and mental health protective factors in childhood and adolescence. She has conducted research on the profiles and needs of high-risk groups such as youth offenders, children and adolescents in the state care system and flexible education systems, as well as research advancing evidence in the language-to-literacy transition in the early years of school. In 2020, Pamela established, with her colleague, Professor Tanya Serry, The Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab in the School of Education at La Trobe University. Pamela’s research has been published in a wide range of international journals and she was a member of the 2017 National Year 1 Literacy and Numeracy Panel, convened by the Hon. Simon Birmingham, Federal Education Minister. She is a Life Member of Speech Pathology Australia and a past Victorian State Chair of the Australian Psychological Society. Pamela has over 170 publications, comprising refereed papers, books and book chapters, monographs and research reports. In addition to these academic outputs, Pamela writes a popular blog for teachers, parents, and clinicians: The Snow Report - https://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/ and is a founding Associate Editor of The Reading League Journal. In this interview, we discuss:✅The impact of social media on the dissemination of research in education.✅Can the discussion of reading research become an ongoing feedback loop between people teaching reading and those conducting research?✅Comprehension and application are the end goals when it comes to the goal of education. But how do we define what “comprehension” is and how we work on it? ✅Play-based learning vs early reading instruction: Why they aren’t in opposition.✅Using explicit instruction to build skills needed for problem-solving and successful project-based learning.✅Whose job is it to work on reading? How much is the responsibility of the schools, and what is the parent’s job?You can connect with Dr. Snow on X (formerly Twitter) @pamelasnow2 (https://twitter.com/PamelaSnow2) or on her blog at: http://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/We mentioned the following articles on her blog in this episode including:Balanced Literacy Bingo (Link here: http://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/2022/11/balanced-literacy-bingo.html)School leaders and reading instruction: Time to demand LESS rather than more autonomy (Link here: http://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/school-leaders-and-science-of-reading.html)You can also learn more about her work on her La Trobe University page at: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/pcsnowYou can learn more about the Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) lab at: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/school-education/about/spotlightThe number of experts and resources were mentioned in this episode, including:Dr. Anita Archer: https://explicitinstruction.org/Dr. David C. Geary: https://psychology.missouri.edu/people/gearyDr. Louisa Moats: https://louisamoats.com/Dr. Steven Dykstra: https://iferi.org/dr-steven-dykstra/Natalie Wexler: https://nataliewexler.com/Nancy Hennessey’s “The Reading Comprehension Blueprint”: https://products.brookespublishing.com/The-Reading-Comprehension-Blueprint-P1197.aspxIn this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/ We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and ...
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Unpacking the early literacy debate and building a foundation in PreK (with Jane Gebers)

    Unpacking the early literacy debate and building a foundation in PreK (with Jane Gebers)
    Apr 17 2024

    The literacy space has become increasingly polarizing since the reading wars began.

    There are a number of debates and questions that continue, including:
    Will kids learn to read “naturally”?

    What did the whole language approach get right, if anything?

    Is explicit phonics instruction just a pendulum swing (and is focusing on phonics enough)?
    Are we teaching kids to read too early?

    When we talk about “early literacy” instruction, what are we actually recommending and how does that look?

    I invited Jane Gebers, veteran speech-language pathologist and author to episode 157 De Facto Leaders to discuss these questions.

    I entered the field right around the time the National Reading Panel study was published, so there was a fair amount of research on evidence-based literacy intervention when I started practicing.

    But when Jane started practicing, much of this research hadn’t been done, and she had the experience of watching the fields of education and reading instruction evolve. She was also one of the early adopters of many approaches that are common practice today, and it was an honor to hear about her work.

    Jane L. Gebers is the author of the popular resource, Books Are for Talking, Too! (Link here: https://www.slpstorytellers.com/2023/09/11/slp-author-book-books-are-for-talking-too-by-jane-gebers/), first published in 1990, and now in its 4th edition as of March 2023. A practicing speech-language pathologist for over 40 years, she has worked in public school, hospital, private, and clinical settings. She has been an adjunct professor at St. Mary's College of California and other universities where she taught Language Development, Assessment, and Intervention courses to students pursuing special education credentials. She currently holds a private practice in Northern California.

    In this conversation, Jane and I discuss:

    ✅Everyone’s talking about “scaffolding”, but what does this word actually mean?

    ✅Reading practices that have stood the test of time, despite attempts to disprove their effectiveness.

    ✅The battle between play-based learning and “sight words”; and how to emphasize the right skills at the right time.

    ✅When building language skills, do we focus on a developmental hierarchy or environmental demands?

    ✅Mapping language to print symbols and what to address in the early years to set the stage for reading and writing.

    You can connect with Jane on her website here: https://soundingyourbest.com, and find her book, Books Are for Talking, Too! here: https://www.slpstorytellers.com/2023/09/11/slp-author-book-books-are-for-talking-too-by-jane-gebers/

    The following resources were mentioned in this episode:

    Some of the work done by Dr. Carol Westby, Ph.D. (Link here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/152574019902100107)

    The Neuroscience of Reading with Dr. G. Reid. Lyon (Link here: https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/blog/2023/05/neuroscience-reading-dr-g-reid-lyon)

    Teachers’ Use of Scaffolds within Conversations During Shared Book Reading (Dekshmukh, R.S., Pentimonti, J.M., Zucker, T.A., & Curry, B.) (Link here: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00020)

    In this episode, I mention Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that helps SLPs create a system for language therapy. You can learn more about Language Therapy Advance Foundations here: https://drkarenspeech.com/languagetherapy/

    I also mentioned The School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers guide their teams to support students’ executive functioning across the day. This program will help you plan direct therapy, but will also help you lead change management on your team, no matter your job title. You can learn more about the School of Clinical Leadership here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership


    We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.


    IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

    • Simplify and streamline technology
    • Save teachers’ time
    • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
    • Improve student performance on state assessments

    🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 11 mins
Education Personal Success
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