Assessing for Risk of Dyslexia: A Workshop for Health Professionals
The concept of dyslexia is not always well understood and as a result, individuals are often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Unfortunately, assessment for risk of dyslexia is a complex process with no single test in existence to support identification.
To improve the reliability of assessment, this workshop will explain how reading develops, explore the underlying cognitive processes and skills required for successful reading, discuss the assessment of these skills and the range of tools available to do so, and examine the interpretation of the results through case studies.
HPCSA awards 3 CEUs
The talk will be available for 30 days from registration.Speakers:
Kalie Naidoo is a clinical psychologist and social worker with multi-sectoral experience in reaching children and their families. She has extensive educational experience in service delivery and training of educators and health practitioners in early childhood education, literacy and dyslexia.
Her development work expertise ranges from program development, training in psycho-social support, curriculum development, and training for early childhood development (ECD) practitioners, facilitating support groups for home-based carers, parents, children; project management, and research and evaluation skills.
Kalie presently works part-time as the course leader for Bellavista SHARE’s program in literacy and dyslexia, and part-time as a clinician at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Center.
Merle Croock is an Educational Psychologist. She has been working in the field of learning difficulties for the past 26 years, since qualifying cum laude at The University of the Witwatersrand. Merle is passionate about child development and driven by the desire to assist children to realise their best potential.
Since 2013, Merle has worked at Bellavista assessment centre where she works as a case manager as part of a multidisciplinary team, who are responsible for assessing cognitive, emotional, and academic functioning of children of pre-school and school going age.
She works closely with parents and all professionals working with each child. She prepares reports for examining bodies at a high school level, to motivate for exemptions and accommodations for learners during high school. Merle has run her own private practice and in addition to assessments has offered play therapy and parental counselling. She has participated as a researcher in numerous international Alzheimer clinical trials. During 2012 she obtained a Certificate in Dyslexia and Literacy (Bellavista SHARE) and she is a certified RAVE-O practitioner.