OT and Dyslexia

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Dyslexia is the most common form of neurodivergence. 

It affects around 20% of the population, meaning that people with dyslexia are on almost every occupational therapy professional’s caseload. And yet, not enough OT-specific research and resources have been devoted to how we can help this population. 

Today, we look at a leading theory of dyslexia that basically reads like a call to action for OT’s to re-examine how needed our skills are. 

As you’ll see it pushes us to take a strengths-based approach to treating dyslexia, and to regard the condition as rooted in a sensory processing difference (hello, OT!) 

To help us unpack what this means for your practice, next week we will welcome to the podcast Penny Stack, OTD, OTR/L. She is the founder of DyslexiaRx. 

Primary Journal Article Explored

When you log in, be sure to check out the OT Potential Club’s written breakdown of the following research article. Then, share your questions and thoughts with fellow practitioners.

• Theories about Developmental Dyslexia

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

• Comparing the effects of two education-based intervention programs on visual perception processes of children with developmental dyslexia
• The current status of the magnocellular theory of developmental dyslexia

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to identify OT assessments to utilize with people with dyslexia.
• You will be able to recognize the areas of intervention OT can contribute to a team approach for dyslexia. 

Agenda/Timestamps

Intro (5 minutes)

Breakdown and analysis of journal article (5 minutes)

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:08 OT Potential Podcast Intro
00:03:24 History of dyslexia
00:04:33 Challenges of the current state of dyslexia
00:06:04 New theories of dyslexia
00:08:34 One theory to unite them all?
00:09:14 Strengths of people with dyslexia
00:12:36 Article conclusion

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (50 minutes)

00:13:49 Intro to Penny Stack
00:15:24 Penny’s journey into working with dyslexia
00:18:23 Article impressions
00:21:37 Describing dyslexia to clients
00:23:36 OT understanding of dyslexia
00:29:15 OT assessments and dyslexia
00:32:14 OT outcomes and dyslexia
00:46:20 OT intervention and dyslexia
00:50:01 Team approach to dyslexia
00:55:18 More dyslexia OT resources
00:57:14 How does OT need to change?

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about OT and Dyslexia.  The educational level is introductory.

Financial and Non-financial Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

We here at OT Potential have no financial stake in this topic.  Our guest, Penny Stack, also has no financial disclosures.

Speakers

Penny Stack, OTD, OTR/L, CLT, HWC

Penny Stack is the founder and owner of DyslexiaRx and founder of Dyslexia Center of Tulsa. Dr. Stack has over 34 years of experience as an occupational therapist including working with individuals living with dyslexia and their families.

Read more about Penny Stack here.

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011.

Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital. Sarah is the founder/owner of OT Potential. Read more about OT Potential here.

This course was designed to meet your continuing education requirements

We designed the courses in the Club to meet the requirements for “online” and “independent/self-study” courses. To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the US), check out our post, OT Continuing Education Requirements. If you are outside of the United States and have questions, please contact us.

We are proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider and to meet the requirements for your NBCOT renewal.

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