Recap: A Morning of Insight and Impact at the Virtual Spring Dyslexia Conference

On Friday, March 27, 2026, dyslexia therapists, language professionals, teachers, advocates, and more gathered virtually for the Houston Branch of the International Dyslexia Association’s (HBIDA) Annual Spring Conference. Participants in the Houston area and beyond were energized from a powerful day of impactful sessions centered on supporting students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, executive function difficulties, ADHD, and more. Not only did conference attendees have the opportunity to earn 4 CEUs and TSHA hours, but they also left with practical, research-based strategies that participants could apply with their students right away.

A Shared Mission: Supporting Diverse Learners

The conference began with greetings from HBIDA President Mallary Lattanze. She thanked presenters and participants for coming. She stated that the purpose of today’s conference was to help bring dyslexia and language-based professionals together feeling more empowered in their instruction.

Amy Cushner: Bringing Order to the Disorganized Classroom Experience

The first presenter for the day was Amy Cushner. She led an eye-opening session on “Organizing the Disorganized Child: Classroom Management Strategies for Activation and Sustaining Student Attention.” Supporting students who have executive function and/or attention difficulties can sometimes be daunting. However, Cushner shared practical and classroom-ready strategies to help students who struggle with organization and focus.

Through six mini-lessons, Cushner highlighted the importance of preparing the classroom environment, organizing and alerting students that time is passing, and emphasizing fewer materials and fewer steps. Her session especially highlighted the goal of clearing the path and organizing the classroom environment so that students can be independent and thrive.

Casey Harrison: Integrating Dysgraphia Support with Intention

After a 10-minute break and introductions from Laura Sandling, HBIDA Vice President, and Jessica Baker Croyle, HBIDA Communications Chair, tCasey Harrison took the virtual stage. She led a compelling session titled, “Transforming Challenges into Triumphs: Integrating Dysgraphia Support into Dyslexia Interventions with Intention.” In this impactful session,

Harrison led participants to understand the importance of handwriting to help support students with dysgraphia and other writing difficulties. Harrison emphasized that handwriting should be taught with intentionality. She also guided participants through practical ways to seamlessly embed handwriting and dysgraphia support during dyslexia intervention and in the general education classroom. Harrison shared great resources to help students think about handwriting as both fun and purposeful. Her session reinforced that when writing instruction is intentional and integrated, students can experience meaningful gains in both confidence and performance.

To wrap up the session, the HBIDA Vice President spoke about Harrison’s book, Teaching Beyond the Diagnosis. Additionally, the HBIDA Art Contest and resource directory were discussed. Some great things are going on in HBIDA!

Dr. Allison Peck: The Power of Oral Language

After a lunch break, the conference concluded with Dr. Allison Peck and her engaging session on “Oral Language and the Connection to Writing Ability: A Look at Research and Best Practices for ALL Teachers.” Her presentation underscored the critical insight that strong oral language skills are foundational to literacy development. Drawing on her extensive research, she demonstrated how the describing hierarchy of naming, describing, listening, questioning, and retelling helps foster student discussion. Dr. Peck went through how to use the describing hierarchy in both science and social studies while emphasizing the importance of utilizing both simple and complex questions. To top it off, participants left with a simple, effective oral language routine to use immediately in the classroom.

After Dr. Peck’s session, the presenters and attendees were thanked for their participation and one lucky participant won a copy of Harrison’s book, Teaching Beyond the Diagnosis!

Overall, HBIDA’s Spring Virtual Conference was a resounding success. Special thanks to presenters Amy Cushner, Casey Harrison, and Dr. Allison Peck. HBIDA would also like to thank Region IV for donating their virtual platform for the conference.

Be sure to catch us next year