Lambuth Hosts Dyslexia Seminar PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 17 January 2008 09:30
On January 22 the Academic Dean's Office at Lambuth University will sponsor a seminar about dyslexia by internationally recognized expert in dyslexia and ADD/ADHD Susan Barton at 6 P.M. in the Hamilton Performing Arts Center on the Lambuth campus. The seminar is free and open to the public.

Susan Barton is the founder of Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, LLC, and developer of the Barton Reading & Spelling System. She is a frequent and popular speaker at conferences focusing on dyslexia, reading instruction, and adult literacy issues. She is also an instructor of Phonemic Awareness and Multisensory Teaching Techniques through the University of California; of Learning Disabilities at West Valley College; and of the graduate-level courses Diagnosing Dyslexia, Tutoring People with Dyslexia, and Understanding Dyslexia and ADHD at the University of San Diego. Susan has produced four DVDs on dyslexia: Dyslexia: Symptoms & Solutions; Classroom Accommodations for Dyslexic Students; Dyslexia: Testing & Teaching; and Could It Be Dyslexia?

In the past few years, Susan has presented at many prestigious conferences, including Canadian Dyslexia Association, California Literacy, National Learning Disabilities Association, Texas Reading Association, Association for Christian Schools International, California Association of Charter Schools, California Reading Association, Arizona Charter School Association, Florida Reading Association, Northwest Regional Reading Conference, California Association of School Psychologists, and the Early Childhood Educators Conference.

Susan Barton did not start out in the field of dyslexia. After college, she spent the first 20 years of her professional life in the computer field. During that time, she watched her nephew, Ben, have significant difficulty in school. Despite receiving special education services since first grade, when he was tested in tenth grade, he was only reading at the second grade level and spelling at the first grade level. Needless to say, he was extremely frustrated in all school tasks that required reading, writing and spelling. Although the school said we had to accept the fact that Ben would never get much better, Susan refused to accept that judgment. Instead, she changed fields and devoted full time to figuring out the puzzle of dyslexia. After receiving special training and spending many years working with dyslexic adults, she was hired at a for-profit clinic for dyslexic children. She spent years tutoring children from ages 6 to 17. During this time, she learned many more Orton-Gillingham-based methods, several of the Lindamood-Bell systems, and became quite knowledgeable about Attention Deficit Disorder. When Susan attended IEP meetings for her students, she was shocked that many school professionals lacked up-to-date research-based information on dyslexia. Most of the parents of her students also lacked this information. In 1998, Susan Barton founded Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, which published the Barton Reading & Spelling System, as a way to educate parents and teachers about the causes, the symptoms, and the appropriate remediation techniques for students with dyslexia and/or ADHD.

The Barton Reading & Spelling System meets No Child Left Behind requirements, and in May 2003 the System was approved by the California Board of Education. These materials have now been added to the Instructional Materials Approved for Legal Compliance website, www.cde.cd.gov/cfir/lc.

Sources: http://www.bartonreading.com/; http://www.dys-add.com/