Episode Details

“We don’t need to work on decoding because students have access to assistive technology and accommodations.”

“We don’t work on word-decoding in high school.”

“Working on reading in high school is too little too late.”

If you’ve ever heard any of these arguments, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, beliefs like these do students a huge disservice. 

That’s why in this conversation, I share a clip from my interview with Tom Parton, an SLP with a long-career of experience in secondary education, as well as literacy advocacy work. 

Tom Parton is a private Speech Language Pathologist in Normal, Illinois. He retired after 35 years of public-school practice. Tom is President of Everyone Reading Illinois and is a member of ERI’s Legislative Committee. Tom has presented on autism and language/literacy topics at local, state, and national conferences. Tom participated in the ISBE Reading Instruction Advisory Group and Teachers of Reading Certification task forces. He is currently a member of the ISBE Dyslexia Handbook revision team. He is past-president of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is ISHA Honors Committee co-chair and a member of ISHA’s Leadership Development Committee. Tom is the 2024 chair of the American Speech Language Hearing Association Committee of Ambassadors.

In my commentary and the clip from the interview, you’ll hear discussion on:

✅ Why providing access to technology alone won’t solve access issues if kids lack adequate reading and spelling skills. 

✅ Why accommodations and modifications aren’t a substitute for reading instruction, even in secondary school. 

✅ The impact of word-decoding on activities of daily living. 

If you’re serving students in secondary school, you won’t want to miss this episode.

You can listen to the original interview with Tom on De Facto Leaders here: EP 178: Are we allowed to say “dyslexia” in the schools? (with Tom Parton) Link here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/ep-178-are-we-allowed-to-say-dyslexia-in-the-schools-with-tom-parton/

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

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL and Renaissance:

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

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