Interactive poster session
Sunday September 27, 12:30 – 14:00
During the lunch break on Sunday, 12:30 – 14:00, you get a chance to interact with the following researchers and learn more about their research.
The list is sorted alphabetically based on the poster title.
The number will also be displayed next to the physical poster.
For poster presenters
The maximum poster dimensions are 70cm wide by 100cm high.
Building Confidence and Literacy: Inclusive Classroom Strategies for Pupils with Dyslexia in Primary Education
Presented by
Adina-Maria Palaghia-Popa
Authors and affiliation
Adina-Maria Palaghia-Popa, Scoala Gimnaziala Preutesti, Suceava, Romania
Purpose
This presentation explores how inclusive classroom strategies can improve both learning outcomes and emotional wellbeing for primary school pupils with dyslexia. As a primary school teacher, I have observed that early supportive interventions, combined with a positive classroom climate, significantly reduce anxiety and increase engagement. The purpose of this study is to examine how structured literacy practices, differentiated instruction, and wellbeing-focused classroom routines can support pupils with dyslexia in mainstream classrooms while fostering inclusion and confidence during the early years of schooling.
Method
The study was conducted in a mainstream primary classroom with pupils aged 8–10, including several learners identified with dyslexia or literacy difficulties. Over one school term, a set of evidence-based strategies was implemented: multisensory literacy instruction, scaffolded reading tasks, visual supports, and short wellbeing routines designed to strengthen confidence and participation. Data were collected through classroom observations, pupil reflections, reading progress records, and teacher journals. The aim was to explore how these practices influenced engagement, reading development, and pupils’ sense of belonging.
Results/conclusion
The implementation of inclusive literacy and wellbeing strategies led to noticeable improvements in pupil engagement, reading confidence, and participation in classroom activities. Pupils with dyslexia demonstrated increased willingness to read aloud, attempt challenging tasks, and collaborate with peers. The classroom climate also became more supportive for all learners. The findings suggest that combining structured literacy approaches with wellbeing-focused classroom practices can create inclusive learning environments that benefit both academic development and emotional resilience in primary education.
Development of an AI-Powered Phonological Skills Screener to Support Early Identification of Reading Difficulties
Presented by
Melinda Cameron
Authors and affiliation
Melinda Cameron, Director of Research and Development, Halifax Learning Centre, Nova Scotia, Canada
Purpose
Early identification of phonological processing difficulties is essential for supporting learners at risk for dyslexia. However, access to validated and efficient screening tools remains a barrier in many educational settings, especially for teachers working without specialized assessment training. Furthermore, traditional screener formats are often poorly suited to the children they are designed to serve, which results in inconsistent data quality and limited engagement. To address this issue, Halifax Learning Centre has developed an AI-powered phonological skills screener that uses a large language model (LLM) to ensure accurate, consistent scoring of student responses. The tool incorporates a friendly interface to support engagement and reduce anxiety, with the goal of increasing screening accessibility for educators and providing reliable data to guide early intervention decisions across the lifespan.
Method
The screener was developed iteratively at the Halifax Learning Centre, drawing on over 25 years of clinical experience in structured literacy intervention and the phonological processing research base. The tool assesses key skills predictive of reading outcomes, including phonemic awareness and letter-sound correspondence tasks. An integrated LLM was trained and refined to accurately mark student responses, replacing the need for teacher- or clinician-administered manual scoring. The tool is currently in active development in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science at Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Nova Scotia), where a formal validation study is being designed to evaluate the screener’s psychometric properties and its utility as a clinical and educational identification tool. Participants for the validation study will include students across elementary grade levels, both with and without identified reading difficulties.
Results/conclusion
While the formal validation study is ongoing, preliminary clinical application of the screener at Halifax Learning Centre suggests the tool successfully captures phonological processing profiles consistent with structured literacy assessment frameworks and aligns with intervention placement decisions made through more comprehensive evaluations. The integration of AI scoring has reduced the time burden on practitioners. This presentation will report on the development process, the features of the screener, early clinical findings, and the design of the forthcoming validity study. We argue that accessible, technology-assisted phonological screening tools have the potential to meaningfully advance inclusion and well-being outcomes by reducing the time between a learner’s first signs of difficulty and the start of evidence-based intervention.
Dyslexia Nation: Literacy, Wellbeing, and Inclusion Across the Lifespan
Presented by
Mary McCool Berry
Possible: parent leaders in the field of dyslexia
Authors and affiliation
Mary McCool Berry, M.Ed., is an educational advocate and Wilson Certified Dyslexia Therapist with more than 35 years of experience in public education in the United States. A former teacher and school leader, she now works globally with families, schools, and organizations to advance evidence-based literacy instruction. She founded Read Keys and is the author of Dyslexia Nation: Imagine a Nation Where Every Child Learns to Read, a narrative-driven examination of how systemic literacy failure undermines well-being, inclusion, and equity across the lifespan.
Purpose
Dyslexia Nation is built on a simple yet urgent premise: when a nation fails to teach its people to read, it fails its people’s well-being.
Neuroscience has extensively documented dyslexia, a brain-based, genetic learning difference that affects approximately 15–20% of the population, for decades. Nevertheless, educational systems continue to regard literacy failure as an individual deficiency rather than a systemic issue. The consequences extend far beyond academics, shaping mental health, economic stability, self-worth, and lifelong inclusion.
This paper draws from the narrative and research foundation of Dyslexia Nation to examine literacy as a determinant of well-being across the lifespan.
Beginning in early childhood, it explores how trust between families and schools erodes when children do not learn to read despite effort and support. Without early detection and evidence-based teaching, dyslexia frequently triggers a sequence of anxiety, shame, and disengagement that escalates during adolescence and persists into adulthood.
Using case-based illustrations drawn from educational advocacy work, the paper demonstrates how delayed or inappropriate instruction contributes to depression, school avoidance, workforce exclusion, and disproportionate representation in the justice system.
Conversely, when structured literacy and trained specialists are introduced—even later in life—individuals frequently experience measurable gains in mental health, agency, and participation.
The analysis situates these individual outcomes within a framework of systemic inadequacies, encompassing inconsistent dyslexia legislation, inadequate teacher training, irregular implementation of evidence-based practices, and an absence of accountability measures that protect literacy as a civil right.
Dyslexia Nation argues that inclusion cannot exist without literacy, and well-being cannot exist without inclusion.
This submission reframes dyslexia intervention as a national well-being imperative rather than a remedial service, calling for a lifespan-oriented, evidence-based approach that aligns education, mental health, and policy. Teaching people to read is not simply an academic goal—it is a moral obligation that determines who can fully participate in society.
Method
The Dyslexia Nation Method™—The Five Pillars
- Name the Truth Early
- You cannot intervene in what you refuse to name.
- Dyslexia is neurobiological, genetic, and lifelong
- Early screening, identification, and intervention are non-negotiable
- Delay causes compounding academic and psychological harm
- Literacy failure is not neutral—it injures trust, identity, and well-being.
- Teach Reading in a Manner that Aligns with How the Brain Learns
- Evidence is not optional.
- Structured, explicit, systematic literacy (Science of Reading)
- Diagnostic instruction informed by data (not programs alone)
- Delivered by trained specialists, not minimally trained staff
- Fidelity matters—implementation is as important as ideology
- Track the Human Cost, Not Just the Scores
- Literacy outcomes are well-being outcomes.
- Anxiety, shame, depression
- School avoidance and disengagement
- Workforce exclusion
- Justice-system overrepresentation
- Intergenerational harm
- Restore Trust Through Action
- Parents trust systems—until they have evidence they shouldn’t.
- Mary documents how trust erodes when children try and still fail
- Mary centers parent intuition and lived experience
- Mary reframes advocacy not as conflict, but as self-defense
- Mary restores trust only through visible, effective intervention
- Hold Systems Accountable
- Children do not fail systems. Systems fail, children.
- Mary’s method does not stop at instruction.
- Mary examines legislation gaps
- Mary exposes weak teacher preparation
- Mary challenges unenforced laws
- Mary rejects compliance-only inclusion
- Mary calls for literacy to be treated as a civil and human right
Aspect
Mary McCool Berry’s Method
Typical Models
Dyslexia: Brain-based, lifelong Academic delay. Literacy: Civil & human right
Educational service
Intervention: Preventive & restorative
Remedial Evidence: Non-negotiable Optional
Mental health Central Peripheral
Accountability System-level Individual child
Results/conclusion
The Dyslexia Nation method yields consistent outcomes across academic, psychosocial, and systems domains when three conditions are met:
(a) dyslexia is explicitly identified, (b) evidence-based structured literacy is delivered with fidelity by trained practitioners, and (c) advocacy and accountability mechanisms are engaged.
Results are observed across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, including individuals who did not receive appropriate instruction in early grades.
1. Literacy Outcomes
Findings: Across cases, individuals receiving structured, explicit, systematic literacy instruction demonstrate:
- Significant improvements in word-reading accuracy and decoding
- Increased spelling accuracy and written output
- Improved reading fluency and comprehension over time
- Gains observed across a wide range of cognitive profiles, including individuals with average and below-average IQ scores
- Progress is instructional rather than maturational, and is most pronounced when intervention is delivered with diagnostic precision and sufficient intensity.
Interpretation
These findings align with established research in the science of reading and confirm that dyslexia-related reading difficulties are responsive to evidence-based instruction across the lifespan. The literacy failure observed prior to the intervention reflects an instructional mismatch rather than learner incapacity.
2. Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes
Findings: Following effective literacy intervention, individuals and families report:
- Reduced anxiety related to reading and academic performance
- Decreased shame, self-blame, and avoidance behaviors
- Improved self-efficacy, confidence, and emotional regulation
- Increased willingness to engage in academic, social, and occupational tasks
- In adolescents and adults, literacy gains are frequently accompanied by improved self-concept and reduced symptoms associated with chronic academic stress.
Interpretation: These outcomes suggest that literacy instruction functions as a protective and restorative factor for mental well-being. The data support a bidirectional relationship between literacy competence and psychological health: prolonged literacy failure contributes to emotional distress, while successful intervention supports recovery and resilience.
3. Trust and Family–System Relationships
Findings
When measurable literacy progress occurs:
- Parent–school relationships shift from adversarial to collaborative
- Parental trust increases in proportion to observable instructional effectiveness
- Advocacy intensity decreases as systems demonstrate responsiveness
- Families report relief, validation, and reduced stress
- Conversely, trust erosion is consistently observed in the absence of progress, regardless of meeting frequency or procedural compliance.
Interpretation: Trust restoration is outcome-driven rather than process-driven. These findings indicate that relational repair between families and institutions depends on instructional results, not reassurance or procedural adherence alone.
4. Inclusion and Participation Outcomes
Findings:
Effective literacy intervention is associated with:
- Increased access to and participation in general education curricula
- Improved academic persistence in middle and high school
- Expanded postsecondary and workforce opportunities for adults
- Greater independence and civic participation
- Individuals who previously disengaged from academic or professional pathways frequently re-engage following literacy improvement.
Interpretation: Literacy functions as a gateway skill for inclusion. These findings demonstrate that inclusion efforts lacking attention to literacy competence risk becoming symbolic rather than substantive.
5. Systems-Level Outcomes
Findings: At the organizational level, implementation of the Dyslexia Nation method contributes to:
- Increased demand for legitimate, evidence-based teacher training
- Reduction in “wait-to-fail” identification practices
- Improved alignment between instructional practice and legal obligations
- Greater transparency in discussions of dyslexia and literacy failure
- Systems exposed to sustained advocacy and evidence-based outcomes show increased willingness to revise instructional models.
Interpretation: These results indicate that systems change is achievable when evidence, accountability, and human impact are jointly emphasized. Instructional reform is most durable when framed as an inclusion and well-being imperative rather than a compliance exercise.
6. Lifespan and Intergenerational Outcomes
Findings: Across age groups, intervention is associated with:
- Improved long-term educational trajectories
- Enhanced employability and job retention in adults
- Increased parental capacity to support the literacy development of the next generation
- Adults who gain literacy skills later in life often report changes in family dynamics and educational expectations for their children.
Interpretation: Literacy intervention has cascading effects beyond the individual, supporting a lifespan and intergenerational model of wellbeing and inclusion.
Summary of Results
Collectively, these findings demonstrate that evidence-based literacy instruction, when implemented with fidelity and supported by advocacy and accountability, produces measurable improvements in reading outcomes, mental health, trust, inclusion, and system responsiveness.
Literacy emerges as a foundational determinant of well-being rather than a narrow academic outcome.
Validity in Digital Screening: Examining Device Effects in the Assessment of Reading and Writing Difficulties
Presented by
Camilla Nilvius & Christian Waldmann
Authors and affiliation
Camilla Nilvius, Linnaeus University
Ulrika Gidlund, Tingsryd Municipality
Helena Henriksson, Ronneby Municipality
Christian Waldmann, Linnaeus University
Sweden
Purpose
This study investigates whether the choice of digital device affects screening outcomes for reading and writing difficulties. As digital assessments become increasingly common in schools, questions of validity and equity arise. If technical conditions influence results, students at risk of dyslexia may be identified on unequal grounds. The study examines whether device type contributes to variation in screening performance and explores implications for evidence-based assessment practices.
Method
Ninety Grade 5 students from three schools in southern Sweden completed the digital screening tool Dysmate using one of three devices: a tablet without a keyboard, a tablet with an external keyboard, or a computer (n = 30 per group). Screening results (accuracy and total time) were analysed using descriptive statistics and independent t-tests. A post-test questionnaire examined students’ self-reported digital familiarity, clarity of instructions, and technical functionality.
Results/conclusion
No statistically significant differences remained after Bonferroni correction. However, recurring patterns emerged: students using tablets without keyboards performed slightly higher in several subtests, while those using tablets with keyboards showed greater variation and lower mean scores. Computers were rated as the most stable device. The findings suggest that technical factors may influence screening conditions and should be considered when interpreting results to ensure equitable identification.
Improving imageability in Korean grammar learning for dyslexic L2 learners: a case study
Presented by
Eun-ju Kim, Ph.D.
Authors and affiliation
Eun-ju Kim*, Ph.D. in Special Education, Institute for Area Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands
*NRO Comenius Teaching Fellow 2024: Leveling the reading and learning environment: language support for students of Korean and Japanese with reading difficulties (LD/dyslexia)
Purpose
Imageability affects the language learning of children with dyslexia. Concrete words such as ‘apple’ are easier to acquire than abstract words such as ‘peace’. Korean is a high-context language: it allows omission of the subject or object from the sentence when they are understood from context. This grammatical characteristic of Korean pose significant difficulties for students with dyslexia, who have difficulty imagining what is implied. The purpose of this study is to find out whether grammatical understanding can be improved through translation practice aimed at imagining omitted subjects.
Method
The participant was a Dutch university student of Korean Studies with dyslexia who failed the Korean grammar midterm, final, and resit examinations during the first semester of the first year (Fall 2024), withdrew from the program, and re-enrolled in September 2025. The student received weekly one-hour translation practice sessions into English during September and October 2025. The practice focused on translating textbook sentences in which the subject was omitted.
Results/conclusion
The student’s grammar score went up from 48% to 95%. Reading scores went up from 68% to 100%. This suggests that context-dependent omission of the sentence subject or object significantly affects sentence comprehension for learners with dyslexia. The results show that making implicit sentence elements explicit through translation can support more accurate grammatical understanding. While contemporary second-language pedagogy often emphasizes target-language-only instruction, this case study suggests that translation into the learner’s native language may be beneficial for dyslexic learners.
Inclusion AEN & fee paying schools – within an Irish context
Presented by
Nuala Fee
Authors and affiliation
Nuala Fee – University College Dublin
Purpose
To investigate the level of support and provision for students with additional educational needs within the domain of fee paying schools within the Irish Republic
Method
Quantitative approach – an evaluation of support and reference to the inclusion of students with Additional Educational Needs within the fee \/ paying context. Examination of database, questionnaires to all fee paying schools
Results/conclusion
Extensive role of the coordinator within schools
Staffing levels within schools is below recommended levels
Diversity of Practice within different schools.
Increase in Differentiation required
Team teaching required
Staff training & continual professional development
The influence of the dominant language on reading acquisition in Basque-Spanish bilinguals
Presented by
Amaia Aierbe Pombo
Authors and affiliation
Amaia Aierbe (1), Nekane Galparsoro (1), Maite Redondo (1), Amaia Carrión-Castillo (1) (2), Marie Lallier (1) (2) and Manuel Carreiras (1) (2) (3)
- BCBL. Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- Ikerbasque – Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
- EHU- University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain
Purpose
In bilingual contexts, such as that of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, in order to fully assess reading skills, it is essential to consider the language of schooling (in this case, mainly Basque) and the dominant language of the students, as the importance of oral language development in this learning process is well known. The objective of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the effect of the dominant language on reading acquisition.
Method
The word and pseudoword reading tasks from the NeureHizki instrument in Basque were used. These tasks consist of four lists of words and two lists of pseudowords in which frequency and length are manipulated. The variables of accuracy, speed, and reading efficiency are obtained from each of the lists. The tasks were administered to 2,914 students between the 1st year of primary education and the 4th year of secondary education. All of them study in model D, whose vehicular language is Basque, so reading was taught in this language. This sample consisted of 52.3% (n=1,524) of students whose dominant language was Basque and 45.68% (n=1,331) whose dominant language was Spanish.
Results/conclusion
The results show that from the second year of primary education onwards, there is a significant positive difference between the results of students whose dominant language is Basque and those whose dominant language is Spanish. This difference is not observed in 1st grade students, probably because both languages are transparent and share phonological aspects, and at this stage of reading acquisition, when phonological reading is prioritized, the effect of the dominant language is less significant. However, with the development of the lexical route, it is observed that students whose dominant language coincides with that of reading acquisition obtain better results.
Literacy skills and speech-sound disorders in 5-6 year-old Polish-speaking children. The role of language skills and phonological awareness
Presented by
Agata Trębacz-Ritter, Adam Mickiewicz
Authors and affiliation
Agata Trębacz-Ritter, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (Poland)
Purpose
To examine the relationship between speech sound disorder severity (PCC), phonological awareness, language skills, reading and writing for Polish-speaking children. Children with speech sound disorders (SSD) were compared to those without SSD and\/or language impairment (typical language; TL).
Method
Participants were 94 children, 5 to 6 years of age, with 50 diagnosed with speech sound disorder. Children completed a wide range of tasks measuring oral language (expressive vocabulary, receptive grammar), reading and writing, literacy-related skills (phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming) and IQ-screening at the end of the summer semester.
Results/conclusion
The severity of speech sound disorder (PCC) does not have a significant correlation with literacy skills. Early reading and writing scores were significantly lower for children with SSD but were not related to SSD severity once language status and phonological skills were taken into account. The results imply that any child who has a speech disorder before school entry should be assessed and monitored for broader oral language difficulties and for delays in reading development with a view to providing early intervention to ameliorate such difficulties.
The Lottery of Recognition: Dyslexia and Dyscalculia in Higher Music Education Across Four European Countries
Presented by
Susanna Zanella Cavallero
Authors and affiliation
Susanna Zanella Cavallero¹ ², Amalia Lavinia Rizzo²
¹University of Münster, ²Università degli Studi Roma Tre
Purpose
Inclusive education is widely framed as a commitment to equity and meaningful participation for all learners (UNESCO, 2005, 2009, 2017). Yet across Europe, access to accommodations remains deeply uneven (Slee, 2011): it depends not only on which condition students have but also on the country, or even the region, where they study. This paper terms this dynamic a “lottery of recognition”: a pattern in which access to support is shaped by diagnosis and geography rather than by educational needs.
This paper examines how dyslexia and dyscalculia are institutionally recognized and accommodated within music education — from compulsory schooling through to higher music education level — across four European countries: Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Method
Through a comparative analysis of legal frameworks, ministerial guidelines, and institutional practices, the paper maps significant disparities across the four systems, revealing a consistent pattern: where legal protections for dyslexia and dyscalculia are limited, music education consistently falls outside the scope of enforceable rights. Higher music education institutions represent a paradigmatic case of this tension: historically founded on principles of selection and talent (Bagnus, 2023), they are where inclusive rhetoric and structural reality diverge most starkly. The consequences are tangible: self-exclusion, dropout, and accommodations left to individual teachers’ goodwill rather than institutional frameworks (Kavčič Pucihar et al. 2024). Inclusion, in this context, is not a right but a favor.
Results/conclusion
In conclusion, this paper contributes to the debate on equity in higher music education by demonstrating that the lottery of recognition will persist as long as inclusive principles are not translated into binding legal frameworks.
References
Bagnus, P. (Ed.). (2023). I bisogni formativi speciali nell’AFAM. Interlinea.
Kavčič Pucihar, A., Habe, K., Rotar Pance, B., & Laure, M. (2024). The key reasons for dropout in Slovenian music schools: A qualitative study. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1385840. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1385840
Slee, R. (2011). The irregular school: Exclusion, schooling and inclusive education. Routledge.
UNESCO. (2005). Guidelines for inclusion: Ensuring access to education for all. UNESCO.
UNESCO. (2009). Policy guidelines on inclusion in education. UNESCO.
UNESCO. (2017). A guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education. UNESCO.
Pedagogical Diagnostics and Learning Difficulties in Austria: Systematic Perspectives for Inclusive Educational Support
Presented by
Florentine Paudel
Authors and affiliation
Florentine Paudel, University College of Teacher Education Vienna
Purpose
This submission focuses on pedagogical diagnostics as a crucial framework for supporting students with learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyscalculia. Building on the Handbook of Pedagogical Diagnostics, which was published in February this year, it highlights diagnostics not merely as performance measurement but as a reflective and ethically grounded process that enables individualized support, early intervention, and inclusive participation within the Austrian educational system.
Method
The contribution is based on a systematic presentation of the role of pedagogical diagnostics in Austria, drawing on the theoretical and practical foundations outlined in the handbook. It examines diagnostic approaches within the Austrian school context, emphasizing how legal and institutional frameworks shape diagnostic decision-making. Particular attention is given to diagnostic instruments and procedures relevant for identifying and supporting learners with learning difficulties.
Results/conclusion
The handbook-based analysis demonstrates that pedagogical diagnostics is of particular importance in Austria due to its strong connection to educational regulations and school-based decision processes. For students with learning difficulties, evidence-based and process-oriented diagnostics guide individualized instruction and inclusive interventions. These insights are highly relevant for the European context, as education systems across Europe face similar challenges in balancing legal frameworks, equity, and wellbeing in inclusive schooling. Strengthening diagnostic competence therefore contributes to reducing barriers and supporting lifelong learning participation.
The Relationship Between Parental Attitudes Toward Reading and Reading Motivation in Children with Reading Disorder
Presented by
Valentina Martan
Authors and affiliation
Valentina Martan, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Speech and Language Pathology, Rijeka, Croatia
Purpose
The aim of this study is to examine the contribution of children’s sociodemographic characteristics, the diagnosis of a reading disorder, and parental attitudes toward reading to children’s reading motivation.
Method
The sample consisted of 489 third- and fourth-grade students (M = 9.52 years, SD = 0.685) from primary schools in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (Republic of Croatia) and their parents. Among the participating students, 6.3% had a diagnosis of a specific reading disorder. To assess reading motivation, students completed a translated and adapted version of the Reading Motivation Questionnaire for Younger Students (VBM-ml, Pečjak, Bucik, Gradišar & Peklaj, 2006), which includes 20 items grouped into two subscales: Interest in reading (α = .82) and Perceiving reading as a difficult activity (α = .70). Parents completed an online questionnaire on parental attitudes toward reading based on the instrument developed by Niklas, Cohrssen, and Tayler (2016) (α = .85).
Results/conclusion
Partial correlation analysis between parental attitudes toward reading and children’s reading motivation was conducted while controlling for the diagnosis of a reading disorder. Parental attitudes toward reading were moderately positively correlated with children’s interest in reading and moderately negatively correlated with children’s perception of reading as a difficult activity. Even after controlling for the covariate, parental attitudes toward reading remained significantly related to children’s reading motivation. Furthermore, boys with a diagnosed reading disorder whose parents expressed more negative attitudes toward reading reported lower levels of interest in reading. Students with a reading disorder whose parents held more negative attitudes toward reading were also more likely to perceive reading as a difficult activity. This study highlites the importance of the family environment in supporting motivational aspects of reading in children with reading disorder.
Strengthening shared bonds: An Intervention Program Aimed at Enhancing Family Involvement of Families of Students with Dyslexia
Presented by
Serxio Estévez-Souto
Authors and affiliation
Serxio Estévez-Souto*, Paula Outón Oviedo* & Mar Lorenzo Moledo*
Departament of Pedagogy and Didactics, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Purpose
Family is one of the most important agents for understanding a person’s personal and academic development. Training programs aimed at families of students with dyslexia play a key role within the constellation of interventions focused on this population, although there are still relatively few developed proposals. Therefore, this research project seeks to design, implement, and evaluate a family intervention program centered on the development of strategies to support the educational and personal development of children with dyslexia.
Method
The first phase is quantitative, using an exploratory–descriptive design. An ad hoc questionnaire validated by experts will collect the needs and experiences of families of students with dyslexia in Spain (from 1st grade of Primary Education to 2nd year of Baccalaureate). The second phase adopts a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. The program will be implemented with a small single group of families (after individual interviews). Outcomes will be assessed through pre-test, post-test, and a 6-month follow-up, along with evaluation of implementation and family satisfaction.
Results/conclusion
It is expected to identify the needs of families of students with dyslexia at a national level. The program, tailored to the specific needs of the participating families, is expected to strengthen key aspects involved in raising a child with dyslexia (e.g., knowledge and awareness of dyslexia, improvement of family–school relationships, and enhancement of the quality of educational support and parental involvement at home, among others).
The time course of overt reading process of words and pseudo words in developmental dyslexia in Croatian language revealed by electroencephalography
Presented by
Maja Perkušić Čović
Authors and affiliation
Maja Perkušić Čović, Dajana Knežević
Polyclinic for rehabilitation of people with developmental disorders, Split, Croatia
Purpose
The early response of N170 amplitudes to orthographic stimuli such as words and pseudo words is usually found to be impaired in dyslexics. The majority of studies who have explored N170 amplitude during reading were conducted in languages with deep orthographies (i.e. French, English) using lexical decision task in covert design. In line with that, this study aimed to explore N170 amplitude during overt reading of words and pseudo words in developmental dyslexics and aged matched controls in shallow orthography to explore possible differences between orthographies (deep\/shallow).
Method
Twenty-five pupils with developmental dyslexia and control pupils of third and fourth grade were engaged in overt reading task of words and pseudo words visually presented on computer screen while their EEG activity was continuously recorded. The stimuli were 120 Croatian words and 120 pseudo words. The time course and scalp topography of early and later reading stages was monitored in different time windows over posterior left and right electrodes and left and right temporal electrodes to ensure better representation of the data.
Results/conclusion
Electrophysiological results have found more negative amplitudes of electric signal distributed in the left hemisphere during overt reading of words and pseudo words in pupils with dyslexia differently from control subjects where more positive amplitudes of electric signal were found in the left hemisphere in temporal-parietal area as it was expected. Given results contributed to better understanding of underlying neurocognitive processes of overt reading processes of pupils with dyslexia in transparent Croatian orthography.
T.I.Me Project: This is Me! Future Developments, Artificial Intelligence, and Inclusion at the University of Catania
Presented by
Stefania Scaffidi
Authors and affiliation
dott.ssa Stefania Scaffidi – Psicologa CInAP Centro per l’Inclusione Attiva e Partecipata
UNICT working group called “Inclusion and Diversity Strategies in the Erasmus+ context”.
EUNICE4U project, within Work Package 3
UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DI CATANIA
ITALY
Purpose
In a context of cultural and economic transition marked by uncertainty, fragmentation, and growing inequality, the university can no longer simply provide tools for individual choices, but must assume a transformative, cultural, and collective role. We have developed a program for students attending our University to strengthen, together with faculty, academic inclusion strategies, analyzing how individuals with learning disabilities can use technology and AI to gain greater autonomy and effectiveness in their academic careers. This program is designed to support students’ life and career trajectories, promoting individual and collective empowerment from a sustainability and Life Design perspective (Savickas, 2009 et seq.).
The University of Catania is part of the “EUropean UNiversities for Customized Education,” transnational alliances of higher education institutions from across the EU that come together for the benefit of students, faculty, public bodies, and businesses. The primary objective of the EUNICE project is to strengthen UNICT’s focus on inclusion, in compliance with specific and complex EU directives and to increase the competitiveness of Europe by providing new knowledge and models/practices for non-standard and alternative forms of cultural and social resources.
The goal is a paradigm shift from traditional education to personalized, flexible, open, multicultural, multi-centered, innovative, and engaging education, capable of meeting the needs of individuals, society, the labor market, and the industrial and commercial sectors. From this perspective, placing the future at the center means not only guiding choices, but collectively imagining new ways of inhabiting the present, reactivating the links between knowledge, territory, and desires. The added value was exploring the use of AI to innovate communication and creativity in the training and human capital development fields.
Method
The decision to develop a process to support the use of the Anastasis IT Kit (rather than simply distributing it) stems from a broader vision aimed at promoting the full autonomy of individuals with learning disabilities. Indeed, IT tools can become a fundamental support for the acquisition of independent time management and learning, impacting the process of defining personal autonomy thanks to their positive effects on self-esteem and metacognitive awareness.
It was also hypothesized that the planned program could positively impact student well-being and academic quality of life, and the tools listed were identified to assess the potential impact of the actions undertaken on this dimension and in terms of study productivity, transversal skills, levels of satisfaction, and adaptability for managing the future and career choices. The instruments used are:
• College Competencies Scale – CCS (Boerchi, Magnano, Lodi, 2018)
• College Satisfaction Scale – CSS (Lodi, Magnano, Boerchi, Patrizi, 2017)
• Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (Savickas and Porfeli, 2012 – Italian version by S. Soresi, L. Nota, and L. Ferrari)
Results/conclusion
All the dimensions explored improved: in particular, a significant increase in confidence in one’s ability to pursue goals even when encountering difficulties or obstacles. The test-retest results show that participants in the T.I.Me Project have developed a greater ability to control and plan their academic career, adopting a positive outlook and approaching the future with greater conviction and courage. Data will be presented for the following dimensions: “study efficacy,” “sense of self-efficacy in planning one’s academic career,” and “ability to manage performance anxiety.”
The European Action Plan for Inclusive Education and Diversity (2021-2027) is one of the key initiatives promoted by the European Union to strengthen the role of education as a tool for social cohesion. It aims to transform diversity into an asset and ensure that no one is left behind in the educational process.
The objective of the Eunice project, in which the University of Catania is leading the work package on “Training, Research & Development for Industry-oriented Problems,” is to implement actions to train a new generation of creative Europeans capable of collaborating across sectors to address the major societal challenges and skills needs facing EU countries. By giving students a voice, we can ensure that the Alliance best supports them in achieving their goals and actively participating in EU proposals, sharing their needs and expectations as well as emerging trends, participating in joint learning activities, and discussing common challenges and sharing possible solutions.
Based on this, we aim to measure the project’s impact using indicators linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as defined in Agenda 20-30, focusing on potential solutions for collective well-being. Activities continue within the EUNICE4U project, within Work Package 3, with the aim of:
– reducing information asymmetries
– generating well-being and cultural change
– enhancing positive externalities
– achieving sustainability and future projections
– generating a circular economy
– networking with an inclusive mindset.