Dyslexia – New Online CE Course

Supporting Children with Dyslexia is a new 6-hour online (text-based) continuing education (CE) course that discusses the signs, types, and causes of dyslexia, offering practical strategies for supporting children with literacy skills.

Supporting Children with Dyslexia is a new 6-hour online CE course that offers practical strategies for supporting children with literacy skills.

Most experts agree that dyslexia is characterized by, “marked difficulties with word reading, decoding, and spelling as evidenced by low accuracy and/or fluency on standardized assessments. There is also a general agreement that these difficulties should be inconsistent with or “unexpected” in consideration of other aspects of development, including general intellectual abilities.” There is now abundant evidence indicating that dyslexia is a localized weakness within a specific component of the language system: the phonologic module. However, dyslexia does not only affect reading, but that which is connected to reading: both spelling and writing. Furthermore, and of significant importance, it is not connected to intelligence.

We begin the course by briefly reviewing the history of dyslexia. We then discuss the signs, types, and causes of dyslexia, highlighting the importance of working memory and executive functioning skills.

We consider phonological awareness, including phonemic awareness, as the foundation for all literacy skills. Reading, spelling, and writing are discussed in separate sections, enabling the reader to focus on the necessary skills and remediation strategies for each. It is important to note that there is overlap of skills needed to read, spell, and write and therefore, information on phonics and other phonological awareness skills may be echoed throughout the course.

Practical accommodations, teaching strategies, and activities for supporting children’s academic and social emotional development are provided. A short review of assistive technological aids is also included.

Finally, we explore strategies for supporting parents and caregivers as role models and advocates for their children. Course #61-05 | 2022 | 117 pages | 35 test questions

Click here to learn more about Supporting Children with Dyslexia

Supporting Children with Dyslexia is an online course that provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. The course is text-based (reading) and the CE test is open-book (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

Successful completion of this course involves passing an online test (80% required, 3 chances to take) and we ask that you also complete a brief course evaluation. Click here to learn more.


Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA Provider #AAUM); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology and Office of School Psychology, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Dietetics and Nutrition, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners – Occupational Therapy; the Mississippi MSDoH Bureau of Professional Licensure – Occupational Therapy; the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145), State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135) and marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0100), and the State Board for Social Workers an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#SW-0664); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and MFT Board (#RCST100501) and Speech and Hearing Professionals Board; the South Carolina Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors and Therapists (#193), Examiners in Psychology, Social Worker Examiners, Occupational Therapy, and Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology; the Tennessee Board of Occupational Therapy; the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); the West Virginia Board of Social Work; the Wyoming Board of Psychology; and is CE Broker compliant  (#50-1635 – all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Enjoy 20% off all online continuing education (CE/CEU) courses @pdresources.orgClick here for details.

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Health Literacy Month: Use Plain Language!

By Cheryl Lathrop

health_literacyHelen Osborne founded Health Literacy Month in 1999 and since then thousands of awareness-raising events have taken place across the country and around the world—communication workshops for professionals, health education programs for patients, and educational offerings for students at all levels.

But, let’s back up for a minute—what does health literacy mean to you? Understanding what your doctor says? Understanding what your prescription bottle says? It’s about all of those. Health literacy is your ability to obtain, understand, and use health information.

The patient education brochures in the waiting room of your doctor’s office need to be written in “plain language”—language that all patients coming to that office can understand. Speaking to you using short sentences, common everyday words, and an easy-to-read format such as bullets and tables. Not using overly technical language such as myocardial infarction (heart attack) or hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol).

What are the consequences of poor health literacy? A young mother pours a drug that is supposed to be taken by mouth into her baby’s ear, perforating the eardrum. A man in his 70s preparing for his first colonoscopy uses a suppository as directed, but without first removing it from the foil packet. These are real life examples from health care workers.

And guess what? Your government also has to write in “plain language” now. On October 13, 2010, President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act of 2010 requiring federal agencies to use “clear communication that the public can understand and use.” See some great before and after examples here. The Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) is a group of federal employees dedicated to the idea that citizens deserve clear communications from their government. What a concept!

Have you noticed that the small-print “important information” page following a drug ad in a magazine is now in larger print and easier to understand? We’re getting there, but we have a long way to go. How many times have you said to yourself: What did the doctor say? What did that blood test mean? How many pills am I supposed to take?

So what can you do to be your own health literacy advocate? If your doctor is talking to you in medical-ese, ask him to talk in plain language. If English is not your first language, bring a friend along that’s a native English speaker. Bring a tape recorder. Bring paper and take notes. Use that consultation window at the pharmacy and ask your pharmacist to explain the label on your prescription bottle. Repeat in your own words what you have just been told to make sure you understand. And don’t ever nod your head and say you understand when you don’t!

The theme for the 2013 Health Literacy Month is “Be a Health Literacy Hero.” Take action and find ways to improve how to communicate health information. Here are some examples of heroes. Could you be a Health Literacy Hero today? Why not?! As Helen Osborne says, “Together, we truly make a difference.”

Want more information? See the Health Literacy Month website here. Also visit PLAIN, the Plain Language Association InterNational (Canada), and PEF, the Plain English Foundation (Australia).

Source: http://www.recallcenter.com/october-health-literacy-month-use-plain-language/

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Adolescent Literacy

0.2 ASHA CEUs for only $12!

Course Abstract:

Adolescent Literacy

Click on image to view course webpage

This is a web-based course requiring an internet connection to access the online reading materials. Course instructions provide a direct link to the free, public-access online document on which the CE test is based. This course presents evidence-based advice for improving adolescent reading and writing skills in content-area classes. Topics covered include decoding, morphology, fluency, vocabulary, text comprehension, reading assessment, writing, motivation, and the needs of diverse learners. Chapters in this document present information on the practices of good readers, challenges faced by adolescent readers, instruction techniques to improve skills, and areas for future research. This class is relevant to educators, school psychologists, counselors, speech-language pathologists, and instructional coaches. Course #20-54 | 2011 | 14 posttest questions | 4 page course download includes instructions, link to online document (2007, 72 pages) and CE test

Learning Objectives:

  1. List 5 factors critical to achieving adolescent literacy
  2. Identify 2 methods of improving literacy
  3. Describe 3 methods for teaching text comprehension
  4. Name 3 types of reading assessments that content classes should focus on

About the Author(s):

National Institute for Literacy
The National Institute for Child Health and Human Development
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Vocational and Adult Education
National Institutes of Health
ASHA-Approved Provider
This course is offered for .2 ASHA CEUs (Introductory level, Professional area).

ASHA credit expires 4/26/2014
. ASHA CEUs are awarded by the ASHA CE Registry upon receipt of the quarterly completion report from the ASHA Approved CE Provider. Please note that the date that appears on ASHA transcripts is the last day of the quarter in which the course was completed.
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