“The Distinguished Lecture Series at West Texas A&M University is honored to help the WTAMU Center for Learning Disabilities sponsor the Eighth Annual Helen Piehl Distinguished Lecture, a two-day event featuring guest speaker Dr. Timothy Odegard Oct. 12-13 at the Jack B. Kelley Student Center, Legacy Hall.
The conference will examine learning disabilities in two different sessions—1 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12 and 9 a.m. to 1Dr. Timothy Odegard2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13. On Friday, Odegard, professor of psychology at Middle Tennessee State University and Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies, will talk about “Building Blocks of Reading: An Overview of the Component Processes that Allow for the Comprehension of Written Language.” On Saturday, his presentation is titled “Parent to Parent: What Every Parent Should Know.”
There will be three breakout sessions during the lectures—“Beyond Phonemes: The Why’s and How’s of Morpheme Instruction,” “Behavior Management: How Can I Help my Student/Child,” and “Early Language Development and Early Intervention.”
“We are so excited and honored to host Dr. Timothy Odegard,” Tammye Jackson of the WTAMU Center for Learning Disabilities, said. “Dr. Odegard is a renowned international speaker on learning differences and is eager to share with us the latest in research, strategies, and more.”
Odegard’s research focuses on memory and language with an emphasis on understanding the development of those specific aspects in human cognition. In his research, he works to identify factors that may predict the response of individuals with dyslexia and reading disabilities with the hopes to improve intervention efforts to meet the needs of those individuals.
He joined Middle Tennessee State University in 2015 after serving as director of research and evaluation for Wilson Language Training Corporation. During Odegard’s postdoctoral fellowship, he completed a two-year dyslexia specialist training program at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas. He is a certified academic language practitioner (CALP) and a licensed dyslexia teacher in the state of Texas.
Registration for the event is required. The cost for professionals and community members is $20 per day. Faculty members from any higher education institution, as well as students from any school, may register and attend for free. Continuing Education Credit is available for $30 per day. Those interested in registering for the event or for Continuing Education Credit should do so by Oct. 11 at http://www.wtamu.edu/academics/learning-disabilities-lecture-series.aspx.”
-West Texas A&M University
