Identifying and Addressing Orthographic Difficulties

To support dyslexia specialists in identifying and addressing orthographic difficulties in the light of the 2024 dyslexia definition. Consider impact of teaching approaches, analyse free writing, plan for intervention, consider standardised tests.

Purchase Free Preview

Session One:

-Define orthography

-Explain the limitations of a synthetic phonics approach for children with orthographic processing difficulties

Session Two:

-Through the analysis of samples of free writing identify the sources of knowledge individuals are using when spelling

-Plan for intervention to address difficulties in orthographic processing to improve spelling accuracy and reading fluency

Session Three:

- Assessing for orthographic processing difficulties in the context of a diagnostic assessment

- Quantitative analysis of orthography

-Current SASC guidance

Your trainer

Principal Lecturer, Stranmillis University College

Dr Sharon McMurray MBE

Dr Sharon McMurray is Principal Lecturer and Head of the Literacy Unit at Stranmillis University College, Belfast. She taught in primary schools from 1980 until December 2006. She taught in mainstream primary schools, a prep school, a school for children with moderate learning difficulties and a unit for children with dyslexia. She also worked as an outreach support teacher providing support for children with literacy difficulties in mainstream primary schools. She has been working in higher education since January 2007. Alongside her teaching she engaged in intensive study in the area of literacy difficulties and commenced her research into orthographic processing difficulties in 1997 with a Ph.D in learning to spell. She was awarded an MBE in 2017 for services to children with literacy difficulties and those with special educational needs and also received a lifetime achievement award from the BDA in 2017. In September 2021, at the request of the BDA, she presented to a Westminster All party parliament group (APPG) on what the research on phonics tells us. She is the author of the CSP Spelling and Language Programme and the Harberton Reading Programme.

Senior Trainer, Coach, Mentor

Sally-Ann Morrison

Hello there! I'm Sally-Ann, a former Patoss APC reviewer with over 25 years of experience as an SpLD Specialist. Throughout my career, I've contributed to postgraduate courses at London South Bank and Edge Hill University, where I served as Senior Lecturer on the AMBDA programme. As an assessor and long term APC holder myself, I can fully empathise with the challenges you may encounter in your professional journey. My goal is to support you in navigating your professional role and to enhance your skills as an assessor. I have a great network of fellow specialists and regularly consult with SASC to ensure that Praxis content is relevant, up to date and accurate. I am often commended on my ability to simplify potentially complex information, and I strive to bring that clarity to my training and coaching sessions. By working with me, you will embrace my motto of 'This is a do-able job.' I am here to guide you, fine tune you, and demonstrate that maintaining excellence in this field is within your reach.

Self study training modules

Enjoy immediate access on enrolment

120 days to access the content from your date of booking

Course reviews

See what others have to say about this course....

Excellent

Alison Davies

Really informative and up to date - but lots of information to digest now

Read Less

Food for thought

Leona Talsma

So much to unpick and apply from this course although under Sally-Ann's skilled guidance, this is set out clearly and reassuringly. A must-watch piece of tr...

So much to unpick and apply from this course although under Sally-Ann's skilled guidance, this is set out clearly and reassuringly. A must-watch piece of training as we move into the next phase of our assessment journey.

Read Less

A course not to be missed in the light of the Dyslexia De...

Mary Dowson

A wonderful opportunity to hear Dr. Sharon McMurray explain her research findings and give a detailed insight into her own teaching experience. The two sessi...

A wonderful opportunity to hear Dr. Sharon McMurray explain her research findings and give a detailed insight into her own teaching experience. The two sessions delivered by her reinforced my previous knowledge and understanding and further taught me about the importance of assessing orthography in the diagnostic process. She clearly explained the importance of orthographic knowledge and orthographic processing and gave some very valuable recommendations of how to address these difficulties. The third session delivered by Sally -Ann was also outstanding giving very clear information and recommendations about how we asses and use this information in our assessments reports so that it will meet the needs of the pupils and the requirements of the new Dyslexia definition.

Read Less

Brilliant!

Hilary Solomon

This was really such a brilliant course. Demystified orthography and Dr McMurray's wide knowledge was both fascinating and useful. As ever, Sally-Ann's ses...

This was really such a brilliant course. Demystified orthography and Dr McMurray's wide knowledge was both fascinating and useful. As ever, Sally-Ann's session - pulling the theory together and giving useful applications, explanations and recommendations - gives the calm and helpful push you need to ensure that this is something that you will always use in your assessments. Her spelling error analysis is a game changer!

Read Less

Really Good

Helen Boden

This course has been exceptionally helpful and reassuring. This insight and depth of knowledge shared was brilliant. This really does feel like something tha...

This course has been exceptionally helpful and reassuring. This insight and depth of knowledge shared was brilliant. This really does feel like something that has been missing from assessment practice and it is good that this has now been included within the Delphi explicitly.

Read Less