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Individual Differences
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“ I feel very passionate about IDL’s continued mission to support families and children with exceptional talents and exceptional challenges in learning. I remember being amazed at the grass-roots efforts reported in the local paper when I first moved to
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MELISSA KAY
KAREN KYGER was instrumental in developing the sections on dyslexia for the Walking the Path professional development materials. She also edited and reviewed many sections with Dr. Boser. Karen Kyger currently serves on the executive committee of IDL and is helping to organize the new website. She is also on the early identification advisory committee for the HCPSS. Ms. Kyger worked for the
AMY LECHTER-SIEGEL has been instrumental in grant writing and submission for IDL. She wrote the grant for IDL that has made it possible for us to have a Volunteer Maryland Coordinator for the year 07-08 and also procured us a Columbia Foundation grant for our professional development work. Amy has the following to say about being an active part of IDL: “As is true for many members of IDL, my epiphany came late in life when I read Ned Hallowell’s book, Driven to Distraction and finally gained insight into the paradox that had haunted me all my life. I had known that I was very talented in some areas and I also knew it was often a sisyphusian task to produce the good work of which I was capable and which brought me so much pleasure. I came to understand that I had learning disabilities. I have two Masters degrees and all course work toward a Ph.D.. I had worked as a Librarian and a college English teacher. After reading Hallowell’s book, I wanted to help students with Learning Disabilities in the fields of reading and writing. I became an Orton-Gillingham tutor and I saw enormous success through the use of that methodology. I have worked as a college tutor and a grant writer in the area of Learning Differences. I am proud to be associated with IDL because it has made enormous strides in enlightening our families and schools about the state –of- the- art research in the field of working with twice exceptional students. IDL’s fabulous Professional Development Programs, undertaken in collaboration with the educational leadership of Howard County Public Schools, has taught the principle that it is as important to reward and nurture students’ talents as it is to remediate their weaknesses. After all, it is through one’s proficiencies that one comes to feel powerful and creative in the world. I hope IDL can grow to become an even stronger voice in educating our community about all kinds of minds.”
LAURA SHOVAN is an active member of IDL’s speaker committee. As a high school English teacher with a BFA and master’s degree in teaching, Ms. Shovan worked with bright young writers, advising an award-winning newspaper and a literary magazine. She also became involved with the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation’s Poetry Program, coordinating the student award-winner readings at both the 1996 and 1998 Dodge Poetry Festivals. Her poetry has been published in several literary journals and at Poets Online. After moving to
Ms. Shovan’s ten-year-old son, Robbie, is a gifted student. He is learning to manage his dyslexia with the help of teachers, private tutors, and his family. Robbie also has sensory processing disorder, but an active sports schedule keeps his sensory system organized
is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer/Information Services with 5 years experience with IDL and our liaison to CHADD. Ms. Weaver was the events planner for our monthly speaker series, managed our databases and mass email and marketing and was involved in fundraising and partnership development. She is also a member of the MSDE Advisory on ADHD and on the early identification advisory committee of the Howard County Public schools. Here is was she says about her involvement in IDL: “Eager to seek out information and knowledge about how to help my own child I discovered and met IDL’s founders in 2002. I was very impressed with the impact IDL was making and felt that their approach to educating, promoting awareness and understanding for all those who touched the health, social and emotional well being of our children was extremely worthwhile. I joined their efforts to raise awareness of bright children with learning differences both in the community and in the school system. Since then I have been active in furthering these efforts by implementing IDL’s original monthly speaker series as well as helping market and promote IDL’s initiatives, such as the professional development series, fundraising, database management, etc. As a director of IDL’s Board, I continue to support IDL’s overall mission. I am a liaison for IDL to the Greater Baltimore Chapter of CHADD and continue to collaborate with other organizations in the community that seek to make a positive difference in the lives of our children. I am so very thankful for all the wonderful and supportive people, parents, educators, professionals and friends we have met while working as a volunteer for IDL. As it is said, “Together we can truly make a difference!”, and we are.” FRIENDS OF IDL and SPEAKERS
FRAN BOWMAN: has been in the field of special education for 34 years. She has taught all levels from pre-school to graduate school.. She was appointed to the "No Child Left Behind" Leadership Team in
She says “ I know that parents like those who work with IDL are hard to find. It is so difficult to make the time to serve other families, as most of these parents in IDL have children of their own, who require a tremendous amount of their personal time, as well. I know, with all of my heart, that early and specific intervention with students can totally and completely change their lives. I am honored to provide office space to these dedicated individuals.”
is certified through YogaKids International®, Radiant Child and The Yoga Center of Columbia. Liz teaches children’s yoga as a tool for connecting physical strength, balance and flexibility to inner wisdom, self control and personal power. She has worked in
a licensed psychologist now practicing in Columbia, previously co-coordinated the Birth to Five Clinic at Johns Hopkins, Kennedy Krieger Family Center. Since then, she has administered hundreds of psychological evaluations and provided individual psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and adults, specializing in anxiety, ADHD, depression, and learning differences in a variety of outpatient settings, also serving as a consultant to parents and school personnel. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology in 1999 and is recognized on the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and serves on the Board of Professional Practice of the Maryland Psychological Association. She has presented at national conferences and has had several publications in professional journals. She believes in public school and is encouraged by the strides that IDL is making in forging positive, working relationships with members of the Howard County School System. She is proud to be a part of such a vital group, who care so deeply, not only for their children but for all students with learning differences.
LINDA SPENCER Ph.D., is a Maryland-licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is also the Immediate Past Coordinator of CHADD
Her professional degrees are from Southern Illinois University,
Dr. Spencer has the following to say about CHADD and IDL’s efforts “Combining our efforts and teaming with the public school system to educate those professionals who work with our students is very important. We fully support IDLA’s efforts in educating and raising awareness about the needs of twice exceptional learners, many of whom have AD/HD. We look forward to continued mutual support of IDLA”
DR. JANE SNIDER, who received her B.A., M.A., and, in 1978, her Ed.D. in special education from The George Washington University, began her career as a special education classroom teacher. Since, she has become a pioneer in the field of educating children with certain learning disabilities. After personally observing and working with thousands of children who were not performing in their various school environments, she discovered that many students have differing learning patterns. Frustrated and lacking self-esteem, these children, often labeled as learning disabled, were crying out for help. They had trouble reading, writing, or breaking big tasks into smaller steps. Yet Dr. Snider knew they could learn with a different learning environment and teaching strategy. In her view, the children were not learning disabled; they merely learned differently. When Dr. Snider realized that few area schools could cater to dyslexic children, she envisioned creating a school environment in which children could be educated according to their individual learning styles and needs. Thus was born the
Armed with her vision, she established an independent not-for-profit school, developed the school's mission statement, and in the fall of 1989, opened the doors, beginning with twenty-five children and seven teachers. Today, the nationally recognized campus has approximately one hundred students and more than thirty teachers. Hundreds of students have graduated and succeeded.Dr. Snider's efforts have empowered the faculty, the parents, and especially the children. She is passionate in her desire to rebuild each child's self-esteem. "There are no learning disabilities," she said. "There are only teaching disabilities. Each child wants to succeed and each child is successful on his own time line." The parents of
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