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Dyslexia and Its Profiles: A Practical Guide for Teachers and School Leaders
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
Dyslexia and Its Profiles: A Practical Guide for Teachers and School Leaders
Presented by Casey Harrison, Author of Teaching Beyond the Diagnosis: Empowering Students with Dyslexia, Educator, Dyslexia Expert, and Founder of The Dyslexia Classroom and Wimberley (Texas) Dyslexia and Learning Center
Moderated by Cherie Pye, Manager, Product Marketing, Voyager Sopris Learning
Sponsored by Voyager Sopris Learning
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Dyslexia manifests differently in each student, and these distinctions are significant for instructional and support strategies. Although dyslexia is defined by well-established primary characteristics, there is considerable variability in the expression, severity, and impact of these characteristics, as well as in students’ responses to instruction and intervention. A single-deficit explanation does not sufficiently account for every learner. Understanding dyslexia as existing along a continuum enables recognition of the unique patterns of strengths and needs that shape each student’s learning profile.
In this second Dyslexia Awareness Week edWebinar, Casey Harrison helps educators understand the variability of dyslexia using accessible language, with a focus on instructional implications. The session examines how these differences present across individual learners, reasons why some individuals continue to exhibit signs of dyslexia following intervention, the nature of long-term patterns, and strategies for ensuring students receive appropriate support across instructional tiers throughout their academic careers and as they transition beyond the K–12 environment.
Casey also provides an overview of ongoing discussions about the 21st Century Dyslexia Act and the potential implications of proposed changes to the representation of dyslexia within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for educators. Currently, dyslexia is explicitly identified within the broader category of Specific Learning Disability (SLD) under IDEA. This discourse will highlight the importance of specificity in identification, while emphasizing that identification is only one aspect of understanding an individual learner’s needs. Casey will relate this discussion to the dyslexia continuum, examining the connections among identification, individual learning profiles, and evidence-based instructional decision-making.
Educators will gain a clearer understanding of:
- What dyslexia looks like in real students and why its characteristics can vary for learners
- How dyslexia exists along a continuum of strengths and needs and may present differently as children grow, receive instruction and intervention, and encounter changing academic demands
- Why naming dyslexia matters for instruction and intervention while recognizing that a diagnosis alone does not tell us exactly what an individual student needs next
- How proposed changes to the way dyslexia and SLD are represented and documented within IDEA could influence support for students with learning differences
This recorded session will help teachers, specialists, and school leaders develop more effective and accurate support systems by moving beyond identification toward a deeper understanding of individual learners. By acknowledging dyslexia’s variability and linking each student’s learning profile to instructional decision-making, educators can more precisely determine the next steps needed for student success.
This edWebinar is part of Dyslexia Awareness Week: Understanding Dyslexia, Empowering Educators, Transforming Outcomes.
About the Presenter
Casey Harrison is the founder of The Dyslexia Classroom and Wimberley (Texas) Dyslexia and Learning Center. She is a Certified Academic Language Therapist (ALTA), a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist (Texas, ALTA), a Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist (IDA), and a qualified teacher with more than 27 years of experience. Casey is a national presenter and author of Teaching Beyond the Diagnosis: Empowering Students with Dyslexia (released in 2025).
About the Moderator
Cherie Pye, Manager, Product Marketing at Voyager Sopris Learning, is committed to helping K–12 educators access solutions that truly support teaching and learning. She brings more than 15 years of experience in edtech and publishing, turning educator feedback into clear, meaningful communication that makes each program’s purpose unmistakably clear for teachers, interventionists, coaches, and administrators. Cherie’s work is grounded in listening deeply to educators, understanding their realities, and advocating for solutions that help them accelerate learning, strengthen instruction, and create more equitable outcomes for students.
Join the Empowering Struggling Readers community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Voyager Sopris Learning® is the specialist in reading, writing, and math intervention. Fully focused on intervention, we have established four decades of results that demonstrate the efficacy of our solutions. Providing a holistic offering of reading, writing, and math interventions and assessments, our solutions help educators create strong, sustainable foundations to ensure academic success for all students.
