Educational Diagnosticians

Is there a time when something is not normal but it is also not a disability?Is there a time when something IS normal, but it is a disability?We tackle ideas about what it means to be disabled. It's not a simple as it seems.

Becki takes lists her top ten take away tips for the ways in which the new WJ V compares to previous versions of the test.

Nazzie discusses the new definition of Dyslexia as published by the International Dyslexia Association with listeners. The discussion includes a summary of her publication that attempts to analyze and critique the Texas guidance documents against evidence-based assessment practices. Here's a link to the article: https://www.etamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-Pater-Rov-Tagged.pdfIf you want to know more about the new definition of dyslexia, refer to the International Dyslexia Association.

Dr. Shanahan talks to us about how misinterpretations of reading theory by teachers may be limiting students' opportunities to develop literacy skills at higher levels. He's concerned about what happens after teacher help kids crack the code.Here's a link for purchasing Dr. Shanahan's book: Leveled Readers, Leveled Lives. Here's a link to Dr. Shanahan's blog.

Dr. Collins has recently become the president elect of the Counsel on Learning Disabilities. Her research is about teaching writing. She's a CALT, so she understands the challenges of teaching those with dyslexia. From writing instruction, to the importance of evidence and the CLD's stance on diagnosing learning disabilities, she has a lot to share. The future of the CLD is in good hands with Dr. Collins' leadership!Here's her article on writing interventions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19APKoZI2tTqWz07Oe4QGdmUVmuZowecf/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Amy Rogers is concerned about the challenges of the small town school districts. We chat about what those challenges are and how we can be resourceful when the odd are not in the favor of the small town school district.

Remember when Texas had a cap on the number of special education students who could be in special education? Dr. Morgan is the one who helped expose the harm of the cap. Dr. Morgan and Hu work for University at Albany’s Institute for Social and Health Equity. Time after time, they find that if there are 2 kids with the same reading or math struggles, the mainstream white student will be more likely to get the services than the minority child of color. Check out their articles: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10xjzZu0o4LDXZhOFbJgGTZp1dqjVR1Sp/view?usp=drive_linkhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/16xqlFTquDhavfPu56RnwZ7uaeLhyPB4O/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Tammy Stephens joins to tell us about professional judgment's role in determining disability and how organizing our informal data can help to improve that judgment. She has a new program called BOSCO that does just that. Here's the websight:https://www.jotform.com/customer-stories/bosco/

What would special education look like if it didn't include high incidence disabilities? Are you a preservist or a transformist? This one talks about the vision of special education. It reviews a book by Thomas Hehir, the director of OSEP for six years during the reauthorization of IDEA. His book is available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/13IJxrg

In this episode, diagnosticians discuss the vision of Special Education as seen through the perspective of Dr. Thomas Hehir, author of: New Directions in Special Education: Eliminating Ableism in Policy and Practice. Dr. Hehir was the head of OSEP during the time leading up to the re-authorization of IDEA in 2004. He was also the chair of Harvard's Ed.D. Special Education program for 20 years before he passed away. The discussion helps us to understand why the vision of Special Education as communicated from a perspective of OSEPs responsibility towards civil rights is often conflicted with the vision of most practitioners who aim to preserve what is special about special education.