Program
Screening for dyslexia and other reading disabilities: The WHY, WHOM, WHEN, WHERE, and HOW
This session will address screening for literacy milestones and reading disabilities, including developmental dyslexia in early elementary grades. It will provide the WHY behind the screening movement, focusing on the neurobiology of reading development and reading disabilities. It will further introduce the 'Dyslexia Paradox', outline the important constructs to screen for with a developmental lens, and discuss practical steps for implementing a screening protocol in various educational, clinical, or community settings. The session will conclude with an review of important criteria for picking the most appropriate screener for various contexts, as well as a discussion about the educational and clinical implications of screening young children for learning disabilities.
Genetic essentials (not essentialism) for practitioners
This talk will demystify genetics by explaining basic genetics terminology and summarising our current understanding of how genes influence the differences between people in their reading skills, including difficulties in reading. It will speak to some lay conceptions around genetic determinism, which unlike single gene disorders does not apply to complex traits like cognitive abilities. Complex traits are associated with many genes of very small effect and also associate with factors in the environment. The implications that genetic findings on reading skill and dyslexia have for educational practice, including identification will be discussed. And the perspective of people with lived experience of dyslexia (themselves or as a carer of a dyslexic child/young person) on genetics research will be highlighted.
French Institute of Health and Medical Reseach
Building Readers Through Science: Evidence from Kalulu’s Open-Source Literacy Program
How can cognitive science research be transformed into classroom practices that truly help children learn to read? This question lies at the heart of Kalulu, the open-source, evidence-based literacy program developed by Excello Lab in collaboration with the Collège de France.
This presentation will share results from a series of randomized controlled field experiments conducted in France, Brazil, Colombia as well as current AB testing in Argentina, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador. Across these contexts, the Kalulu approach, grounded in the science of reading and designed for open access, provides structured, phonics-based instruction and digital learning tools that teachers can freely download and adapt to their classrooms.
We compare outcomes across linguistic and educational environments to examine how evidence-based reading instruction can improve decoding, fluency, and comprehension, while remaining sensitive to local pedagogical cultures. In France, Kalulu serves as a testbed for linking cognitive neuroscience with national curricula, whereas in Latin America, it offers scalable, low-cost solutions for improving literacy equity.
By connecting field evidence, neuroscientific theory, and open educational resources, this work illustrates how research can drive practical change — transforming not only how we understand reading acquisition, but how we support every child in becoming a reader.
CAL:ON Cymru is a national, bilingual literacy initiative in Wales developed in response to concerns about reading and language outcomes among children and young people. Recent evidence has highlighted declining reading performance, alongside persistent inequalities, prompting the need for a coordinated, system-level approach to literacy improvement.
Funded by the Welsh Government and led by Bangor University, CAL:ON seeks to strengthen literacy outcomes across primary and secondary education through the integration of evidence-informed programmes, digital screening and assessment tools, and sustained professional learning for teachers, teaching assistants, and school leaders. A defining feature of the project is its operation within a bilingual and biliterate education system, where learners develop literacy in Welsh, English, or both, often across different school and community contexts.
This talk will outline the design and rationale of CAL:ON, situating it within the international research base commonly described as the science of reading, while addressing the additional conceptual and practical challenges of applying this evidence in bilingual settings. These include aligning structured literacy approaches across two languages, supporting transfer between languages, and designing assessment and intervention that are both linguistically and culturally appropriate.
CAL:ON is being evaluated through a programme of large-scale, real-world trials, including randomised controlled designs, embedded within everyday school practice. The talk will be relevant to researchers, teacher educators, and practitioners working in bilingual or multilingual contexts.