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Dyslexia Duo Podcast

Dyslexia Duo Podcast

By: Aimee Rodenroth / Melissa Dean
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About this listen

The Dyslexia Duo Podcast is an educational podcast dedicated to sharing stories, insights, and research about dyslexia, literacy, and learning differences.

Your hosts are Aimee and Melissa. We are dyslexia therapists who have decades of experience in dyslexia education at both the student and teacher education level.

The podcast episodes will discuss the early signs of dyslexia and delve into the intricacies of various dyslexia approaches and curricula. Many episodes will be dedicated to the challenges that parents experience when attempting to obtain the support that they need for their child from their school system. We will also have guest speakers who are dyslexia researchers, advocates, and leaders.

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Episodes
  • Listen Again: Kareem Weaver

    Listen Again: Kareem Weaver
    Apr 4 2026
    The Dyslexia Duo: Kareem Weaver on Dyslexia, Literacy Policy, and Why Every Child Needs a Champion Aimee and Melissa interview educator and nonprofit leader Kareem Weaver, founder of Fulcrum (Full and Complete Reading is a Universal Mandate) Literacy. Kareem Weaver shares how dyslexia affected his friend Ennis Cosby and his own daughter, and argues for early screening (K–2), evidence-based structured literacy, strong tier-one instruction, and better teacher preparation programs, citing wide variation in Texas higher-ed ratings and state policy implementation. The discussion covers the harms of wait-to-fail models, discrepancies, and passing students along, accommodations, and parents’ advocacy roles, including a 2024 precedent (William A. v. Clarksville-Montgomery County) requiring meaningful progress, not just grades. Weaver connects low literacy to incarceration, describes the federal First Step Act dyslexia screening, critiques autonomy over outcomes, discusses differences for girls and inequities, and emphasizes giving children time, protecting activities, and ensuring every child has a champion. 01:08 Introducing Kareem Weaver 01:58 Kareem’s Education Journey 02:50 Fulcrum and Literacy Mission 03:49 Texas Connections and IDA 05:11 What Led Him to Dyslexia 06:01 Ennis Cosby and Landmark Shift 07:56 His Daughter’s Dyslexia Wake Up 09:19 Why Kids Tap Out 10:36 Texas Law and Early Screening 13:08 Teacher Prep and Reading Science 19:38 Boosters Football and Literacy Buy In 27:40 Tier One Instruction Is a Right 30:49 Autonomy vs Consistent Materials 33:06 Parents in ARD and 504 Meetings 35:38 Advocating Without Approval 37:58 IEP Rights and Legal Precedent 40:57 Low Income Advocacy Strategies 44:19 What to Demand From Schools 45:38 Home Habits That Build Reading 48:27 Dyslexia as Strength and Risk 53:32 Prison Screening and First Step Act 57:37 Fixing the System Early 59:37 Third Grade Gate Debate 01:04:20 Gift of Time and Holding Back 01:09:11 Let Kids Be Kids Too 01:12:10 A Student Success Story 01:16:30 Gendered Wait to Fail 01:18:44 Race Class Expectations 01:20:19 Learner Bias in Reading 01:24:17 Post COVID Attendance Shift 01:29:44 Can Public Schools Recover 01:32:48 Parents Rights and Boundaries 01:37:04 Resources to Learn More 01:40:22 Write the Advocacy Book 01:46:04 Every Child a Champion 01:49:59 Closing Thanks and Credits
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    1 hr and 54 mins
  • Dyslexia Duo Podcast Episode 85 - Dr. Tiffany Hogan

    Dyslexia Duo Podcast Episode 85 - Dr. Tiffany Hogan
    Mar 28 2026
    The Dyslexia Duo: Dr. Tiffany Hogan on Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia, and Language Comprehension On the Dyslexia Duo podcast, hosts Melissa Dean and Aimee Rodenroth interview speech-language pathologist and literacy researcher Dr. Tiffany Hogan about the relationship between dyslexia and developmental language disorder (DLD). Dr. Hogan describes her training and research, including analyses from the NIH-funded Iowa Study that followed children from kindergarten through 12th grade and helped determine DLD prevalence. She explains that dyslexia primarily involves difficulty reading words accurately and fluently, while DLD involves difficulties learning vocabulary, grammar, and discourse, with a high but not one-to-one overlap (about 50–80%). The conversation covers early indicators such as late talking (fewer than 50 words and no two-word combinations at age two), the need to directly screen language (e.g., sentence repetition, story retell), overlap with ADHD, and the importance of systematic, explicit instruction for both word reading and language comprehension, including MTSS approaches. Hogan shares resources including DLDandMe, Empower DLD, RADLD, and her See Hear Speak podcast. 00:44 Introducing Dr Tiffany Hogan 01:42 Her Path Into Research 03:11 The Iowa Longitudinal Study 04:38 Dyslexia Versus DLD 06:39 Overlap And Real Examples 10:23 Two Pillars Of Reading 12:19 Early Signs And Late Talkers 14:57 Building Language At Home 18:45 Beyond Phonological Deficits 21:02 Screening For DLD In Schools 23:44 ADHD Comorbidity And Systems 27:05 Tumbleweed Reading Tools 27:25 Dyslexia Services Spotlight 28:25 Research on Dual Deficits 30:11 Language Curriculum Results 31:09 Training and Fidelity 34:15 MTSS for Language 35:56 Why DLD Gets Missed 37:12 Integrating Language in Therapy 40:55 Partnering With SLPs 43:11 Parents Next Steps 44:38 Best DLD Resources Online 47:14 Lightning Round and Wrap 49:47 Final Sign Off
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    51 mins
  • Listen Again: Dr. Fumiko Hoeft

    Listen Again: Dr. Fumiko Hoeft
    Mar 21 2026
    The Dyslexia Duo: Neuroscience of Dyslexia: Genetics, Brain Differences, Stealth Dyslexia, and Early Identification with Dr. Fumiko Hoeft Aimee and Melissa host the Dyslexia Duo podcast and interview Dr. Fumiko Hoeft, a psychiatrist and neuroscience PhD who is Campus Dean and Chief Administrative Officer at the University of Connecticut’s Waterbury campus and a professor of psychological sciences, about dyslexia research and identification. Dr. Hoeft describes her path from psychiatry and cross modal integration research to dyslexia neuroscience at Stanford, and shares personal connections through her younger son’s dyslexia and her own suspected symptoms. The discussion covers polygenic, multifactorial genetic risk; variability even among twins; evolving definitions emphasizing neurodevelopmental basis, continuum, context, and psychosocial consequences; “stealth”/resilient dyslexia as strong comprehension despite weak decoding linked to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; brain networks involved in reading and compensation; overlap with auditory processing disorder and ADHD; evidence cautions for interventions; and why early, written school referrals and early intervention reduce costs and social-emotional harm. 01:06 Introducing Dr. Fumiko Hoeft 02:38 Career Path to Dyslexia 04:12 Family Connection and Early Signs 06:20 Convincing Parents to Test 08:25 Genetics and Risk Factors 11:09 How Genes Are Studied 15:08 Defining Dyslexia Today 22:55 Stealth Dyslexia Explained 28:35 Brain Networks for Reading 37:12 Auditory Processing Overlap 43:19 Neural Noise Hypothesis 44:34 What Brain Noise Means 48:17 Diagnosing Dyslexia Right 51:15 Parent Documentation Tips 53:35 Working Memory Reality Check 57:09 Why Early Identification Matters 01:01:17 Preschool Risk vs Diagnosis 01:06:57 ADHD Dyslexia Overlap 01:13:45 Strength Based Remediation 01:17:19 Resources and Mentoring 01:20:45 Final Wish and Wrap Up
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    1 hr and 25 mins
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