Welcome to SPELD NZ's online Kōwae ako-Learning Capsules - ideal for educators and families seeking skills and wisdom to better support those who struggle with dyslexia, other specific learning disabilities and neurodivergence.
“What a truly exceptional resource.”
Click on each tile for full details. We’ve indicated where Learning Capsules are more family or educator-friendly but everyone is welcome to access all of them. We’re continually adding more to this knowledge hub, so watch this space!
Family-friendly Learning Capsules
Explore the underlying causes, impact and practical, evidence-based teaching strategies and accommodations for those struggling with numbers.
Former SPELD NZ student Katie Fisher – now an artist, illustrator and author – shares her journey from a highly anxious child into a resilient adult and the toolkit she has used along the way.
Explore how to better understand and support your child’s school journey. Learn key ways to engage with teachers/schools, how to advocate for your child, potential support available, classroom accommodations and ideas to help at home.
Expert advice on communicating with teachers and learning support staff, navigating workload and stress, building resilience, making the most of A.I., classroom accommodations, special assessment conditions, changes to NCEA and much more.
A highly practical, expert-led webinar on the earliest indicators of learning difficulties and simple, effective interventions to support tamariki in preschool and Year 1. This webinar includes children demonstrating recommended activities.
How can I help boost my child’s literacy and numeracy at home? Learn ways to help using simple, everyday, household materials.
Educator-friendly Learning Capsules
Explore the underlying causes, impact and practical, evidence-based teaching strategies and accommodations for those struggling with numbers.
A highly practical, expert-led webinar on the earliest indicators of learning difficulties and simple, effective interventions to support tamariki in preschool and Year 1. This webinar includes children demonstrating recommended activities.
Executive Function, Cognitive Load, and Supporting Students with Specific Learning Disabilities. Insightful learning bridging research and practice, with a focus on targeted interventions for students in both school and private settings.
Join Elena Ciobanu as she unpacks this evidence-based approach to developing writing skills across all year levels and subjects.
Delve deeply into how sounds are learned in the English language and understand their critical place in developing skills for reading and writing. Learn strategies and tools to strengthen your teaching kete.
Insights from the charismatic and deeply knowledgeable Dr Nathaniel Swain. Learn simple and effective paragraph structures for all students. Plus how to spot style and structure errors and remedy challenges with planning and revision.
Learn from Dr Nathaniel Swain’s infectious energy and deep expertise. Understand common writing errors at the sentence level and how to remedy challenges in writing.
Learn advanced spelling instruction and morphology from the dynamic Dr Nathaniel Swain in this presentation from SPELD NZ’s 2025 conference.
Oral Language Competence and Transition to Literacy – What can we learn from research? A SPELD NZ Lifting Literacy conference presentation by Professor Pamela Snow.
How did we get here and where are we going next? A presentation by Professor Pamela Snow at SPELD NZ’s Conference Lifting Literacy.
How knowledge improves spelling. A presentation by Dr Lillian Fawcett at SPELD NZ’s Lifting Literacy conference.
Personal Stories
Find out how SPELD NZ has helped both children and adults overcome their struggles with dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities.
Struggling to keep up at uni? It’s a huge leap from school to university where self-directed learning is required – especially for neurodivergent students. Here are some tips from the frontline.
Anthropologist Dr Ruth Gibbons views dyslexia not simply as a learning difficulty but as a different way of being in the world – almost like a subculture.
From highly anxious child to resilient adult: Former SPELD NZ student Katie Fisher shares the toolkit that helped her along the way.
Dyslexic entrepreneur Dave Begg actively hires neurodiverse staff. And he couldn’t be more optimistic about the future for his dyslexic daughter.
