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Fall Dyslexia Conference Set For October 12


A professor of pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Dr. Susan Buttross is the keynote speaker at the fall dyslexia conference at Mississippi College.

Buttross is chief of the Division of Child Development and Behavioral Pediatrics at UMC in Jackson and also a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Other speakers at the Oct. 12 program on the MC campus include Clinton artist Rick Anderson, whose beautiful illustrations liven up the pages of his eight books geared to children. With titles like “M is for Magnolia: A Mississippi Alphabet” and “N is for the Natural State: An Arkansas Alphabet,” Anderson is a popular Mississippi artist with loads of young fans all over the region.

The program should attract about 100 visitors, including educators, parents and students.

Mississippi College’s conference is one of the events tied to Gov. Haley Barbour’s proclaiming October as Dyslexia Month in the Magnolia State. Dyslexia is a neurologically-based disorder that impairs one’s ability to read, write and spell.

MC’s Dyslexia Education Center is sponsoring the meetings on the Clinton campus. The center opened in 2007 and has received grants from the Phil Hardin Foundation of Meridian and the Robert Hearin Support Foundation of Jackson. The MC center offers an evaluation process that helps parents and educators understand how to teach dyslexic students.

Other speakers include Jackie Mockbee, dyslexia coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Education, MC education professor John Hunt, Robin Lemonis, an intervention specialist with the Rankin County School District and Terri Broome, dyslexia program coordinator with the South Panola public schools. There is a $50 registration fee to attend the program.

For more details on the conference, contact center director Mitto Bilbo at 601.925.7766.