Virginia Berninger, Ph.D. Professor of Educational Psychology Research Affiliate, Center on Human Development and Disability Coordinator, Research Emphasis Area on Learning Disabilities vwb@u.washington.edu 206-616-6372 University of Washington, Box 353600 Seattle, WA 98195-3600

Dr. Berninger's research focuses on nature-nurture interactions in learning to read and write. She studies the phenotypes of the functional reading and writing systems and related aural/oral language and non-language processes in children with dyslexia, dysgraphia, or language learning disability in a family genetics study and in typically developing readers and writers in a longitudinal study. With a team of brain imagers, Berninger also studies related brain processes and how they change as a result of specific instructional treatments. Her research team has explored several approaches to professional development of educators and psychologists to meet the needs of readers and writers at risk for or with a learning disability.

On-going projects include investigation of normal writing and reading development and interrelationships among writing, reading, listening, and speaking in longitudinal studies following the same child for five years, beginning in grades 1 or 3. Also being studied is the possible transfer of training in a specific literacy skill to improvement in other literacy skills, comprising both early intervention for prevention of severe learning problems and intervention with upper elementary and middle-school students who have persisting problems. The ultimate goal of the Learning Disabilities Center is to improve assessment and treatment practices for students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and language learning disabilities. Projects focus on the biological or educational links to dyslexia, identifying effective instructional treatments, and developing teacher knowledge for implementing them.

University of Washington • Center on Human Development and Disability Box 357920 • Seattle WA 98195-7920 USA • 206-543-7701 •chdd@u.washington.edu

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