June 2- 4, 2005 - Regina, Saskatoon
Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development
Plan it Quality: Environments in Early Learning and Child Care

This child care conference features international and national speakers with expertise on quality early learning child care, children's environmental health, and supportive family environments.

Speakers include: Thelma Harms; Margaret Tresch Owen (United States); Senator Landon Pearson; Alan Mirabelli; Gillian Dorothy (Canada); Bengt-Erik Andersson (Sweden); and Lillian Corra (Argentina).

For more information and registration material, visit the CEECD website at:

http://www.excellence-earlychildhood.ca/news.asp?lang=EN&menu;=noMenu&doc;=53

This meeting is in association with the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, June 24-26, 2005. Symposium begins 9:00 AM on June 23, 2005. Symposium Supporters: The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Psychiatry; The Hospital for Sick Children, Brain and Behaviour Programme; and The Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network.

Location: The Hospital for Sick Children Main Auditorium and Rotunda
The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario.
Maximum capacity 250 people.
Cost per person: $25 CAD, payable on site.
Fees cover the cost of lunch and coffee break.

To register, please email

The symposium will provide a format for focused talks by key labs involved in the study of genetics of dyslexia. Talks will be brief with ample time for discussion after each talk. Additional time for discussion will be provided at the end of the day.

Organized by: Dr. Cathy Barr, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathhurst St, Rm MP14-302, Toronto ON M5T 2S8, Canada, T: (416) 603-5800 X2744 or 2940 F: (416) 603-5126,

Confirmed speakers and talks include: Julie Williams, University of Wales, College of Medicine, UK
Title: Closing in on genes for developmental dyslexia on chromosome.

Erik Willcutt, Dept of Psychology, University of Colorado
Title: Understanding comorbidity: Genome screen for reading disability and ADHD

Gerd Schulte-Korne, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
Title: Linkage analysis of spelling disorder and related phenotypes on chromosome 15 and 18.

Cathy Barr, The Toronto Western Hospital
Title: Linkage studies of reading disabilities, working memory and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in the chromosome 6p and 15q regions.

Shelley Smith, University of Nebraska Medical Centre
Title: Candidate gene selection and evaluation for dyslexia.

Elena Grigorenko, Yale University
Title: Molecular-genetic mechanisms of reading difficulties in Russian.

Michael O'Donovon, University of Wales, College of Medicine, UK
Title: Gene identification in the chromosome 15q region.

Sudha Iyengar, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University
Title: Pleiotropy in genes for reading and speech sound disorder.

Juha Kere, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Title: Positional cloning of candidate genes for developmental dyslexia.

Jeff Gruen, Yale University, School of Medicine
Title: Progress Report: Mapping the 6p Reading Disability Gene

Richard Olson and Janice Keenan, University of Colorado, University of Denver
Title: Genetic and Environmental Influences on Reading and Language Disabilities

Stephen Petrill, The Pennsylvania State University
Title: Gene-Environment Processes and the Development of Reading Skills

Simon Fisher, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford University
Title: Tracing the connections between genes and cognition: insights from developmental dyslexia

Leigh Field, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia
Title: Genome screen for phonological coding dyslexia in a large sample of Canadian Families.

Ellen Wijsman, Division of Medical Genetics and Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington
Title: Use of phenotypic subtypes and complex trait models in genetic analysis of dyslexia

Silvia Paracchini, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford University,
Title: Functional analysis of the risk haplotype for dyslexia on chromosome 6p22

June 24-26, 2005 - Toronto, Ontario Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre
Twelfth Annual Meeting Society for the Scientific Study of Reading

Local Co-ordinator: Alexandra Gottardo,
Program Chair: Pieter Reitsma

For more information visit http://www.triplesr.org/conference/05conf.php

August 19-20, 2005 - St. Catharines, Ontario, Brock University
Conference on Children's Learning in a Digital World

Supported by: OWL Children's Trust and The Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network.

Computer games, software, and networking technologies are often viewed as threats to the well-being and development of children. But such beliefs are often unfounded. Computers provide opportunities for learning, problem solving, creativity, and autonomy. This two-day conference will present exciting and challenging new research that highlights the pros and cons of computers, including the social, intellectual, and cultural impacts it may have on our youth.

Speakers include: Craig Anderson, Iowa State University; James Paul Gee, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Mark Griffiths, Nottingham Trent University; Henry Jenkins, MIT; and Laurence Peters, Mid-Atlantic Regional Technology In Education Consortium.

Early registration is $100.00 per person until May 31, 2005. Visit the conference Web site at: http://www.brocku.ca/owl/registration.php