ALTA IL Webinar | Change the Lens: Helping Students See Themselves Through Their Strengths (10/17/2026)

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

ALTA Illinois presents

CHANGE THEIR GLASSES: HELP STUDENTS SEE THEMSELVES THROUGH THE LENS OF THEIR STRENGTHS

$30 Members | $45 Non-Members | 1.5 CEs

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Are your students experiencing low self-esteem and high anxiety? This engaging presentation equips educators with practical, strengths-based tools designed to support the social and emotional needs of students with dyslexia — tools that can be used both inside and outside the classroom.

Through a focus on resilience, innovation, and connection, participants will learn how to help students see themselves through the lens of their strengths, build confidence, lower anxiety, and develop a genuine love of reading. Attendees will leave with valuable resources ready to implement immediately.

This session is aligned with Structured Literacy Instruction standards, including understanding the rationale for — and adapting instruction to accommodate — individual differences in cognitive, linguistic, sociocultural, and behavioral aspects of learning.

Measurable Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Identify common strengths of students with dyslexia
Discover tools that leverage those strengths to increase self-esteem and lower anxiety
Practice using strengths-based tools that support students with dyslexia in real classroom contexts

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:
Nicki Winter, MEd, LDT, CALT

Throughout her career in education, Nicki Winter, MEd, LDT, CALT, has had a passion to help struggling readers learn to read. After teaching at the elementary level, she became a dyslexia therapist and educational diagnostician. Witnessing students with low self-esteem and high anxiety walk through her door inspired Winter to research tools and practices that support the social and emotional needs of her students. This research led to the creation of Brilliant Strengths: A Strengths-Based Program Designed to Raise Self-Esteem and Lower Anxiety in Students with Dyslexia. As a dyslexia therapist, Winter aims to not only improve students’ reading skills but also increase their self-esteem by identifying and focusing on their strengths. It is her hope that every person who uses Brilliant Strengths will embark on a journey that changes their perspective from one of seeing themselves through the lens of their weaknesses, to one of seeing themselves through the lens of their strengths. To build on students’ reading foundations, she is also the author of Brilliant Readers Book One: Open and Closed Syllables. Along with spending time with family and friends, Winter loves to eat cake, drink tea, and add to her collection of children’s books. She lives in Grapevine, Texas, with her husband, two children, two dogs, and hopefully one day a mini pocket pig!

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Can't make the live event? A recording will be emailed to you 2 weeks post-event.

Event registration is non-refundable upon purchase.
Recordings will be made available on or around October 31, 2026

The Academic Language Therapy Association upcoming events

ALTA IL Webinar | Change the Lens: Helping Students See Themselves Through Their Strengths (10/17/2026)

ALTA Illinois presents

CHANGE THEIR GLASSES: HELP STUDENTS SEE THEMSELVES THROUGH THE LENS OF THEIR STRENGTHS