Decoding Strategies You Can Use Tomorrow

Many adults with low literacy need more than encouragement and general reading practice. They need clear, explicit support for how written words work. This session will cover practical decoding strategies you can use immediately.

About This Session

Description

Adult learners bring rich life experiences, problem-solving skills, and determination to literacy instruction, but many still struggle and may rely on guessing because no one explicitly taught them how to decode unfamiliar words.

This session will focus on practical, next-day strategies for supporting adult readers with foundational word-reading skills using examples from a foundational curriculum created for an adult audience.

What we'll cover:

Participants will explore why decoding remains essential even in adulthood, especially for those with persistent reading difficulties or characteristics of dyslexia. The session will cover practical strategies for supporting phonemic awareness, sound-symbol correspondence, and syllable division, among others.

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

Advocate for the importance of decoding instruction when working with adult learners with low literacy.
Identify common decoding barriers adult learners may experience.
Use at least 3 practical strategies related to decoding that can be implemented in their own setting

Topics & Focus

Primary Topic Area

Session will also cover:

Texas AEL PD Category:

Assigned by TCALL

Pending

See the full Texas AEL Guide.

Audience

Level

Case study?

Promotion?

Find definitions of topic areas, audiences, levels, and PD categories by clicking on any icon, or see them all on this page.

A note from the presenter:

Optional pre-read: Dyslexia and Adult Literacy: The Equity Issue We Can’t Afford to Ignore

Handouts & Materials

No handouts or materials available at this time.

“Name of Session” – session presentation slides (PDF)

Name of Document – lesson sample (PDF)

Name of Document (PDF)

Name of Document – infographic (JPG)

Presenter

Lara Speights
Children’s Museum Houston – Director of Strategic Projects
& Neuhaus Education Center – Research Coordinator

For nearly two decades, Lara Speights has worked in adult literacy, family learning, and educational systems that support language development across generations. Currently, she serves as Director of Strategic Projects at Children’s Museum Houston, where she collaborates across teams and community partners to design and scale intergenerational learning initiatives that support all children and families across Greater Houston, with a special emphasis on literacy and neurodivergence.

Previously, she led the Adult Literacy Program at Neuhaus Education Center, which serves adults reading at beginning levels, especially those with dyslexia and related reading difficulties. She remains connected to that work as a Research Coordinator and Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, and she is also a PhD candidate at Texas A&M University studying adult literacy development. Her research examines how advancing adults’ reading skills beyond the earliest stages of literacy influences functional literacy, self-efficacy, and professional progress.

Across roles, Lara focuses on how adult literacy and family learning systems can work together, guided by a belief that when adults gain access to language and literacy, the benefits ripple across households, communities, and generations.

Breakout26 – SPEIGHTS

Page checked or updated: 6/10/2026

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