Speaking

Penny’s real-life experience growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia and the discovery of her own daughter’s struggle with dyslexia was the catalyst to approaching the treatment of dyslexia from a holistic mindset. Penny Stack, OTD, OTR/L, CLT is the founding owner of Dyslexia Center of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Penny has over 30 years of experience as an occupational therapist that include working with children who have special learning needs. Penny is certified in Handwriting Without Tears, received her Master’s in Occupational Therapy at Samuel Merritt College, Oakland California and her Doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy at Loma Linda University. Her research on closed head injuries and cognitive retraining has been published in Brain Injury Journal. Penny has dedicated her current research to Dyslexia and Its Impact on Occupation: The lived experience.
Judith M
“I had the privilege of attending your seminar on dyslexia and building new neuropathways. I am a seminar, webinar, conference and workshop junkie. As a special education teacher and an educational therapist for a combined twenty years, I attend academic presentations several times a year. I have a need to learn everything I can to best support my children and adults with special needs. By far, hands down, this seminar was the best of all I’ve attended.
As you spoke, I identified individuals with whom I work to the information I was hearing. One of my clients, an eighth grade boy, I describe as having learned helplessness. Despite my efforts to motivate him and to move him forward, I have been unsuccessful. His body language presents as listless. He has no grit! Fixed mindset! I saw this boy after the seminar. I took what you discussed about grit and used it in my session. WHAT A TURNAROUND! (Okay, a few steps forward but a major difference.) I asked him how he experiences school as person with reading struggles. He opened up and told me. As he spoke, he raised his head , straightened up a bit, and looked at me. We had a nice talk explaining why he has these struggles and that it’s not his fault. We had a further discussion on how we can proceed so he can be more in charge of his life. When we went back to the work at hand, he sat up, focused and tried his best to answer the questions asked of him—a big change”
Jamie K
“I attended your conference in New Jersey today and learned so much more about Dyslexia. You are an outstanding presenter and I loved your disposition! Thank you so much!”
Jennifer F.
“My name is Jennifer, and I have just completed your Dyslexia Building NEW Neural Pathways to Master Visual and Auditory Memory, Visual Perceptual Skill, Visual Motor Skill Development and More! course on PESI.
All I can say is WOW. THANK YOU! I have taken hours and hours of continuing education. I have a constant thirst for a deeper understanding of our role in the team and a desire to help my personal children as well as my “other” children with learning differences. Because of this, I have taken a multitude of courses on executive functioning and other subjects. I have NEVER walked away from a course with so much evidence-based knowledge, direction for better evaluation and treatment, and a true belief that the presenter was there not for money, or fame, but solely to enhance the lives of others.
Like yourself, I was a “therapy kid” and I find that allows me to reach levels of empathy and passion for my children that can’t really be understood by people who come to our profession just to make a living. Also, like yourself, my son is a smart, motivated, caring, visual perceptual genius who can put together puzzles with ease but struggles endlessly with reading and writing- despite my best OT interventions. On behalf of him and so many children on my caseload I just want to thank you so much for your presentation. I can’t wait to continue to put what I learned from this course into action.
I would love to hear more about opportunities to learn from you, to have you teach my staff and to have my son or others on my caseload evaluated in your clinic. We live in Atlanta- but you are worth the travel!”
Natalie B
“I wish I would have attended this course years ago! Very relevant to what I do as an OT in the public school system. Thank you for sharing your years of experience and research for us to help our student’s with Dyslexia in a more profound way! THANK YOU!!”
Rachel V
“Great course! Thank you Penny!”
Susan K
“Penny Stack was very knowledgeable and was able to convey her knowledge well. “
Denise S
“Wonderful presentation, very helpful for my private speech-language pathology practice.”
Kristine R
“Very informative! I enjoyed this presentation. “
Elisha M
“She was a very engaging speaker”
Karen I
“Very useful information”
Traci S
“Excellent, knowledgeable presenter. Excellent, very useful information presented to use with potential clients. One of the best courses I’ve taken! Thank you!”
Kristen H
“Great information!”
Edith G
“Excellent course!!”
Elisha M
“She was a very engaging speaker”
Elisha M
“She was a very engaging speaker”
Kay K
“Great course! One of my career favorites.”
Carmen A
“This was an awesome training module! I am taking away information on how to explain my role with dyslexia, and how to provide treatment strategies that can impact student success.”
Zoe M
“Informative and helpful.”
Cheryl L
“Penny had a wealth of knowledge. I am an OT and benefitted greatly from the evaluation and treatment part of the presentation. I would like to see more information in those areas. “
Sara B
“Mrs. Stack was a wonderful presenter. I was able to learn strategies to help deal with Dyslexia and the importance of a team of helping professionals to aid a child with Dyslexia. No one is a complete expert that is why it takes a team.”
Lisa W
“I enjoyed this webinar, very informative and a lot to think about”
BARBARA M
“Great Presentation! I learned a great deal about the far reaching concept of dyslexia. So much more that I had thought before. Lots of great therapy tips, as well, including some for an SLP like myself. Penny is a talented presenter. Would like to see her again.”
Dee A
“The course was excellent and I enjoyed it very much.”
Amanda K
“By far one of the best seminars I have attended. Informative and also provided interventions for the clinician and the parents. Awesome Job!!!!!!”
Katya R
“Very informative and interesting presentation. Thank you!”
Roxy R
“LOVED YOUR WORKSHOPS”
Jen
“I really like Penny Stack’s approach to dyslexia, treating the whole person in a coordinated way. As a parent trying to learn about it all, figuring out what to do when, finding the correct provider, coordinating schedules; well it’s alot and our kids pay the price. I really appreciate that you and Jennifer are expanding your knowledge to help our kids, especially because our area is so lacking. Thank you for sharing the seminars with me!”
Angee L
“I just completed your PESI training on Dyslexia and enjoyed it very much and learned a great deal. Though it was out of my scope of practice I gained insights into the field of OT and Dyslexia that will benefit advocacy for others needing services.”
Rebecca J
“I enjoyed your course and learned some new things.”
Becky C
“I took your Pesi course “Building New Neuropathways” and I am excited to dive in! I appreciate your layout of materials for assessment and treatment. I am excited to follow the model you developed.”
Tara B
“Thank you, I really enjoyed your seminar. I have already “accidentally” been incorporating auditory and visual memory into my practice with students who have suspected dyslexia. So I am really excited to hear I was on the right track.”
Jane C
“Your presentation was valuable to me in that it not only affirmed what we are doing at Nottingham School, but it will also continue to urge me to keep asking ‘Why!’ “
Deborah H
“I really appreciated attending your presentation in Manchester, NH with PESI. I’m a reading specialist and speech language specialist and your insight into the OT area for reading was useful and applicable.”
Stephanie G
“I appreciated your course so much. I went to a continuing education course this week and I did not feel the same way leaving as I did yours! Your approach, passion, and experience I felt brought so much to the class. Thank you again!”
Carrie B
“I attended your “Dyslexia-Building New Neuropathways” course last summer in Milwaukee. I enjoyed it and came away with a new perspective on training working memory in children.”
Gloria C
“I attended your seminar in Baton Rouge. It was very informative and I appreciate your instruction. I’ve remediated children with Dyslexia for about 15 years, and you are the first person I’ve met who actually addressed recall issues.”
Tzipporah G
“Thank you for your course. It hit a home run. I’m an OT for almost 40 years. I organically went into OT because I wanted to help kids that were struggling in school but never really found enough of the right answers and do to other reasons have been doing Early Intervention for last 20 plus years. It was a combination of desire to help my youngest daughter who is in high school doing and well ,but deep down she knows she has a reading problem like her mother and also to help my grandchildren that I signed up for your course. We have slipped through the cracks and found ways to compensate for our “hidden disabilities”.”
Erin J
“I just completed your course through PESI regarding dyslexia and am very impressed.”
Julie W
“I am excited to get back to school this Fall to work with my students on building neuropathways….the information gathered from your seminar was very enlightening.”
Karie R
“Thank you again for your excellent PESI presentation in Milwaukee.”
Jennifer P
“Thank you for the wonderful presentation in Charlotte yesterday on the importance of creating new neuropathways for the treatment of dyslexia. I learned so much from you! I worked in traumatic brain injury and stroke rehab for 11 years, and it was an affirmation of the rich opportunities of the rehab model.”
Emma S, Broken Arrow Oklahoma Public School PTA
“Dr. Penny Stack did an AMAZING job presenting to our group. She was relatable, yet professional. We loved that she was interactive and mindful to be sure everyone had a chance to ask a question. She was very open to future communication with our attendees. She was perfect! Loved it and love her!”
Speaking Topics
- The Science of Reading the Magnocellular Theory of Dyslexia Discussed Executive Cognitive Functions Required for Reading Success
- Evaluation to Treatment Plan
- Building Neuropathways: Dyslexia Therapy Intervention
- Dyslexia Strategies and Accommodations: K-12 and Beyond
- The Real Impact of Dyslexia: Beyond Reading
- Custom presentations are available.
