Let’s imagine for a moment that you’ve just completed a school-wide dyslexia screening, and you have in your hands a list of students who are at risk for dyslexia.

What do you do now? 

If you’re fortunate enough to work in a school district where certified academic language therapists (CALTs) are available, your next steps will likely be a lot clearer. That’s because a CALT is specially trained to identify dyslexia, to work with families to clarify priorities, to plan individualized education program (IEP) and 504 goals, and to provide individualized structured language therapy for as long as a student needs it.

In some regions, working with a CALT is a relatively new option. What should administrators, special educators, and school psychologists know about the benefits of having a CALT on the dyslexia team? 

What exactly is a CALT?  

CALTs are specialists with extensive training in English language systems, reading, and language-based disorders, including dyslexia and dysgraphia. They specialize in helping students build their reading skills from the ground up. 

To earn a CALT designation from the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA), educators must:

• hold a master’s degree or higher;
• complete at least 200 hours of graduate-level instruction in comprehensive multi-sensory structured language education;
• complete an extensive series of practicum experiences totaling at least 700 hours, supervised by a CALT Qualified Instructor (CALT-QI); and
• complete at least 10 graded demonstrations over a minimum 2-year period.

CALTs must also pass a national certification exam and adhere to an ethical code of conduct.

What are the benefits of including a CALT on your dyslexia team? 

Dyslexia is a complex neurodevelopmental condition. For that reason, experts generally recommend comprehensive dyslexia evaluations conducted by a multidisciplinary team (Mather & Schneider, 2023).

While no single profession has exclusive purview over dyslexia evaluation, it can be beneficial to include professionals with extensive, specialized dyslexia training.  

Here’s a brief look at the benefits of including a CALT on your dyslexia team: 

1. CALTs are highly trained dyslexia experts.

CALTs are dyslexia specialists. They have advanced training in decoding, encoding, phonology, phonics, orthography, morphology, semantics, syntax, and multi-sensory teaching methods.

Jackie Valadez, PhD, LDT, CALT-QI is an educational diagnostician and president of the Texas Dyslexia Center based in Boerne, TX. She explains, “The knowledge that CALTs bring to a campus, a district, or a reading and literacy team is so important. We understand reading development from its foundation. Through our extensive training, we know what dyslexia is, what it looks like, and where the struggles are.” 

Lynne Fitzhugh, PhD, LDT, CALT-QI has been training teachers at Colorado College since 2007. She founded and now directs the college’s Master of Arts in Teaching – Dyslexia Specialist Program. “We cannot address dyslexia without experts who are grounded in the structure of the English language,” she says. “I tell our students that my goal for them is that they are the most knowledgeable reading experts out there in their communities.” 

2. CALTs have considerable hands-on experience working with students who have dyslexia.

In addition to instructional requirements, CALTs spend 700+ hours in direct, clinical one-on-one or small group intervention with students in 3 practicum settings. 

“I would say the practicum experience is probably as important as the actual classroom knowledge,” Dr. Fitzhugh says. “It’s incredibly valuable.”

Clinical practicum experiences are supervised, and students receive feedback on their interactions with students, Dr. Valadez notes. “Trainees, initially, are learning as they are servicing students. Understanding the ‘why’ of what they’re doing can be an eye-opener,” she says. “Trainees attend seminars, receive further instruction in the curriculum, and discuss current research as they delve deeper into their two-year practicum.”  

3. CALTs are knowledgeable about both diagnosis and intervention.

Roles and responsibilities for CALTs vary according to the setting. But for most, their primary contribution relates to assessment and identification, whether they work in private practice, clinical sites, or schools.

“Where I worked, we tested for dyslexia and related disorders under section 504,” Dr. Valadez explains. “When a student was referred for dyslexia testing under special education, we collaborated with the school psychologist. The school psychologist did some of the testing, and we did some. We wrote the reports together, including the summary, findings, and recommendations. It was a collaborative approach.”

Many CALTs also manage intervention programs, which typically take two years to complete. Intervention programs take a structured literacy approach, systematically breaking language and reading skills into manageable pieces. Instructional sessions feature sight, sound, touch, and movement modalities. To be considered therapeutic, sessions must be held a minimum of 120 minutes per week. 

4. CALTs can be excellent parent and family advocates.

In some school districts, CALTs are part of the official school-based dyslexia team. In other places, they may be brought in chiefly to advocate for students and families in cases where the school may not yet be providing sufficient services for the student.

CALTs can be instrumental in explaining the evaluation and intervention process to students and families. They can help parents articulate their concerns, share their priorities, and contribute meaningful goals to IEP, 504, and other intervention plans. They can also communicate school initiatives to parents, helping to ensure families understand their rights and responsibilities.

Megan Pinchback, LDT, CALT, is the owner of Dyslexia On Demand, an organization that pairs CALTs with families, educators, and health care providers. She points out that she and her colleagues often support educational advocates during the IEP process. 

“When the school is lacking in the knowledge needed to serve children with dyslexia, a CALT can discuss the difference between dyslexia therapy and instructional support methods,” she explains. “We can also discuss meaningful servicing time and therapy-specific goals.” 

5. CALTs can bring continuity of care to the process. 

The two-year intervention program is a long-lasting educational partnership that can bridge school years. In fact, some CALTs continue to be a resource to students and families long after the initial program has concluded

Dr. Fitzhugh points out, “They may have completed a two-year remediation program, but there will still be times when that elementary child gets to junior high or high school and there are other needs—study skills or executive skills functioning—where our members provide advanced levels of support to see a student all the way through college and into adult life.”

Continuity of care also extends to other health concerns that can arise for students with dyslexia.  

“Dyslexia is neurobiological,” Dr. Valadez explains. “We know the characteristics of co-occurrences that may develop along with dyslexia or over time. Reading difficulties can affect students’ mental health and self-esteem, so we are always focused on the development and progress of the whole child.” 

6. CALTs can help to educate other members of the team about dyslexia.

Most teacher preparation programs offer limited training in dyslexia identification and intervention. While a growing number of higher education programs are training students in the Science of Reading (SOR), there’s still a long way to go to make sure teachers know what works for children with specific learning disabilities in reading. 

CALTs can be a resource for other members of the dyslexia evaluation team. “In some districts, CALTs write the goals and submit progress monitoring every nine weeks, and they alter the goals if they need to be altered,” Dr. Valadez says. “They really can be the literacy leaders on your campus. Some even serve in district administrative roles.”

“CALTs can also lead professional development and assist in Tier 1 curriculum selection, identifying the tools most truly aligned with the Science of Reading,” notes Megan Pinchback.  

7. Working with a CALT can be life-changing for students with dyslexia.

For students, families, and educators, learning alongside a CALT can be a transformative experience. 

“This is a life-changing field,” Dr. Fitzhugh confirms. “It changes the therapists we train, and they, in turn, are changing the lives of so many children who could experience academic failure if they are not identified to receive this intensive therapy. For me, it’s pure passion. This is what I was meant to do.”

Seeing how quickly students respond to therapy is moving, Dr. Valadez explains. During her clinical practicum as a CALT-trainee, she worked in a public school setting. “I had no idea how fast non-readers would start to read. To see them, hear them, be in front of them! By December, they were reading, these third-grade children. It was really emotional. It brought tears to my eyes. I remember saying, ‘Has anyone heard you read?’” 

Key Messages 

Certified academic language therapists are highly trained specialists in reading, dyslexia, and other language-related disorders. They can be instrumental in administering assessments, creating IEP and 504 plans, delivering interventions, and advocating for families and students with dyslexia. They can also build the knowledge of structured literacy and dyslexia within a school dyslexia team.

A strong, multidisciplinary dyslexia team features many different types of educational and health professionals. A CALT can be an important addition, not only because of their advanced reading-related knowledge, but because they can play a variety of roles to build out the functionality of the team and, ultimately, benefit the student.