Frequently Asked Questions

A Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) is specially trained to provide individualized, evidence-based intervention for individuals with dyslexia and other written-language difficulties.

Rather than simply helping a student complete grade-level work, a CALT identifies specific gaps in foundational literacy skills and provides explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction to address those needs. Therapy may target phonological awareness, decoding, spelling, fluency, morphology, vocabulary, comprehension, and written language based on the individual learner.

Becoming a CALT requires extensive specialized preparation, including a master’s degree, more than 200 hours of graduate-level coursework, and at least 700 hours of supervised clinical teaching. Candidates must also pass the ALTA Competency Exam and complete ongoing continuing education requirements.

This combination of specialized training and supervised clinical experience prepares a CALT to use student performance and ongoing progress data to individualize therapy as a student’s skills develop.

Both tutoring and dyslexia therapy can provide valuable support, but they serve different purposes.

Tutoring typically focuses on helping a student with current academic demands, such as completing assignments, reviewing classroom concepts, preparing for tests, or strengthening grade-level skills.

Dyslexia therapy goes back to identify and address gaps in the foundational skills necessary for reading and spelling. Rather than focusing primarily on current classroom work, therapy provides explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction based on the student’s individual needs and progress.

A Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) completes extensive specialized training and supervised clinical teaching in the structure of language and the remediation of written-language difficulties, including dyslexia. Therapy is individualized, progress is monitored over time, and instruction is adjusted as the student develops new skills.

For a student with persistent reading or spelling difficulties, the goal is not simply to help with today’s assignment—it is to build the underlying skills needed to become a more accurate, fluent, and independent reader and speller.

Before beginning dyslexia therapy, I complete a comprehensive literacy assessment to better understand each student’s individual strengths and areas of need. The assessment examines foundational skills including phonological and phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, decoding, word reading, reading fluency, and encoding (spelling).

Following the assessment, parents receive a written report summarizing the results, identified areas of need, and recommended learning goals. I also meet with parents to review the findings, answer questions, and discuss appropriate next steps.

When dyslexia therapy is recommended, I use assessment results to develop an individualized therapy plan that addresses specific skill gaps and builds a stronger foundation for reading and spelling.

Schedule a consultation to learn more about the comprehensive literacy assessment, dyslexia therapy, and how I can help your child.

 Yes. If your child has already been evaluated or diagnosed with dyslexia, I will review those results as valuable background information. However, I also complete a literacy assessment before beginning therapy to establish current baseline skills and guide individualized instruction.

This assessment allows me to hear your child read, observe patterns in reading and spelling errors, identify specific skill gaps, and determine appropriate starting points for therapy. The results are then used to develop individualized goals and a therapy plan based on your child’s current needs.

The purpose is not to repeat or replace a previous evaluation, but to gather the specific information needed to plan effective dyslexia therapy.

Not all reading intervention is the same. When seeking help for a child with dyslexia, it is important to ask about the provider’s specialized training, certification, and experience.

Questions to consider include:

• Does the provider hold a recognized credential in structured literacy or dyslexia intervention, such as Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) or Certified Academic Language Practitioner (CALP)?

• Did the provider complete a comprehensive, accredited training program that included coursework, supervised clinical teaching, and demonstration of competency?

• Is the provider certified through a professional organization such as the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA)?

• Does the provider use an explicit, systematic, cumulative, and diagnostic approach to reading and spelling instruction?

• Does the provider have experience identifying individual skill gaps and adjusting therapy based on student performance?

Families can verify CALT and CALP credentials through the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) provider directory.

No. A formal dyslexia diagnosis is not required to begin dyslexia therapy. Students who demonstrate difficulties with foundational reading and spelling skills may benefit from structured, explicit literacy intervention even without a formal diagnosis.

Before beginning therapy, I assess your child’s current literacy skills to identify specific areas of need and set appropriate instructional goals. I then individualize therapy based on those results and your child’s response to instruction.

Leaping Literacy does not bill insurance directly. Dyslexia therapy is a specialized educational service, and insurance coverage varies by plan and provider.

Some families may have benefits that allow them to seek reimbursement for eligible services. I can provide documentation of services and payment that families may submit to their insurance company for consideration. I encourage families to contact their insurance provider directly before beginning services to confirm whether reimbursement is available and what documentation is required.

When comparing dyslexia services, families may also want to consider the provider’s specialized training and credentials, how instruction is individualized, and how progress is monitored over time. As a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), I provide individualized dyslexia therapy based on each student’s specific reading and spelling needs.

Dyslexia is a neurobiological learning difference that affects the development of accurate and fluent reading and spelling skills. Research indicates that dyslexia has a strong genetic component and often runs in families.

Brain-imaging research has also identified differences in how individuals with dyslexia process written and spoken language. These differences are not related to intelligence, motivation, or limited exposure to reading.

With explicit, systematic, evidence-based instruction, individuals with dyslexia can develop stronger reading and spelling skills and become successful readers.

Dyslexia can affect each person differently, and difficulties can range from mild to significant. Students with dyslexia often struggle with accurate, fluent word reading, decoding, and spelling.

These difficulties may also affect reading fluency, reading comprehension, written expression, vocabulary development, and overall academic performance. As students get older and reading and writing demands increase, difficulties may become more noticeable when completing assignments, reading textbooks, taking notes, or expressing ideas in writing.

Early identification and appropriate, targeted instruction can make a significant difference in a student’s literacy development.

 Yes. Individuals with dyslexia can learn to read and become successful readers. The key is receiving instruction that directly addresses their specific areas of difficulty.

Structured Literacy provides explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction in the skills needed for reading and spelling. Early identification and intervention are especially important because addressing difficulties when they first emerge can help prevent reading gaps from becoming larger over time.

However, it is never too late to improve reading skills. Children, adolescents, and adults with dyslexia can make meaningful progress when instruction is appropriately individualized, intensive, and delivered by a knowledgeable provider.

Dyslexia is a lifelong learning difference, but with appropriate intervention, individuals with dyslexia can make significant progress in reading and spelling.

Effective intervention uses Structured Literacy—an explicit, systematic, cumulative, and individualized approach to teaching the skills necessary for reading and written language. Instruction may address phonological awareness, sound-symbol relationships, decoding, spelling, syllable patterns, morphology, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension based on the learner’s specific needs.

For students with dyslexia, instruction often needs to be more individualized and intensive than typical classroom reading instruction. Progress should be monitored regularly so that therapy can be adjusted as the student develops new skills.

A provider with specialized training in dyslexia and Structured Literacy can identify specific skill gaps and provide targeted intervention based on the student’s individual needs.