ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THERAPY
An interview with Traci Grossfeld, CALT
What is ALT?
ALT is an acronym that stands for Academic Language Therapy. This is a specific learning intervention designed to remediate Dyslexia. ALT is taught by a specially trained therapist (known as an Academic Language Therapist - ALT, or CALT once certified) using the Orton-Gillingham based principles of frequency, intensity, multi-sensory learning, and a systematic curriculum. Ideally, it should be implemented in a prescriptive manner.
Who is an ALT?
Certified therapists are specially trained to provide the intervention. Those who become therapists not only learn how to implement curriculum, but also delve into the deeper world behind the science of language, neuroscience of the brain and language processing, history of print-based learning, and how Dyslexia has come to be understood over the years. ALTA, which is the certifying body for therapists, requires that candidates participate in a minimum of 200 instructional hours through an MSLE* certified program; a minimum of 700 clinical/ teaching hours; a minimum of 10 demonstrations, clinical/teaching documentation; and proof of the therapist’s progress and competency. Candidates then must pass an exam. Individuals who have not completed all of the formal training use the term “ALT” or “ALT-in-training”. There is also a professional accreditation called “CALP” (practitioner versus therapist) which means the person has participated in fewer instructional and teaching hours prior to taking the exam. (*MSLE refers to Multisensory Structured Language Education)
Who are the other Specialists?
Public schools may refer to their dyslexia remediation professionals as “Dyslexia Specialists”. This person may or may not be a certified therapist who has completed training. ALTs, and CALTs will refer to themselves as such. An LDT ( Licensed Dyslexia Therapist) must be a CALT. Being an LDT means that the individual has chosen to register with the State of Texas as a therapist. There are a few additional licensing requirements as a licensed professional which involve record keeping and similar items. Guidelines are available through the State of Texas.
Who benefits from ALT?
This intervention benefits those with a diagnosis of Dyslexia. It can also help those who have not been formally diagnosed but lack reading fluency and comprehension skills, seem to fatigue or dislike reading, or are poor spellers.
What comes after ALT?
While ALT is a valuable and necessary intervention, many students will benefit from Executive Function, Academic or Transition Coaching once an ALT program is finished. WHY? ALT takes students who are non-readers or inefficient readers to a place where reading and spelling become more fluent and less taxing. This does not mean that those latter skills are at grade level, proficient, or easily adaptable.
Beyond the curriculum of ALT, students will often benefit from additional work with written expression and reading comprehension. Depending on the ALT curriculum, therapists may cover foundation skills in writing and reading comprehension as a student is able to manage these. At the same time, the student’s peers are likely moving ahead with instruction in the classroom. A Dyslexic student may grasp some broad concepts along the way, but are likely missing deeper reading comprehension and written expression skills.
While it is not always possible or realistic to provide this learning support on top of a student’s other school and extracurricular loads, a meaningful way to provide the intervention is incorporating the work into existing school assignments. This is where Executive Function or Academic Coaching comes in.
What do parents need to know?
Dyslexia is a term that describes how the brain works. While I personally believe it is a beautiful way of seeing the world, I also understand that it poses challenges for my students, families and friends as they engage with the world of language invented by modern humans.
Throughout one’s education, there will generally be a need for more explicit instruction and additional time for learning new concepts - especially those that are rote - and possibly even more creative strategies for how to understand and retain the latter. I like to think of ALT as phase one of intervention. Having the support of an executive function or academic coach can offer students the transitional support of how to apply strategies in middle or high school. Students may struggle with skills such as new vocabulary, reading comprehension across content areas (especially math and science), note taking, written expression, study and organizational skills, some content reteaching. Having someone on board to work with your student beyond ALT smooths out the frustrations allowing your bright child to maximize his or her brain battery for the critical thinking skills where they can shine.
How is BES's approach to dyslexia services unique?
We want to understand the big picture of our family and student needs, then determine how we can be part of the solution team going forward. For many families this looks like a communication channel among the parents, teachers, and if appropriate, the administration of the child’s school. For some situations, we involve more than one member of our BES team to best support a student’s learning needs. All of our intervention begins with reviewing neuropsych evaluations, as well as any other reports available. We will also conduct our own internal assessments so that we can develop a meaningful learning plan and monitor learning progress. If something is not working, we will discuss and revamp our plans.
What made you decide to be an ALT?
I re-careered nearly 10 years ago when my husband lost his job, and my children were 10 and 6. I had dreamed of being a teacher since I was a little girl, but sitting at Katz’ Deli on Sixth Street awaiting UT Freshman Orientation, I allowed my mom (a former Special Ed teacher) to talk me out of it. Nearly 20 years later, I was now a full-time mom, community volunteer, and former communications professional who had the need and opportunity to choose the career I really wanted. I went back to school and earned my teaching certification EC-5 and ESL.
My passion for special education was always in my blood. Growing up I attended a Montessori school which embraced the full spirit of diversity: all continents, languages, gender, physical and mental abilities were represented in my classrooms. My dad is a retired pediatrician who likewise helped patients not only of every creed, but also multiple syndromes and health challenges when no other health professional would take them on. My sister and I enjoyed the benefits of our mother’s creative skills as a resource teacher. We baked with her, made crafts galore and always had a fun game to play in the car. Many of the activities I used in my classroom and share with families today are games my mom played with us. I had no idea they were helping me with valuable language skills like rhyming, oral language, phonological awareness, motor coordination, and so much more. I came across Rawson Saunders School during some volunteer work. When my teaching path was re-invigorated, I knew I had to find an opportunity to work there. The more time I spent with the students, the more I fell in love with them.
My teaching career began with two wonderful gifts - teaching third grade at Rawson Saunders and working under the mentorship of Mr. Perry Stokes. The head of school initially sent me through the Introductory course of ALT training at the Rawson Saunders Institute. The program was mind-blowing to me. Even though I had recently completed my teaching training, the ALT curriculum further fueled my passion for meeting students where they are. Differentiated instruction was a passion for me, and now I had more tools to support my students. More fascinating was that I was 40 years old and just learning there were patterns and rules for spelling and reading! I was so excited about how to help unlock learning for students who felt lost, frustrated, confused, unseen.
I’ve worked with the Dyslexia community for nearly 10 years now. My first four years were spent teaching and developing curriculum for the third grade Language Arts and Social Studies programs at Rawson Saunders, where I met incredible families and educators. I’ve spent the past five with BES providing ALT, assessment and transition coaching. I’m continually inspired by my team of compassionate, resourceful and dedicated colleagues. No doubt that what keeps me going as a therapist and teacher is the joy of learning with my students each day - especially those I’ve been able to work with for several years. Each child brings different moments of wisdom, laughter and achievement. It is such an honor to be a part of their journeys.
What do you love about the work you do?
Hearing my students say what they do is fun when they actually just learned something new; seeing a student smile while reading or writing something they are proud of, listening to a student read the word napkin when last Fall it was nearly impossible to pronounce “sip”... these are the moments that make my heart burst with joy as an educator. At BES, I feel this every day working 1:1 with my students. I not only have the ability to work with students individually and meet their specific learning needs and pacing, but I can also consult with my talented team of colleagues. The expertise on our team is both comforting and inspiring. I am always learning from them. This not only makes me a better therapist and teacher, but also benefits our families as we are able to devise optimal learning solutions for each client.
More information is available at www.altaread.org or www.understood.org