Overview

The Scottish Rite Learning Center of South Texas Dyslexia Therapist Training Program is open to individuals with a college degree who are committed to pursuing training to become a Certified Academic Language Therapist. This two-year comprehensive training is designed for teachers of students with dyslexia using research based, proven intervention techniques and is accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language Educational Council (IMSLEC).  Credit toward a Masters in Special Education Specializing in Dyslexia is available through several Universities. 

The program offers training in:

• Educational identification of dyslexia

• Characteristics of dyslexia

• Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia, a multisensory, structured approach to teaching developed at Scottish Rite for Children Hospital

• Classroom strategies and techniques used for students with dyslexia

• Presentation of parent and teacher information seminars

Your Role

Training participants can expect a rigorous and intensive training program with outside reading and/or written homework assignments and authentic opportunities to demonstrate mastery.  Graduates of the Dyslexia Therapist Training Program will receive a certificate of completion with the title of Dyslexia Therapist.  Graduates who hold a Master’s degree will be eligible to sit for the Alliance National Registration Exam, administered by the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA), to become Certified Academic Language Therapists (CALTs). Graduates who successfully complete the Alliance National Registration Exam will also be eligible to apply to become a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, as defined by Texas HB 461, (2009 Session of the Texas Legislature).

Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia

Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia is a two-year curriculum written by the staff of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders of Scottish Rite for Children.  Take Flight builds on the success of the three previous dyslexia intervention programs developed by the staff at Scottish Rite: Alphabetic Phonics, the Dyslexia Training Program, and TSRH Literacy Program.  

Take Flight is designed for small group instruction (no more than four-six students) for a minimum of 45 minutes per day, five days each week.  Alternatively, lessons can be taught for 60 minutes each day for four days a week.  Take Flight includes 132 lessons for a total of 230 hours of direct instruction.  

Take Flight contains the five components of effective reading instruction supported by the National Reading Panel research meta-analysis:  

• Phonemic Awareness in Take Flight includes a systematic exploration of the articulation of phonemes and is fully integrated within decoding and spelling instruction. 

• All phoneme-grapheme correspondence rules are explicitly introduced allowing time for practice toward accuracy and aromaticity in the application of phonic skills and for more guided reading practice with controlled and regular text.  There is also expanded use of etymology in teaching word analysis strategies.  

• Vocabulary is expanded and enriched by developing morphological knowledge, word relationships, figurative language, syntax, and semantics by direct instruction and in the context of reading.  

• Fluency instruction incorporates guided and timed repeated reading of decodable words, phrases, and connected text.  Incentives, concrete measures of progress, and daily home practice are also important elements of fluency training. 

• A combination of techniques is used for instruction in reading comprehension, including comprehension monitoring, question generalization, story structure, summarizing, and inferencing.  Students also learn how to utilize graphic and semantic organizers when reading narrative and expository texts.  

Take Flight also aligns with the Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 Update by delivering the critical, evidence-based components of instruction in accordance with the required delivery of instruction:  

With Take Flight, students will learn all 44 phonemes of the English language, 96 grapheme-phoneme correspondence rules, and 87 affixes.  The students will also learn spelling rules for base words and derivatives.  Practice opportunities are also provided that are designed to improve oral reading fluency.  Finally, Take Flight introduces comprehension and vocabulary building strategies for both narrative and expository text in the context of oral reading exercise, preparing students for successful, independent reading. 

Enrollment in Dyslexia Therapist Certification with the SRLC.

Steps to prepare to attend the first year of instruction.

1.  Register for the 2026 Class using this link. The deadline for enrollment for the summer of 2026 is SSSSS  ==>

2.  Order your curriculum from the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children at the following link which will take you to the Luke Waites Center at Scottish Rite for Children Hospital.

3.  Certification as a Dyslexia Therapist is a demanding process that requires your commitment to complete all requirements of the program.  Download the Personal Commitment Form below.

The completed form can be scanned and uploaded or emailed as an attachment to info@srlearningcenter.org.  Also, it can be mailed via the USPS as an alternative.

4.  If your certification program is sponsored by your employment organization, complete this form signed by your organizational sponsor.  A Purchase Order for the first year tuition should be sent to the SRLC.  Optionally, the second year tuition can be paid at the same time.

If you are funding this training yourself, this form is your acknowledgement of the financial commitment.

The completed form can be scanned and uploaded at the SRLC upload page or emailed as an attachment to info @srlearningcenter.org.  Also, it can be mailed via the USPS as an alternative.

If your certification program is self-funded you can pay the first year tuition by check or by credit card.

5.  Applicant participation in the Dyslexia Therapist Certification Program requires a commitment of time during the workweek that may occur during the Academic Year.  If you are currently employed as a teacher, please have this letter of committed support signed by your supervisor.  

The completed form can be scanned and uploaded at the SRLC upload page or emailed as an attachment to info @srlearningcenter.org.  Also, it can be mailed via the USPS as an alternative. 

There are additional requirements that can be completed later but are necessary to complete the Certification Requirements.