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ASDEC For Parents


“ASDEC has been a unique and invaluable resource to both my son and his parents — I know my son would not be doing as well as he is today without them.”

– Parent of a child receiving services from an ASDEC Academic Therapist

ASDEC speaks with parents every day to provide guidance on testing, intervention and advocacy. We connect parents to grassroots parent support groups such as Decoding Dyslexia and we provide referrals to ASDEC therapists.

ASDEC staff provide referrals to diagnosticians who can provide a full range of educational testing and other evaluation services.  If testing results reveal learning disabilities in reading and/or math, ASDEC Clinical Directors will refer parents to ASDEC Academic Therapists. In addition, ASDEC also works with parents directly to help them navigate the diagnosis and treatment of their child’s learning disability by offering a range of free and fee-based consultation services.

ASDEC faculty work closely with a number of private schools that provide specialized educational programs for students with learning disabilities. ASDEC staff also work closely with a number of local, national and international organizations that promote research, advocacy and training in the field of learning disabilities.

ASDEC Referrals to Academic Language Therapists

ASDEC staff provide referrals to diagnosticians who can provide a full range of educational testing and other evaluation services.  If testing results reveal learning disabilities in reading and/or math, ASDEC Clinical Directors will refer parents to ASDEC Academic Therapists. In addition, ASDEC also works with parents directly to help them navigate the diagnosis and treatment of their child’s learning disability by offering a range of free and fee-based consultation services.  Click here to register for our Academic Therapy Wait list.


Academic Language Therapy

ASDEC’s Academic Language Therapy Program trains educators in Sounds In Syllables, the most powerful Orton-Gillingham-based approach to teaching reading (decoding, fluency, and comprehension), sound-spelling, and the foundations of syntax and grammar.  Experienced ASDEC faculty deliver in-depth training courses that prepare Academic Language Therapists to work one-to-one with students.

Therapists must complete 200 class hours and 700  practicum teaching hours under the supervision of ASDEC faculty. This supervised teaching enables therapists to apply the lessons learned in their classes to actual teaching sessions with students under the careful guidance of master teachers. This core element of ASDEC’s training program explains why our therapeutic approach is so successful, especially for those students who may have failed to learn under other specialized programs.

Learn more about the Academic Language Therapy Certification requirements.

Contact us to schedule an information session: 301-762-2414 or send us an email at   questions@asdec.org

Academic Language Practitioner

ASDEC trains classroom teachers and reading specialists to deliver Language Foundations, an evidence-based structured literacy for general education and Tier 2 intervention.  Teachers who complete the 45-hour training course and nine-month practicum are eligible to sit for national certification as Academic Language Practitioners.

Language Foundations (also known as “Structured Language Basics – SLB) is an Orton-Gillingham based multisensory approach to teaching reading-language arts skills in an inclusive classroom.  This curriculum is equally successful with elementary and middle school students for whom reading and spelling present significant problems.  More importantly, the use of Language Foundations in the primary grades can act as a preventative measure for difficulty with reading and spelling in the later grades.

Learn more about Language Practitioner Certification requirements.


ASDEC Parent Workshops

ASDEC provides a broad range of workshops designed especially for parents. These include the following:

  • Interpreting the Psycho-Educational Test Reports for Practical Help at Home and in School
  • Multisensory Grammar
  • Handwriting
  • Study Skills
  • Taking the Trauma Out of Testing for Dyslexic Students
  • Surviving the Holidays with Safety and Sanity
  • Children who Learn Differently: What Parents need to Know
  • Red Flags for Reading Problems
  • The Big Dig/Binder Basics: Helping the LD Student Conquer the Mountain of Paper
  • Teaching Note Taking: Skills to last a lifetime
  • Roots and Shoots: Robust Vocabulary Development

Additional Workshops:

ASDEC also offers workshops such as:

  • Early Screening and Reading Intervention: A unique Orton-Gillingham and Montessori Approach
  • Handwriting Instruction That Improves Reading and Spelling (K-4)
  • Multisensory Grammar
  • Multisensory Writing
  • Multisensory Math


ASDEC Therapists

ASDEC therapists work with students for a minimum of three times per week.  Accreditation through the International Multisensory Language Education Council (IMSLEC) ensures that students receive an approved Orton-Gillingham Based Reading curriculum.  ASDEC is the only IMSLEC training center in the Washington, DC area that has received a direct endorsement from the International Dyslexia Association for meeting its rigorousKnowledge and Practice Standards for Reading Instruction.

ASDEC’s Academic Therapy Program trains educators in Sounds In Syllables, the most powerful Orton-Gillingham-based approach to teaching reading (decoding, fluency, and comprehension), sound-spelling, and the foundations of syntax and grammar.  Experienced ASDEC faculty deliver in-depth training courses that prepare Academic Therapists  to work one-to-one with students.

Therapists must complete 200 class hours and 700 practicum teaching hours under the supervision of ASDEC faculty. This supervised teaching enables therapists to apply the lessons learned in their classes to actual teaching sessions with students under the careful guidance of master teachers. This core element of ASDEC’s training program explains why our therapeutic approach is so successful, especially for those students who may have failed to learn under other specialized programs.

We provide direct referral services to our Academic Language Therapists. Please contact us to schedule an intake meeting by phoning us at 301-762-2414 or sending an email to questions@asdec.org.

When evaluating the credentials of reading specialist, the International Dyslexia Association recommends using their EVALUATING EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONALS guide. ASDEC therapists meet all of these standards.



ASDEC - Dyslexia Therapy, Training, and Parent Advocacy

17 West Jefferson Street, Suite 100
Rockville, MD 20850

Phone: 301-762-2414
Email: questions@asdec.org

Copyright ©2019. ASDEC All rights reserved.


ASDEC is accredited by the International Mulitsensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC), one of two organizations in the US to receive the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) endorsement for meeting teacher training standards in reading.


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