Become a Certified Academic Therapist

ASDEC offers the only nationally certified Academic Therapy training program in the Washington, DC area. Our certified teachers and therapists work with children and adults with learning differences, assisting them with reading, writing, spelling, study skills, and executive function skills.
 
Requirements
 

Degree	Bachelor’s required , Master's required as of 2023
Courses	200 hours (four courses)
Practicum	700 hours
Direct observations	20
CEUs	30 hours/3 years

Therapy Level Certification
Academic Therapists complete 200 hours of graduate-level coursework and receive 700 hours of supervised teaching. Those seeking national recognition as Certified Academic Language Therapists (CALT) are eligible to sit for the ALTA exam. The exam provides a measure of an individual’s knowledge of and skills in Multisensory Structured Language Education (MSLE) and verifies that the individual has achieved the highest level of competency in the field of dyslexia education. Full certification takes a minimum of two years to complete.

Qualifications:
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution , Master's degree is  recommended.

Required Courses and Sequence:

Language 1: Sounds in Syllables Multisensory Structured Language Education-offered during summer sessions in Rockville and Northern VA

Neuro-psychology of Learning Differences and Disorders--Hybrid online course offered every fall session.

Study Skills-- Hybrid online course offered every winter session.

Language 2: Advanced Mutlisensory Structured Language Education - Offered during second year of two-year training internship.

Participants may earn 3 graduate credits for each of these courses from Trinity University Washington.

Practicum Requirements

·       Two full years (20 months) of supervised teaching practicum,

·      Minimum 700 hours of supervised teaching of at least three students with 20 observation reports,

·      Summer Intensive Practicum (a Summer program of supervised instruction) or 80  hours of pro bono academic therapy, 

·      Supervised Teaching Meetings: 20 Monthly meetings