Dyslexia Therapy Sessions
3 Sessions Per Week
Due to the therapeutic nature of these sessions students are required to commit to 3 sessions per week.
I realize the commitment of three days a week, I am making that commitment too! Research has shown that three days is required for optimal learning and skill acquisition. During these three days we will revisit concepts multiple times to provide sufficient exposure to ensure that the concepts are solidified.
How it works:
1-1 Session Cost
There will be a flat monthly fee for sessions that will be discussed after your student is assessed you want to move forward with therapy. This monthly fee covers the cost of the students session and the time that goes into preparing for each therapy session. Outside of our individual therapy sessions I do a lot of research and professional development to ensure that each session is tailored to meet your child’s unique needs.
Small Group Therapy Cost
If there are enough students that show an interest in doing group therapy and their learning profiles match close enough that they could work in a group then it could be an option for your student. Groups would be limited to 4 students to ensure that quality instruction can still be offered. As with 1-1 sessions, students will be required to commit to three days a week. Small group sessions will cost less for families since they won’t be receiving the individualized attention of 1-1. They will still be receiving quality, therapeutic instruction, it will just be in a group setting. Small group therapy is only offered in person.
In Person Sessions
In person sessions will be held at the High Plains Library in Firestone, CO. The library offers an excellent environment for reading with small quiet spaces for learning and an opportunity for students to browse books when our session has ended. Meeting at the library allows me to keep costs lower for families so that I don’t have to rent a space to work in.
Online Through Zoom
Some kids can handle sessions via Zoom. When I meet you and your student we will determine if online or in person is a better fit.
Materials Required for Online Sessions:
-A laptop or desktop computer. We cannot use a iPad or a Chromebook for our sessions because your child will not be able to use the Zoom tools that we utilize during our sessions.
-An XP-Pen. This allows your student to use the Zoom drawing features that we will use during our sessions.
-A document camera. This allows me to see worksheets that the student may be working on off screen.
What is Dyslexia Therapy?
It is diagnostic and prescriptive:
Before I start a therapy session with your child I will conduct a comprehensive evaluation, administer some baseline assessments, and then use this data to provide your child with prescriptive instruction that is tailored to their specific needs.
It is a multisensory, Orton Gillingham Approach:
During sessions with your student I integrate visual, auditory, and motor pathways through explicit instruction which creates a strong foundation for reading, spelling, and writing.
This approach is evidence based that is grounded in proven dyslexia research.
During each session I will utilize two different programs as the base for your child’s therapy. One program is called Take Flight usually for children that are 8 and older and have had some reading instruction but have been unresponsive to it. See below for more information about Take Flight.
The other program I use as a base for dyslexia therapy is UFLI. This program is intended for students from 5-8 years old or students that need a stronger foundation before they start Take Flight. See below for more information about UFLI.
What is a CALT?
A CALT is a Certified Academic Language Therapist, which is the highest credential that can be obtained for supporting students with dyslexia. CALT’S are certified through the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA), which sets the standard for dyslexia therapy and certification.
It is results driven:
During each session I am doing an informal evaluation of your child. I am taking note of which concepts they are struggling with and using that information to move our sessions in a direction that will address these struggles and fill in those gaps.
Explicit instruction is provided to ensure that students understand the material and are given plenty of opportunity to practice the skills that have been explicitly taught.
A CALT is required to have a Master’s Degree, 200+ hours of coursework over a two-year period, 700+ hours of supervised clinical practicum, 10 satisfactory demonstrations teaching students, and pass the ALTA international certification exam covering theory and practice, and receive approval to receive the credential.
What is Take Flight
Take Flight is an evidence based dyslexia therapy program developed by the experts at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. It was developed using research validated methods proven to be effective for teaching dyslexic learners. It helps dyslexic students to achieve and maintain better word recognition, reading fluency, and reading comprehension which helps students to transition to real world learning.
Take Flight teaches phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension in an explicit, sequential, multisensory, diagnostic and prescriptive way.
It is not a boxed or scripted curriculum and it requires a CALT certification to teach and implement which allows therapists to customize lessons based on your students specific needs.
To be considered a therapeutic program and to adhere to the fidelity standards of the Take Flight curriculum sessions will need to be conducted three days a week. Anything less than that will not qualify as therapeutic and is not recommended for students that need dyslexia therapy.
What is UFLI?
ULFI is a program developed by the literacy institute at the University of Florida. Their curriculum is designed for students starting their reading journey with the intention of giving them a strong foundation in reading skills. It is also used as an intervention curriculum for students who need to create a stronger foundation in reading before starting a more intensive program like Take Flight.
Like Take Flight, UFLI is centered on teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency. It is explicit, systematic, multisensory, and research driven.