Pillar 05 · Next steps

Find help

This is the page for when you are ready to act. Credentials that actually mean something, how to find a therapist or school near you, the support groups worth joining, and the money that exists in Texas.

The short answer

Anyone can call themselves a dyslexia tutor. Only three credentials mean supervised, documented, examined training: CALT, CALP, and certified structured literacy specialist.

When you contact a provider, ask which credential they hold and where they earned it. A Certified Academic Language Therapist has completed around two hundred hours of coursework plus seven hundred supervised clinical hours and passed a national exam. A well-meaning reading tutor with a weekend workshop has not. Both may be kind and patient. Only one is trained to deliver the instruction the research supports.

Cost is a real barrier and it is worth saying plainly that help exists. Many therapists offer sliding-scale rates and will discuss them if you ask directly. Texas has a state-funded education savings program for students with disabilities. Several regional foundations fund evaluations and therapy for families who qualify. Nobody advertises this well, so ask every provider two questions: do you offer a sliding scale, and do you know of funding I should apply for.

Decoded

What the letters after a name mean

CALT: Certified Academic Language Therapist. The highest standard for dyslexia therapy. Roughly 200 hours of coursework, 700 supervised clinical hours, and a national examination. If you can find a CALT, this is who you want.
CALP: Certified Academic Language Practitioner. The same training track at a shorter length, around 45 instructional hours and 60 supervised hours. Qualified to deliver structured literacy in a classroom or small group setting.
LDT: Licensed Dyslexia Therapist. A Texas state license held on top of CALT certification. Signals both national certification and state licensure.
OG trained: Orton-Gillingham trained. A useful signal but an unregulated phrase. Ask which organization trained them, how many hours, and whether the practicum was supervised.
Educational diagnostician: Qualified to evaluate, not to treat. Certified to administer and interpret the testing battery. Usually who performs a school-based evaluation in Texas.
Reading tutor: No standard meaning. Could be a retired teacher with decades of structured literacy experience, or a university student. Ask what training sits behind the title before you commit.

Explore this pillar

Five ways to find what you need

01

Find a dyslexia specialist

How to search, what to ask on the first call, and the answers that should send you elsewhere.

Read the guide 02

Find an Academic Language Therapist

The national CALT directory, regional listings, and how to verify a credential before you pay for anything.

Read the guide By location

Dyslexia school near me

Specialist schools across Texas and the wider region, searchable by city, with grade ranges and program detail.

Search by city 04

Parent support and advocacy groups

National organizations, Texas chapters, and Fort Worth area groups that meet in person.

Read the guide 05

Financial assistance and scholarships

State programs, foundation grants, sliding-scale providers, and how to make the case in an application.

Read the guide

Still not sure where to start?

Call us. We will point you somewhere, even if it is not here.

Key School and Training Center has been doing this in Fort Worth since 1966, and we train the therapists other schools hire. If we are not the right fit for your family, we will tell you that and suggest who is. There is no cost and no pitch.

Call 817-446-3738 Send a message

7950 John T. White RoadFort Worth, Texas 76120
[email protected]We reply within one business day
Accredited by ALDS and CogniaServing Fort Worth families since 1966