Certified Academic Language Therapists (CALTs) are pivotal in helping students with written-language disabilities like dyslexia, but there's a shortage of these highly-skilled therapists in Arkansas schools.

The College of Education and Health Professions is partnering with the Academic Language Therapy Association and the Nelms Dyslexia Center to grow Arkansas' dyslexia therapist workforce. Though Arkansas has laws that support dyslexia as a field, the number of trained dyslexia therapists working in Arkansas schools is low.

This new collaboration will allow Arkansans pursuing a CALT certification to simultaneously begin earning credit at the U of A toward a master's degree in special education, which will expedite the credentialing process and make it more affordable.

"This new graduate degree pathway will help fill the crucial need for CALT professionals," said Dean Kate Mamiseishvili of the College of Education and Health Professions. "Our partnership will serve children and families in Arkansas by boosting the state's professional dyslexia therapist community so more highly trained CALTs can begin working in schools and learning spaces where they are essential."

U of A officials, area leaders and supporters from the dyslexia field gathered on Sept. 3 at the Nelms Dyslexia Center in Fayetteville to officially launch the partnership. The overarching theme for the kickoff was ensuring that all children in Arkansas have access to high-quality education. Don Nelms, Chancellor Charles F. Robinson and ALTA incoming president Patricia Elkins spoke from the heart about why this partnership is needed before signing agreements to solidify the program.

"This falls squarely in our mission as a land grant institution. That land grant means we serve the state wherever it needs service," Robinson told the crowd. "With regards to supporting K through 12 and developing the workforce that is necessary to serve these students who need this support and deserve this support, the University of Arkansas is 100 percent with you, Don, in doing that. The work that you and your wife are doing to support students across this state who have challenges with dyslexia is admirable, and the U of A wants to be part of the solution to make life better for these students. We're committed."

A 'WILD IDEA AND DREAM'

The Nelms Dyslexia Center will be the first affiliate CALT training location under this new pathway. The goal is to add more affiliate locations throughout Arkansas, and the country, to grow this workforce of therapists who provide the specialized and necessary instruction students with dyslexia need. 

The center was established in 2024 by the Don and Millie Nelms Foundation to provide dyslexia training, assessments, therapy and information for students, teachers and families. Don Nelms has dyslexia. Despite challenges with reading and ​spelling, he excelled in business and held many community and state leadership ​roles.

Nelms said his company earned a Subaru Dealer of the Year Award three years ago, and a New York firm produced a short documentary about him and Adventure Subaru. "Embedded in that was me walking through our service department and saying how fortunate I was that I had my father's shop as a safe space, and I wish other dyslexic students had a safe place like I did," he said. "Seeing myself in the video was the birth of the Nelms Dyslexia Center and foundation. From the beginning, I had this wild idea and dream that someday we would be working with the University of Arkansas. This alliance that we have now with the U of A and ALTA, I believe, will serve us all well."

Nelms invested the financial proceeds of his business success to empower children and adults in the dyslexia community to achieve their greatest potential. One entire wall at the center is dedicated to the many accomplishments of people with dyslexia throughout history — from discovering electricity to advancing medical practices to becoming some of society's most influential artists, entrepreneurs and entertainers.

Approximately one in five children in the U.S. has dyslexia, a genetic, neurological brain structure that makes it difficult to decode written words. Up to 85% of children in K-12 special education classes have dyslexia. Traditional reading instruction is often ineffective because these students need specialized, structured methods to learn to read successfully. Beyond enhancing a child's quality of life, there's the larger goal of improving the state's literacy scores.

That's where CALTs come in.

'RIGOROUS AND EFFECTIVE' PATHWAY

The Arkansas Department of Education began building a CALT workforce a few years ago, but there are only around 265 therapists with the credential working in various settings around the state, including public, private and home schools and private therapy.

In some estimates, dyslexia affects 20% of the population. With almost 95,000 K-12 public school students in Arkansas representing this 20%, the current number of CALTS in the state are insufficient to meet the needs of these learners. The Nelms Dyslexia Center estimates that Arkansas needs at least one CALT in each school to instruct students with dyslexia and to provide guidance for other professionals working with these students. That means approximately 1,500 CALTs are needed for Arkansas' 1,060 public schools alone.

CALT certification is a two-year process requiring a minimum of 200 classroom hours of instruction and 700 hours of dyslexia therapy practice with students — under the supervision of a mentor called a Qualified Instructor (QI) — as well as 10 observed instructional sessions and passing a national certification exam. CALTs must also earn a master's degree within five years of taking the exam.

"CALT training represents one of the most rigorous and effective pathways for preparing therapists to deliver high-quality dyslexia intervention," said Patricia Elkins, president-elect for the Academic Language Therapy Association. "By offering graduate credit for this training, the University of Arkansas recognizes its academic value and supports educators in deepening their impact in classrooms and centers like the Nelms Dyslexia Center across the state."

The U of A will allow Arkansans taking CALT courses to simultaneously begin earning college credit toward a master's degree in special education with a dyslexia specialization from the College of Education and Health Professions. Students can earn up to six hours of graduate credit through verified CALT "prior learning" experience, saving them thousands of dollars in tuition. They can earn an additional six hours toward their degree through practicum experiences in various education or clinical settings. The remaining 24 hours are completed online.

"This collaboration between the U of A, ALTA and the Nelms Dyslexia Center is a major step forward in addressing the critical shortage of CALTs in our state and beyond," Elkins said. "By recognizing the academic rigor of CALT training with graduate credit, the U of A is helping to build a stronger, better-prepared workforce of dyslexia interventionists trained to the therapy level who can make a life-changing impact for students."

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About the College of Education and Health Professions: The College of Education and Health Professions prepares students for a wide range of careers in education and health. The college comprises approximately 360 faculty and staff members, serving more than 6,000 students and supporting six departments and over 25 research and service units. Driven by the WE CARE strategic plan, the college strives to advance impactful research, foster a caring culture, and expand service to Arkansas through transformative educational opportunities and meaningful partnerships. The college boasts an extensive research portfolio that is accompanied by multiple large-scale, prestigious grants secured by faculty and staff. Over the past five years, the college has received over $115 million in external funding.