• Trouble learning common nursery rhymes, such as "Jack and Jill" • Difficulty learning (and remembering) the names of letters in the alphabet • Seems unable to recognize letters in his/her own name • Mispronounces familiar words; persistent "baby talk" • Doesn't recognize rhyming patterns like cat, bat, rat • A family history of reading and/or spelling difficulties (dyslexia often runs in families)

Individuals who earn the professional credential CALT (https://altaread.org/about/what-is-calt/)have successfully passed The ALTA Competency Exam at the therapy level, which is required for certification as an Academic Language Therapist by the Academic Language Therapist Association (ALTA), (https://www.altaread.org/)the official certifying agency. A Certified Academic Language Therapist (https://altaread.org/about/what-is-calt/)is not a tutor. Tutors are not required to complete advanced language therapy coursework through a professional program at an accredited institution or university. CALTs (https://altaread.org/about/what-is-calt/)are required to complete professional development contact hours (continuing education credits) to maintain certification.