First in Ohio to Offer Degree Credentials
As a part of its ongoing commitment to literacy initiatives, Walsh University’s Division of Education has announced that it will launch a new Master of Arts in Education Dyslexia Therapist program, enrolling now for July 2021, pending official approval by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
On January 9, 2021, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 436, Ohio’s Dyslexia Law, which will require all Ohio school districts to provide screening and services for children with dyslexia or other reading challenges. With the launch of its MAED in Dyslexia Therapist program, Walsh is the first university in Ohio to offer master’s degree credentials in dyslexia.
The formal announcement was made at the NOBIDA 32nd Annual Symposium "Originally Ohio" on Dyslexia at Walsh University, featuring Keynote speaker Rebecca Tolson, Ph.D., Vice President of Literacy Initiatives at Neuhaus Education Center. This year's conference theme "Identification of Dylsexia in Ohio" examined implications of Ohio's new legislation on dyslexia education.
“In 2019, Walsh restructured its existing reading curricula to expand reading science for education students and faculty. As a Science of Reading Institution, our graduate reading program has the structure in place to support reading acquisition skills by most children,” said Walsh Graduate Education Program Director David Brobeck, Ph.D. “With this new master’s program, Walsh University will once again take the lead among Ohio educators by offering remediation for students with the dyslexia learning profile.”
Ohio’s recent dyslexia legislation is expected to require public P-12 districts to begin dyslexia screenings in 2022-23 and provide remedy for students diagnosed with dyslexia. National research has revealed that many learners, including a high percentage of those incarcerated, suffer from dyslexia. According to the International Dyslexia Association, between 15 to 20 percent of the population may have symptoms of dyslexia. The purpose of Walsh’s MAED-Dyslexia Therapist program is to train candidates in the research-based Orton-Gillingham methodology to deliver comprehensive dyslexia therapy to students with dyslexia and related disorders.
Walsh will subcontract with Neuhaus Education, a national reading and literacy non-profit organization with a fully accredited master’s curriculum. Neuhaus will provide the content, instructors, and design that can be integrated seamlessly into Walsh’s graduate framework. Currently, Neuhaus has partnered with Walsh to provide credit for teachers who train independently to earn a dyslexia endorsement.
Upon completion of the 36-hour program, MAED candidates will have met the requirements for attaining Ohio endorsement and license as a dyslexia therapist. Candidates who successfully complete the program will also be eligible to sit for the Academic Language Therapist Association (ALTA) examination for the opportunity to gain national certification as a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT). The Walsh University Dyslexia Therapist program is accredited through the International Multisensory Structured Language Association Council (IMSLEC) and the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). The program is designed to be in compliance with the 2021 Ohio Dyslexia Law (HB 436, 2021).
For more information, including registration, visit Walsh University’s Division of Education website at https://www.walsh.edu/masters-education-dyslexia.html
