By: Eissler, Chisum, Button, Leibowitz, H.B. No. 461
Bohac
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the detection and treatment of dyslexia, including the
use of certain professional titles by dyslexia practitioners and
therapists; providing a criminal penalty.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subtitle G, Title 3, Occupations Code, is
amended by adding Chapter 403 to read as follows:
CHAPTER 403. DYSLEXIA PRACTITIONERS AND THERAPISTS
Sec. 403.001. SHORT TITLE. This chapter may be cited as the
Dyslexia Practitioners and Therapists Title Recognition Act.
Sec. 403.002. STATE TITLE RECOGNITION STANDARDS. (a) To
meet the state dyslexia practitioner title recognition standards, a
person must have:
(1) earned at least a bachelor's degree from an
accredited public or private institution of higher education;
(2) successfully completed at least 45 hours of course
work in multisensory structured language education from a training
program that meets the requirements of Section 403.0025;
(3) completed at least 60 hours of supervised clinical
experience in multisensory structured language education;
(4) completed at least five demonstration lessons of
the practice of multisensory structured language education, each
observed by an instructor from a training program that meets the
requirements of Section 403.0025 and followed by a conference with
and a written report by the instructor; and
(5) successfully completed a national multisensory
structured language education competency examination as required
by a national certifying professional organization.
(b) To meet the state dyslexia therapist title recognition
standards, a person must have:
(1) earned at least a bachelor's degree from an
accredited public or private institution of higher education;
(2) successfully completed at least 200 hours of
course work in multisensory structured language education from a
training program that meets the requirements of Section 403.0025;
(3) completed at least 700 hours of supervised
clinical experience in multisensory structured language education;
(4) completed at least 10 demonstration lessons of the
practice of multisensory structured language education, each
observed by an instructor from a training program that meets the
requirements of Section 403.0025 and followed by a conference with
and a written report by the instructor; and
(5) successfully completed a national multisensory
structured language education competency examination as required
by a national certifying professional organization.
(c) Clinical experience required under Subsections (a)(3)
and (b)(3) must be obtained under the supervision of a qualified
instructor or an instructor from an accredited training program
that meets the requirements of Section 403.0025.
Sec. 403.0025. REQUIREMENTS FOR TRAINING PROGRAMS. (a)
For purposes of determining whether a person satisfies the training
requirements under the state dyslexia practitioner or state
dyslexia therapist title recognition standards, a multisensory
structured language education training program completed by the
applicant must:
(1) be accredited by a nationally recognized
accrediting organization;
(2) have in writing defined goals and objectives,
areas of authority, and policies and procedures;
(3) have the appropriate financial and management
resources to operate the training program, including a
knowledgeable administrator and standard accounting and reporting
procedures;
(4) have a physical site, equipment, materials,
supplies, and environment suitable for the training program;
(5) have a sufficient number of instructional
personnel who have completed the requirements for certification in
multisensory structured language education;
(6) have been reviewed by multisensory structured
language education professionals who are not affiliated with the
training program;
(7) have developed and followed procedures to maintain
and improve the quality of training provided by the program;
(8) have provided direct instruction in the principles
and in each element of multisensory structured language education
for a minimum of:
(A) 45 contact hours of course work for training
program participants who seek to meet the state dyslexia
practitioner title recognition standards; and
(B) 200 contact hours of course work for training
program participants who seek to meet the state dyslexia therapist
title recognition standards;
(9) have required training program participants to
complete a program of supervised clinical experience in which the
participants provided multisensory structured language education
to students or adults, either individually or in small groups, for a
minimum of:
(A) 60 hours for training program participants
who seek to meet the state dyslexia practitioner title recognition
standards; and
(B) 700 hours for training program participants
who seek to meet the state dyslexia therapist title recognition
standards;
(10) have required training program participants to
demonstrate the application of multisensory structured language
education principles of instruction by completing demonstration
lessons observed by an instructor and followed by a conference with
and a written report by the instructor; and
(11) have provided instruction based on the Texas
Education Agency publication "The Dyslexia Handbook: Procedures
Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders (2007)," or a revised
version of that publication approved by the Texas Education Agency.
(b) A training program must require a training program
participant who seeks to meet the state dyslexia practitioner title
recognition standards to have completed at least five demonstration
lessons described by Subsection (a)(10) and a participant who seeks
to meet the state dyslexia therapist title recognition standards to
have completed at least 10 demonstration lessons described by
Subsection (a)(10).
Sec. 403.003. CERTIFICATION REQUIRED. (a) A person may not
use the title of, or represent to the public that the person is, a
"registered dyslexia practitioner" or "associate academic language
teacher" or use the initials "RDP" or "AALT" unless the person is
certified by the Academic Language Therapy Association as meeting
the state dyslexia practitioner title recognition standards.
(b) A person may not use the title of, or represent to the
public that the person is, a "registered dyslexia therapist" or
"certified academic language therapist" or use the initials "RDT"
or "CALT" unless the person is certified by the Academic Language
Therapy Association as meeting the state dyslexia therapist title
recognition standards.
Sec. 403.004. CRIMINAL PENALTY. (a) A person commits an
offense if the person violates Section 403.003.
(b) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor
punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000.
Sec. 403.005. APPLICABILITY. This chapter does not:
(1) require a school district to employ a person who
meets the state dyslexia practitioner or state dyslexia therapist
title recognition standards;
(2) require a person who holds a license issued under
Chapter 501 to meet the state dyslexia practitioner or state
dyslexia therapist title recognition standards; or
(3) authorize a person who is not licensed under
Chapter 401 to practice audiology or speech-language pathology.
SECTION 2. (a) An interim committee is created to study
and recommend legislation to increase awareness of early detection
and treatment of dyslexia and related disorders. The committee's
study shall examine:
(1) early detection and intervention;
(2) access to treatment in rural areas of the state;
(3) the role of public education and higher education
in detection and treatment;
(4) treatment for older students and adults; and
(5) any barriers related to accommodations for
individuals with dyslexia and related disorders.
(b) The committee consists of the following nine members:
(1) three members appointed by the lieutenant governor
as follows:
(A) two senators, one of whom represents a rural
area; and
(B) one member who represents an institution of
higher education that offers courses in dyslexia and related
disorders;
(2) three members appointed by the speaker of the
house of representatives as follows:
(A) two state representatives, one of whom
represents a rural area; and
(B) one member who represents a nationally
accredited training center; and
(3) three members appointed by the governor as
follows:
(A) one member who is a certified academic
language therapist;
(B) one member who is a public school dyslexia
designee; and
(C) one member who is a parent of a student with
dyslexia.
(c) The committee shall elect a presiding officer from among
its members.
(d) The committee shall convene at the call of the presiding
officer.
(e) Committee members may not receive compensation or
reimbursement of expenses for serving on the committee.
(f) Not later than December 1, 2010, the committee shall
report the committee's findings and recommendations to the
lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
and the governor.
(g) Not later than the 60th day after the effective date of
this Act, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
representatives, and the governor shall appoint the members of the
interim committee created under this section.
SECTION 3. Section 2 of this Act expires September 1, 2011.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.