ALTA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct Flashcards

A CALT is providing language therapy to a 10-year-old client whose parents are in a contentious divorce. Both parents share legal custody. The father, who does not attend sessions, contacts the CALT and requests all session notes and progress reports. The mother, who accompanies the child, objects and asks the CALT to withhold the records. What is the CALT's most ethically appropriate course of action?

Answer: Provide the records to the father, since both custodial parents have equal rights to educational and therapeutic records.

Under ALTA's ethical standards, a CALT must honor the rights of all individuals with legal authority over a minor client. Both custodial parents with shared legal custody generally have equal rights to access their child's therapeutic records. The CALT cannot unilaterally honor one parent's objection to restrict access to the other custodial parent. The CALT should provide records to the requesting parent and may consult with a legal or ethics advisor, but withholding from a legal custodian is an ethical and legal violation.

A CALT who holds ALTA certification has recently completed a brief workshop on a trendy reading intervention not yet validated in peer-reviewed research. A parent asks specifically about this intervention after reading about it online. The CALT believes it may help the child. According to ALTA's Code of Ethics regarding evidence-based practice and professional competence, what should the CALT do?

Answer: Disclose the limited evidence base for the intervention and the limits of the CALT's training in it before any implementation, while continuing established evidence-based approaches.

ALTA's Code of Ethics requires members to use evidence-based practices and to accurately represent the scientific and clinical basis of their services. A single workshop on an unvalidated intervention does not establish competence, and the CALT is ethically obligated to inform the client's family about both the limited research support and the CALT's own limited training. Parental consent does not override the obligation to disclose. Continuing proven methods while transparently discussing limitations is the ethical path.

A CALT working in a private practice discovers that a colleague who is also ALTA-certified has been marketing herself publicly as a 'dyslexia specialist' and claiming her program produces 'guaranteed reading level gains.' The CALT has no personal grievance against the colleague. Under ALTA's Code of Ethics, what obligation does the CALT have?

Answer: Confront the colleague directly and, if the behavior does not change, report it to ALTA's ethics board.

ALTA's Code of Ethics includes a responsibility to uphold the integrity of the profession and to address unethical conduct by colleagues. Claiming 'guaranteed results' and using potentially misleading specialty titles misrepresents professional competence, which is an ethics violation. The Code typically calls for addressing concerns first through informal means (speaking directly with the colleague) and escalating to formal reporting if the behavior persists. Bypassing informal resolution entirely is not the preferred first step unless the misconduct poses immediate harm.

A CALT is supervising a provisionally certified Academic Language Therapist (ALT-P) candidate. During a review session, the CALT realizes that several of the candidate's session logs contain evaluations that appear to have been completed retroactively and inaccurately, though no clear client harm has occurred yet. The candidate insists it was an administrative oversight. What is the CALT's primary ethical responsibility?

Answer: Address the documentation concerns directly with the candidate, require immediate correction of records, and monitor closely — escalating to ALTA if the pattern continues or if client welfare is at risk.

Supervisors bear ethical and professional responsibility for the conduct of those they supervise. Inaccurate or retroactive documentation is a serious integrity issue that must be addressed directly and immediately, not deferred. ALTA's Code requires supervisors to ensure accurate record-keeping and to take corrective action. However, outright termination and reporting as a first step — without attempting corrective intervention — is disproportionate when no client harm has occurred and the issue may be addressed through supervision. The CALT must correct the problem actively and escalate if it recurs.

A CALT is employed by a school district and maintains a small private practice on evenings and weekends. A family whose child receives school-based language therapy from the CALT asks if they can hire the CALT privately for additional sessions. The CALT believes this would genuinely benefit the child. Which action aligns BEST with ALTA's Code of Ethics?

Answer: Disclose the potential conflict of interest fully, review any applicable district policies, obtain appropriate approvals, and ensure the dual relationship does not compromise objectivity or create undue financial pressure on the family.

ALTA's Code of Ethics does not categorically prohibit dual relationships, but it requires CALTs to recognize, disclose, and carefully manage potential conflicts of interest. Accepting a school client into private practice creates a dual relationship that could compromise objectivity, create financial dependency, or generate conflicts between school-based IEP goals and private goals. The CALT must disclose the conflict, follow district policies (which may require supervisor approval or prohibition), and ensure the family does not feel coerced. An outright ban is too absolute; full disclosure and management is the ethical standard.

During a professional conference, a CALT presents a case study drawn from a former client's records. The CALT has altered identifying details such as the child's name, grade, and geographic region, but retains the specific pattern of errors, test scores, and intervention sequence. A colleague in the audience who knows the family recognizes the case. Under ALTA's Code of Ethics, which statement best describes the ethical issue?

Answer: The CALT should have obtained explicit written consent from the family before any presentation, since altered details do not guarantee anonymity when distinctive clinical profiles are retained.

ALTA's Code of Ethics requires that client confidentiality be protected even in educational and professional contexts. Altering surface-level identifiers (name, grade, location) does not constitute full de-identification when the clinical profile — error patterns, test scores, intervention sequence — remains distinctive enough to allow recognition. The ethical standard requires obtaining explicit written informed consent from clients (or their guardians) prior to any case presentations, even retrospective ones. The former-client status and the colleague's recognition both underscore that altered demographics alone were insufficient protection.