CDT CDT Family Education & Parent Collaboration 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a parent meeting, a caregiver expresses guilt that their child's dyslexia is their fault. The CDT should FIRST:
- Confirm that genetics does play a role to validate the concern
- Dismiss the comment and redirect to the intervention plan
- Acknowledge the emotion and then provide accurate information about the hereditary nature of dyslexia (Correct answer)
- Refer the parent immediately to a psychologist
Correct answer: Acknowledge the emotion and then provide accurate information about the hereditary nature of dyslexia
Acknowledging the parent's emotion first builds trust, after which accurate psychoeducation can reduce guilt and increase engagement.
Question 2: Which type of home activity MOST directly reinforces structured literacy instruction?
- Watching educational TV programs about letters
- Practicing phoneme-grapheme correspondence using letter tiles or sound boxes (Correct answer)
- Reading independently without any support
- Playing word games that do not involve phoneme manipulation
Correct answer: Practicing phoneme-grapheme correspondence using letter tiles or sound boxes
Letter tiles and sound boxes replicate the multisensory, phoneme-grapheme activities used in structured literacy sessions.
Question 3: A CDT wants to set realistic expectations with a parent about intervention timelines. Which statement is MOST accurate?
- Most students with dyslexia are remediated within 6 weeks
- Significant gains in decoding typically require at least 1–2 years of consistent structured literacy intervention (Correct answer)
- Dyslexia cannot improve with intervention
- Gains depend entirely on IQ and are unpredictable
Correct answer: Significant gains in decoding typically require at least 1–2 years of consistent structured literacy intervention
Research consistently shows that meaningful decoding improvements require sustained, intensive structured literacy intervention over one to two years.
Question 4: Which document formalizes the goals, services, and accommodations agreed upon by the school team and parents for a student with dyslexia?
- 504 Plan only
- IEP (Individualized Education Program) (Correct answer)
- Progress monitoring report
- Psychoeducational evaluation
Correct answer: IEP (Individualized Education Program)
The IEP is the legally binding document that outlines specific goals, services, accommodations, and parent consent under IDEA.
Question 5: A parent reports that their child refuses to read at home despite therapy progress. The MOST helpful suggestion from the CDT is:
- Force nightly reading to build discipline
- Recommend stopping therapy until the child is motivated
- Use high-interest decodable texts paired with positive reinforcement to reduce reading anxiety (Correct answer)
- Advise the parent that home practice is optional
Correct answer: Use high-interest decodable texts paired with positive reinforcement to reduce reading anxiety
High-interest decodable texts lower anxiety while reinforcing skills, and positive reinforcement builds motivation for reading at home.
Question 6: When is it MOST appropriate for a CDT to refer a family to a private educational advocate?
- When parents want to understand their child's IEP rights and the school district is unresponsive (Correct answer)
- When the child shows rapid progress and no longer needs services
- When the therapist disagrees with the parents' goals
- When the family speaks a language other than English
Correct answer: When parents want to understand their child's IEP rights and the school district is unresponsive
An educational advocate helps families navigate IEP processes and advocate for appropriate services when the school district is unresponsive.
CDT CDT Family Education & Parent Collaboration 2
During a parent meeting, a caregiver expresses guilt that their child's dyslexia is their fault.
The CDT should FIRST: