18.3 Ethical Standards with Parents and Colleagues

ALTA Competency Exam for Multisensory Structured Language Education CALT

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1 Introduction & Exam Overview

1.1 Current Exam Facts 1.2 Eligibility and Therapy-Level Training 1.3 Registration, Prometric, and Study Plan

2 Language Development: Oral and Written Continuum

2.1 Oral-to-Written Language Continuum 2.2 Receptive and Expressive Oral Language 2.3 Receptive and Expressive Written Language

3 Language Development: Phonological Processing & Research

3.1 Atypical Literacy Development and Remediation 3.2 Phonological Processing Components 3.3 Research on Language Development

4 Structural Linguistics: Phonology

4.1 Continuum of Phonological Skills 4.2 Phonemes, Graphemes, and Morphemes 4.3 Articulatory Gestures

5 Structural Linguistics: Alphabetic Principle & Syllables

5.1 Alphabetic Principle and Sight-Word Recognition 5.2 Six Syllable Types 5.3 Syllable Division Patterns

6 Structural Linguistics: Accent, Morphology & Orthography

6.1 Accent Placement and Sound-Symbol Influences 6.2 Morphology: Roots and Affixes 6.3 Orthography, Affixing Rules, and Etymology

7 Structural Linguistics: Syntax, Semantics & Comprehension

7.1 Syntax, Sentence Structure, and Punctuation 7.2 Semantics and Pragmatics 7.3 Comprehension Strategies and Text Structures

8 Structural Linguistics: Written Language & Research

8.1 Handwriting and the Writing Process 8.2 Research on Structural Linguistics

9 Dyslexia: Definition, Brain & Neurology

9.1 Defining Dyslexia and Instructional Impact 9.2 Brain Anatomy and the Reading Network 9.3 Neurological Aspects of Learning Disabilities

10 Dyslexia: Related Issues, Comorbidity & History

10.1 Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Issues 10.2 Comorbid Disorders 10.3 Historical Pioneers in Dyslexia

11 Dyslexia: Research & Executive Function

11.1 Research on Dyslexia and Related Disorders 11.2 Executive Function and Dyslexia

12 Psychoeducational Assessment: Foundations

12.1 Assessment Terminology and Purposes 12.2 Essential Components of a Dyslexia Evaluation 12.3 Formal and Informal Assessment Instruments

13 Psychoeducational Assessment: Interpretation & Error Analysis

13.1 Interpreting Standard Scores, Percentiles, and Stanines 13.2 Using Results to Guide Services 13.3 Error Analysis of Work Samples 13.4 Psychoeducational Research

14 MSL Strategies: Multisensory, Systematic & Analytic

14.1 Simultaneous VAKT Multisensory Strategies 14.2 Systematic and Cumulative Instruction 14.3 Synthetic vs Analytic Instruction

15 MSL Strategies: Direct Instruction, Automaticity & Diagnosis

15.1 Direct vs Indirect Instruction 15.2 Automaticity in Literacy Development 15.3 Diagnostic Teaching

16 MSL Strategies: Program Principles & Theoretical Models

16.1 MSLE Program Content and Principles 16.2 Metacognition and Learning Environments 16.3 Simple View of Reading 16.4 Scarborough's Reading Rope

17 Federal Laws: IDEA, Section 504 & ADA

17.1 Federal Disability Law Landscape 17.2 Federal Eligibility Guidelines 17.3 Documentation Decisions and Accommodations 17.4 Historical Development of Disability Law

18 Professional Ethics: ALTA Code of Ethics

18.1 ALTA Code of Ethics Overview 18.2 Confidentiality, Competence, and Credentials 18.3 Ethical Standards with Parents and Colleagues

19 Professional Communication

19.1 Professional Student Reports 19.2 Strengths- and Needs-Based Language 19.3 Communicating with Parents, Students, and Colleagues

18.3 Ethical Standards with Parents and Colleagues

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

Principle II requires honesty with parents/guardians and full disclosure of goals, techniques, fees, materials, and hours.

Using student data for research or teaching requires written consent; maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest.

Principle III forbids maligning ALTA members, other professionals, or programs, and forbids referral commissions or rebates.

Refer based on qualifications and student need; do not diagnose or medically treat dyslexia unless otherwise qualified.

Give appropriate credit to contributors and respect professional/IP boundaries that also connect to Principle IV.

Last updated: July 2026

18.3 Ethical Standards with Parents and Colleagues

Quick Answer: Principle II requires honest, fully informed relationships with parents/guardians (goals, techniques, fees, materials, hours), written consent before using student data for research or teaching, and avoidance of conflicts of interest. Principle III requires integrity with colleagues and the community—no maligning, no referral kickbacks, qualified referrals, and appropriate credit.

After student-centered duties, Domain 7 items often shift to families and professional networks . These relationships determine whether therapy is truly collaborative or ethically compromised by hidden fees, competing interests, or unprofessional talk about other providers. This section covers Principles II and III , with a brief link to Principle IV when community conduct intersects association duties.

Principle II: Parents, Legal Guardians, and Caretakers

Principle II requires the highest standards of integrity, clinical competence, and responsibility in professional interaction with parents, legal guardians, or caretakers. Core rules include:

No fraud, deceit, dishonesty, or misrepresentation in dealings with families

Inform parents/guardians of all aspects of the professional relationship, including goals, techniques, fees, materials, and hours

• Obtain written consent before using student data for research or teaching
• Maintain objectivity and refrain from activities that create a conflict of interest
• Informed Consent as Ongoing Transparency

In MSLE therapy, “informed” is more than a signature on day one. Families should understand what academic language therapy involves (for example, systematic, cumulative, multisensory structured language work), what it does not include (unless separately qualified), how progress will be monitored, how often sessions occur, what materials may be used or purchased, and exactly how fees and cancellation policies work. Surprises about cost, schedule, or methods after services begin are ethics problems, not mere customer-service issues.

• Relationship element What to disclose clearly
• Goals Targeted literacy outcomes and how they will be measured
• Techniques MSLE/therapy approach in plain language
• Fees Rates, billing, insurance realities if any, extra costs
• Materials Required books, kits, home practice expectations
• Hours Session length, frequency, expected duration ranges

Written consent for research or teaching use of student data is a separate, explicit permission. Progress monitoring for that student’s own therapy is not the same as using identifiable work samples in a conference talk, social-media case study, or trainer demonstration. When in doubt, get written consent and de-identify whenever possible.

Conflicts of Interest and Objectivity

Conflicts of interest arise when personal, financial, or dual relationships could bias professional judgment. Examples relevant to exam vignettes:

Pressuring a family to buy a product line from which you earn undisclosed commissions

Providing therapy to a student while also serving in a role that evaluates the same student for high-stakes decisions without clear boundaries

Letting a personal relationship with a school administrator dictate recommendations that are not student-centered

The ethical move is to maintain objectivity, disclose conflicts when they cannot be avoided, and refrain from activities that create the conflict when possible. Principle II’s honesty rule overlaps: hidden incentives are a form of misrepresentation to parents.

Principle III: Colleagues, Administrators, Allied Professionals, and Community

Principle III extends integrity outward to the professional ecosystem. High-yield rules include:

• No fraud, deceit, dishonesty, or misrepresentation
• Do not malign or discredit any ALTA member, other professionals, or instructional programs
• Refer individuals to qualified professionals—not based on personal financial interest
• Do not engage in diagnosis or medical treatment of dyslexia unless otherwise qualified
• Neither give nor receive a commission, rebate, or other remuneration for referral of students
• Give appropriate credit to contributors in the field
• Professional Speech Versus Professional Sabotage

Families often ask, “Is Program X worthless?” or “Was that evaluator wrong?” Ethical colleagues can discuss evidence, scope, and fit without maligning people or programs. You may explain that a particular approach lacks alignment with structured literacy research, or that a recommendation falls outside your role—while avoiding smear campaigns, gossip, or attempts to poach clients by attacking another ALTA member. Exam items may tempt you with a “protect my reputation” option that trashes a competitor; the Code prefers integrity and accurate, non-maligning communication.

Referrals, Kickbacks, and Credit

Referral ethics protect students from becoming commodities:

• Practice Ethical? Reason
• Refer to a qualified psychologist for comprehensive evaluation Yes Referral based on qualification/need
• Accept a $100 rebate for every student sent to a tutoring franchise No Remuneration for referral prohibited
• Pay a teacher a finder’s fee for private-practice referrals No Giving remuneration for referral prohibited
• Cite Orton, Gillingham, or researchers when teaching a concept Yes Appropriate credit to contributors

Present another trainer’s copyrighted handout as your original work No Fails credit / IP respect (also Principle IV)

Principle IV’s duty to respect ALTA intellectual property (copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets) pairs with Principle III’s credit rule: do not steal association or colleague materials, and do not erase contributors’ work when you teach or publish.

Putting Parent and Colleague Rules Together

Many real dilemmas involve both principles at once. Consider a parent who asks you to “tell the school their reading specialist is incompetent” and offers to switch all neighborhood referrals to you for a monthly bonus from a partner clinic:

Principle II: stay honest; do not misrepresent; keep objectivity; no conflicted financial arrangement.

Principle III: do not malign the specialist; do not accept referral remuneration; if a referral is needed, base it on qualifications.

Principle I (background): keep student information confidential while discussing concerns.

Communication (Domain 8): use professional, strengths- and needs-based language when describing the student—not the colleague as a villain.

Exam Pattern Recognition

• Stem cue Likely principle / rule
• Fees, hours, techniques not explained Principle II informed relationship
• Using student video in a workshop Written consent for research/teaching
• Selling products with hidden profit Conflict of interest / misrepresentation
• Badmouthing another CALT to win a client Do not malign / discredit
• Cash for each referral No commission/rebate
• “I’ll diagnose and medically treat dyslexia” Unauthorized diagnosis/medical treatment
• CE ignored; ethics complaint ignored Principle IV commitment duties
• Closing Synthesis for Domain 7

Across 18.1–18.3, Standard 7.A asks whether you can act as a trustworthy CALT: bound by the Code and EGC, protective of confidential records, humble about competence and credentials, transparent with families, and collegial in the professional community. Ethics items reward the option that is truthful, consented, competent, and free of financial or reputational self-dealing —even when another option looks faster or more profitable.