University Partnership Makes Dyslexia Training Accessible While Providing Free Reading Support
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If you’ve noticed how difficult it can be to find qualified professionals who understand how to support children developing reading skills differently, you’re not alone. The specialized training required often comes with a hefty price tag—and that financial barrier limits both who can provide help and who can access it. This is exactly why a new partnership between the University of Maine and the Children’s Dyslexia Center in Bangor matters: it’s making evidence-based reading intervention training accessible to future speech-language pathologists while providing free services to local families.
TL;DR
University of Maine partnered with the Children's Dyslexia Center in Bangor to integrate specialized reading intervention training into graduate curriculum.
Master's students in Communication Sciences and Disorders complete 6 credits and 100 clinical hours through intensive training and client sessions.
Community children receive free, evidence-based reading support while students gain expertise in neuroplasticity-based interventions.
The model demonstrates how universities can prepare better-trained clinicians while increasing accessibility to specialized services.
Graduate Students Gain Specialized Training
Starting January 2026, master’s students in the University of Maine’s Communication Sciences and Disorders program can complete intensive reading intervention training as part of their degree requirements—at no additional time cost. The partnership with the Children’s Dyslexia Center in Bangor allows students to fulfill 6 of their required 66 credits and 100 of their mandated 400 clinical hours through a structured program that combines week-long summer training with ongoing client sessions and monthly feedback meetings.
Kaycee Laffey became the first UMaine student to complete the training through this partnership. “Reading can be an escape into a different reality,” Laffey explains. “For some kids, it’s really important to explore that other side.” Like many graduate students, Laffey knew she wanted to focus on literacy within speech-language pathology but doubted she’d have time for additional specialized training. The partnership solved that problem.
The training model brings together diverse participants—public and private school teachers, homeschooling parents, special education teachers, educational technicians, and now graduate students. According to Laurie Marcotte, director of the Children’s Dyslexia Center, this cross-disciplinary learning creates unexpected benefits: “To have all of those different people in the same cohort, you’re not only learning about teaching kids how to read, you’re also learning about everybody else’s perspective and set of hurdles.”
Research consistently shows that intensive, systematic reading instruction creates measurable changes in brain structure. Brain imaging studies reveal that children processing print differently can develop the same neural reading networks as typical readers through targeted intervention. Yet accessing professionals trained in these evidence-based approaches often requires private pay services at $80-150 per session—putting effective support out of reach for many families.
The partnership addresses this accessibility gap on two levels. Graduate students gain expertise they might otherwise never obtain, while children in the community receive free, high-quality reading intervention services. Michelle Moore, associate professor and chair of UMaine’s Communication Sciences and Disorders program, emphasizes the efficiency: “What’s exciting for our students who participate in this is that we’ve not only found a way to offer them the training but also to embed it into their master’s program without it taking any extra time.”
The training itself follows a diagnostic and prescriptive model focused on individual learning patterns. “We’re teaching them to look at the mistakes the child is making, and ask, ‘How do I remediate those mistakes?'” Marcotte explains. For instance, if a child writes “crost” for “crossed,” trainers learn to recognize this as more than a spelling error—it’s a language-based gap in understanding how suffixes work. This level of analysis requires specialized knowledge most clinicians don’t receive in typical graduate programs.
Author Quote"
Reading can be an escape into a different reality. For some kids, it’s really important to explore that other side.
"
Not applicable - no significant bias identified
Neuroplasticity-Based Approach to Reading Development
The program reflects growing understanding of neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself through specific practice. Moore, a speech-language pathologist for 23 years, notes that reading intervention “empowers children to read and write, and in turn, empowers them in all aspects of life.” The structured-yet-flexible approach recognizes that reading differences exist on a spectrum and vary between individuals.
This individualized focus aligns with research showing that children developing reading skills need instruction matched to their current processing capabilities. “It’s valuable to have multiple approaches in our toolkit, because each child is going to come with a unique set of strengths and weaknesses,” Moore explains. The training teaches future clinicians to identify those individual patterns and adjust interventions accordingly—a skill set that benefits all their clients, not just those working on reading.
Marcotte points out that learning these techniques early in a career offers advantages over retraining experienced professionals: “We have teachers who’ve been teaching for 20 years. It’s sometimes easier to learn something new right out of the gate rather than relearn something that you’ve done for ages.” This observation speaks to the value of integrating evidence-based reading intervention into graduate training rather than treating it as specialized add-on knowledge.
Key Takeaways:
1
Free Reading Services Through Training: University of Maine graduate students provide no-cost evidence-based reading intervention to community children while completing specialized dyslexia training as part of their degree.
2
Neuroplasticity-Based Approach: The diagnostic-prescriptive training teaches future clinicians how brain-based reading interventions create measurable changes in neural networks through targeted practice.
3
Replicable Accessibility Model: Embedding specialized training in graduate programs addresses both professional preparation gaps and community service needs simultaneously.
A Replicable Model for Training Access
The partnership represents a replicable model for addressing both training gaps and service accessibility. By embedding specialized training within existing graduate programs, universities can prepare future clinicians with expertise they’ll use throughout their careers. Simultaneously, community members gain access to high-quality services they might not otherwise afford.
For families, this means local access to evidence-based reading support without the typical financial burden. For students like Laffey, it means beginning their careers with a deeper understanding of how children develop reading skills and the confidence to address complex literacy challenges. The model demonstrates that professional training and community service don’t have to compete—they can strengthen each other.
As more universities explore similar partnerships, the ripple effects could be significant: better-prepared clinicians entering the workforce, more accessible services for families, and ultimately, more children receiving the specialized support that helps their brains build strong reading networks. That’s the kind of systemic change that makes specialized knowledge accessible rather than exclusive—and it starts with innovative partnerships like this one in Maine.
Author Quote"
We’re teaching them to look at the mistakes the child is making, and ask, ‘How do I remediate those mistakes?’
"
Partnerships like this one matter because they challenge the assumption that specialized expertise must remain exclusive and expensive. When universities integrate evidence-based reading intervention training into graduate programs, they’re preparing clinicians who understand how brains build reading skills—not just how to manage permanent “disorders.” This represents the kind of systemic shift families need: professionals who believe in neuroplasticity, understand individualized instruction, and can provide the targeted support that helps children develop strong readers. Instead of waiting for a system that labels kids and manages their “deficits,” families deserve access to approaches that actually build neural pathways. If you’re ready to stop waiting for that system, the Learning Success All Access Program offers a free trial that includes a personalized Action Plan—and you keep that plan even if you decide it’s not the right fit.
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