Associate ET Membership

The Associate ET Membership is the first step in the pathway of AET's Professional Membership track.

• Open to individuals who have met AET's basic professional academic requirements.
• Associate ET membership is an interim, required step toward ET/Professional membership.
• Dues are $225/year plus a one-time application processing fee of $35.
• As an Associate member, you must complete 10 hours (not units) of continuing education annually. Click here to find AET's continuing education guidelines.

Benefits of an Associate ET Membership

• Listing in the AET Referral Directory
• Link from the Referral Directory to your personal website or blog
• Discounts to AET events
• Professional networking and support
• The Educational Therapist Journal
• Access to local and virtual study groups
• Access to the Members’ Center on the AET website
• Free or discounted webinars

Requirements for an Associate ET Membership

• Complete academic requirements
• Submit Associate ET Application
• Provide current résumé
• Collect two reference letters
• Submit a copy of your transcripts
• Pay Application Fee and dues

View the PDF Application

NOTE: Your Application Form WILL NOT be processed unless the payment fields are filled out in the PDF. Please DO NOT submit your application with this section blank.

Academic Requirements

The following course descriptions are to assist you in determining which classes can be used to fulfill specific requirements.

Curriculum, Methods, and Remediation Techniques Relating to Individuals with Reading and Learning Differences - Three courses, 3 units each

Course Requirements:

These courses must include program planning, remediation techniques, adaptation of curriculum, and program evaluation. One course must specifically address the identification and remediation of reading disorders and include a multi-sensorial technique or program for remediation. This reading remediation course cannot be counted towards the General Reading requirement. Examples of course titles may include:

• Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Disabilities
• Reading Disabilities
• Reading for the Special Needs
• Child Adapting Reading Strategies for the Special Needs Child
• Remediation of Reading Disabilities
• Correcting Reading Disabilities
• Math Instruction for Special Needs Students
• Strategies for Remediation of Reading Disabilities
• Orton-Gillingham*
• Lindamood-Bell LiPS*
• Slingerland*
• Wilson Reading System*
• Language!*
• Technology Strategies for Special Needs Classes
• Adaptation of (curriculum area) in Special Education
• Language Learning – Language Instruction In Special Education

*Activities with asterisks are specific programs that are taught in workshops as opposed to semester-long classroom courses. To fill one of the three Remedial Curriculum requirements, the applicant may combine workshops to add up to 40 hours.

Assessment of Individuals with Reading & Learning Differences - Two courses, 3 units each

Course Requirements:

The courses must cover the foundations of formal (standardized) and informal test development, administration, and interpretation. These courses are usually presented sequentially, beginning with a basic course and followed by an advanced and/or practicum course. Examples of course titles may include:

• Assessment in Special Education
• Tests and Measurements in Special Education
• Foundations in Educational Assessment
• Assessing the Special Needs Child
• Woodcock-Johnson Test Administration and Interpretation

Human Learning - One course, 3 units

Course Requirements:

This type of course focuses specifically on the learning process, meaning how we learn. It can include the psychological and emotional aspects of learning as well as such things as information processing, and social impacts. Piaget's perspective is often covered in a course such as this. Examples of course titles may include:

• Human Learning
• Cognitive and Psychological Development
• Human Development and Learning
• Psychology of Learning
• Educational Psychology (focused on Learning)
• How Children Learn/Develop

Overview of Special Education - One course, 3 units

Course Requirements:

This course must cover the characteristics of children with learning differences such as giftedness, intellectual disability, emotional disturbance, or neurological disorders. The course must also incorporate information regarding federal laws for special education and the rights of students with disabilities in K-12 and postsecondary schools as protected by Section 504 and the ADA. Examples of course titles may include:

• The Exceptional Child
• Mainstreaming the Exceptional Child
• Overview of the Child with Special Needs
• Introduction to Special Education

Psychoeducational Interventions Combining Educational and Psychological Techniques - One course, 3 units

Course Requirements

This requirement in particular does not need to be met with an actual class, but can be experience related.

This area is typically fulfilled by an applicant’s practicum experience. Documentation should include counseling techniques for working with the family, school, and student, which help support the student’s learning. Documentation (such as supervisor’s notes, practicum or fieldwork requirements, and/or coursework) should demonstrate that supervised experience was obtained in working with schools, families and allied professionals. Some examples of courses in this area are titled:

• Working with Parents of Special Needs Children
• Counseling Techniques in Special Education
• Special Education Child and Family
• Behavioral Strategies in Special Education
• Guidance of the Special Needs Child and Family
• Advocacy in Special Education

General Reading—One course - 3 units

Course Requirements:

This course must be related to teaching general reading, not reading remediation, and must include phonological skills.

Child/Adolescent (Human) Development—One course - 3 units

Course Requirements:

This course is broader than Human Learning and typically involves the physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychological stages of development from birth to adulthood. Examples of course titles may included

• Human Development
• Child Development
• Adolescent Development

For specific questions not answered here, contact the AET Membership Department at 414-908-4949 x 130 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..