What is Educational Therapy?

NILD Educational Therapy focuses on developing four key components:

• cognition

• perception

• academics

• emotions

Who is Educational Therapy for?

Potential students for this program are those experiencing obvious frustration in areas of school performance. Often poor spelling, illegible handwriting, inability to express thoughts verbally or in writing, and difficulty with reading and math are common indicators of a learning disability. Dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia are common among Educational Therapy clients because of the IDA accreditation standards.

Learning disabilities are diagnosed through a battery of tests that measure and compare students’ potential with their actual performance. Limitless Learning administers a nationally accredited cognitive, achievement, and oral language testing, informal testing, and strengths evaluation to compare a student’s potential with their performance. Limitless Learning does not provide diagnoses. However, clients are able to take the testing to their psychiatrist and psychologist for diagnosis, if they desire and have the information needed for diagnosis. If a child has had a complete WISC-IV within the past two years, Limitless Learning will consider this data first prior to recommending possible additional evaluation.

How long does Educational Therapy take?

Students complete their programs when they become independent and successful in the regular classroom. We recommend 60 sessions a year, over a period 3+years. This decision is based upon recommendations from the educational therapist, parents, and classroom teachers.

It is important to remember that when a child is behind, it takes more than one year to catch up when remediating the root cause along with the academic issues.

Strategies learned in educational therapy should enable students to remain independent and successful throughout their school years. They generally develop skills to pursue a career in the field of their choice. Learning disabilities can be addressed whenever they are identified, not just in childhood. The NILD techniques are effective regardless of age and can be adapted to all levels of functioning.

How is Educational Therapy different from tutoring?

Tutoring focuses on mastering one concept or subject. Educational Therapy is the development of clear, efficient thinking. Students are given tools to enable them to overcome specific learning weaknesses. Tutoring typically focuses on content while educational therapy builds efficient learning processes. Educational Therapy teaches students how to think rather than what to think or shortcuts around thinking. Educational Therapy is skill-oriented, improving basic learning skills so students can learn and retain content.

Students become better able to:

• stay focused on the teacher’s voice

• accurately hear and remember what the teacher is saying

• read visual information on the board, transparencies, or computer screen

• understand the main points of what the teacher is saying and decide the significant information to record

• remember how to spell the words being recorded

• record information legibly

Educational therapists become better able to individualize intervention by:

• focusing specifically on students’ areas of difficulty and dealing with problems as they arise during the actual learning process

• maintaining the intensity of focus needed to help the student work through difficulties

• developing the trust needed to free the student to accept and work on difficult areas

Parents become better able to:

• provide structure and accountability

• supervise homework

• maintain regular contact with the educational therapist to increase understanding of the therapy process and collaborate in providing an effective program for their child

source: www.nild.org