The Benefits of Educational Therapy for Children

"The team’s calculations indicate that by the spring of 2022, the average student was lagging by approximately one-half year in math and one-third of a year in reading."

- Harvard Magazine

What is Educational Therapy for Children?

Some kids struggle in traditional classroom settings for a variety of reasons - whether it's a learning disability, attention issues, or other learning differences. Educational therapy can provide individualized support to help kids with their unique learning challenges.

Educational therapy (ET) is a one-on-one instructional approach that identifies and addresses a student's specific learning needs. An educational therapist pinpoints exactly why the student is struggling, and then creates a customized plan to help them bolster their skills. They help kids learn how to learn.

Educational therapy provides proven benefits for students across all age ranges - from preschool through college. An educational therapist can become your child's partner in unlocking their potential to excel both in and out of the classroom.

Kids who participate in educational therapy show significant growth in reading, writing, math, concentration, memory, planning, and organization.

The Academic Benefits of Educational Therapy

Learning how to learn

Educational therapy helps students master skills like

Reading comprehension
Writing organization
Math
Memorization

Therapy sessions target the root causes of students’ learning challenges. For example, a therapist may work with a 5th grader to help him improve his attention for homework. They may use games or external supports like a visual timer to help the child focus for longer periods.

A high school student may benefit from support for organizing their ideas when writing an essay. The educational therapist can provide visual supports and mind-mapping strategies that the student can use for writing assignments all the way through college.

Educational therapists teach children different strategies and techniques to help them study better. Some of these techniques include

Visualization
Using memory aids
Mind-mapping
Spaced repetition

This is like giving each student a personalized learning toolkit. They can use these tools to understand and remember anything as they progress in school.

Identfying learning disabilities early

In addition to providing instructional support, educational therapists are trained to evaluate how children learn. They can spot early signs of learning challenges like dyslexia, ADHD, and nonverbal learning disorder. Catching these issues early in a child's school life can prevent problems later on.

For example, if a therapist notices signs of dyslexia in a kindergartener, they can intervene right away. Early help is key. It means the child can get better at reading faster.

By identifying problems early, educational therapists can help kids learn how to use their strengths to shore up their weaknesses. They can help children learn in a way that works for them. This early support sets the child up for success in school and in life.

Personalized learning plans

Educational therapists design learning plans that are just right for each child. They look at what each student needs and their unique way of learning. This is not a one-size-fits-all plan. It's individualized for every child.

For one student, the plan might include more hands-on activities. For another, it might use lots of pictures and stories. Educational therapists adapt learning plans as their students gain skills and grow. They work to give every child the best chance to succeed in school.

Parents often find that the educational plans and strategies developed by an educational therapist go above and beyond what is written in their child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) at school. Educational therapists can complement special education programs by digging deeper and providing one-on-one support to the students they help.

Multisensory learning tools

Educational therapists help children understand things more deeply by using strategies that involve visual aids, songs and storytelling, hands-on experiences, and movement.

They pick the right tools for each child's way of learning.

For example, a high school student learning about momentum in physics might use diagrams to visualize it, listen to verbal explanations, and physically push objects to really understand the concept.

Multisensory strategies can solidify understanding and help students improve their speed of learning.

Building effective study habits

Educational therapists teach children how to study on their own more effectively. This includes organizing their study space, managing their time well, taking good notes, and learning how to break big projects into smaller steps.

They also teach habits like going over what they learned right after class, which helps information stick in their minds better. These skills and habits are important because they help children become more confident and efficient learners.

By improving how they study, students can handle their schoolwork better and feel more prepared and less stressed.

Classroom accommodations & curriculum modifications

Educational therapists can recommend accommodations and modifications to help students learn better. In this way, educational therapists can be great partners for parents and teachers during IEP meetings.

They might suggest

Extra time for tests
Using assistive technology
Sitting in a spot in the classroom that helps the student focus better
Recording lessons with a voice recorder or phone
Using checklists to keep track of steps in an assignment
Listening to audiobooks instead of reading physical books

These modifications are individualized for each student and can make school more accessible. This way, every student gets the support they need to learn effectively and feel confident in school.

Enhancing math & literacy skills

Educational therapists are skilled in using specialized teaching programs to improve children's math and literacy skills. For literacy, these programs focus on a structured, multisensory approach to reading and writing. They help children understand the relationships between letters and sounds, build phonemic awareness, and develop strong reading comprehension and writing skills.

In math, educational therapists use tailored strategies that make mathematical concepts clearer and more relatable. They might use visual aids, hands-on activities, and step-by-step guidance to help children grasp basic arithmetic, geometry, and problem-solving.

By employing these specialized techniques, educational therapists effectively address each child's unique learning needs, making math and literacy more accessible and engaging, and building a strong foundation for academic success.

Improving Cognitive & Executive Skills with Educational Therapy

Executive skills are the processes that allow us to plan ahead, stay motivated, sequence activities, and avoid procrastination. They help us manage tasks, focus, stay organized, and remember instructions. Think of executive skills as the brain's management system.

For example, when a child organizes their school bag, that's executive functioning at work. It's also in action when a child stops playing a video game to start their homework, showing they can switch tasks and focus. Or, when they follow a recipe step by step without getting sidetracked.

We are not born with mature executive skills. We develop them over time (even into our 30’s). Children with learning challenges often have delayed executive skills. This makes everyday tasks more challenging.

Educational therapists are experts in helping kids improve their executive skills.

Improving attention and focus

ET helps kids get better at focusing on schoolwork. They use activities and accommodations that teach them how to keep their attention on a task without cues from an adult.

For instance, if a child is working on a long reading assignment, the therapist could divide the text into short sections. After each section, the child could be asked to summarize what they've read or answer a few questions about it. This method keeps the child engaged and focused on each part of the task, making it less overwhelming and easier to maintain concentration.

Sometimes, incorporating physical activity can help improve focus. For example, if a child struggles to focus during math lessons, the therapist might introduce a movement-based learning activity.

This could involve using physical objects like blocks for counting or creating a math-related scavenger hunt where the child has to move around to find and solve problems. This approach helps to channel a child's physical energy into the learning process, thereby enhancing their ability to focus on the task at hand.

Developing organizational and time management skills

Educational therapy teaches children important skills for handling their responsibilities. One key skill is learning how to break large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.

This approach makes chores and schoolwork seem less daunting.

Children also learn to arrange their tasks in a logical order and to use their time effectively. Therapists can help kids who struggle with telling time or who have a hard time accurately judging the passage of time.

Working on these skills can help them plan and organize their schoolwork and daily activities better. Educational therapy can help kids begin to feel less frustrated and more in control of their lives.

Boosting memory and mental flexibility

Educational therapy uses specialized techniques to improve a student's working memory. Working memory is like a temporary sticky note in the brain. It holds the information that you need to complete a task, such as when you have to dial a phone number.

A math student, for instance, might practice the steps for solving an equation over and over. Once they've got that down, they can move on to trying new, more challenging problems. These activities help improve how well they remember and adapt to new information.

An educational therapist can also work on improving a child’s mental flexibility by simulating situations where the routine changes.

For example, the therapist might create a game where the order of the morning activities is shuffled. One day, the child might have to pack their school bag before eating breakfast. On another, they might choose their clothes after breakfast.

Enhancing critical thinking skills

Educational therapy focuses on deepening children's ability to think critically and analyze information. Therapists encourage kids to consider both sides of an argument before forming an opinion. They help them learn to ask deep, thoughtful questions and notice small, important details.

They also help kids practice seeing things from different perspectives, especially when they find something tricky at first. This kind of critical thinking is not just about one subject; it helps them in all areas of life. By applying these skills across different subjects, kids can understand and learn new things more quickly.

Learning to think visually

ET puts a strong focus on building visual skills, which are crucial in many areas of learning. These skills help children understand and process information that they see. For example, in math, good visual skills enable a child to recognize patterns, understand graphs, and solve geometry problems more easily.

When it comes to reading maps, strong visual skills help a child to interpret and navigate the information effectively. These skills are also essential for following directions, especially when they involve understanding diagrams or visual instructions.

By enhancing these visual abilities, children become more adept at interpreting and using visual information in various academic subjects and real-life situations.

Better sequencing and classification skills

Educational therapy plays a key role in helping children develop better sequencing and classification abilities. Sequencing skills allow kids to put events or steps in the right order, which is essential for understanding processes in science, solving math problems, or even just telling a story correctly.

Classification skills, on the other hand, involve grouping things based on their similarities and differences. This is important for organizing ideas in writing, sorting out scientific data, categorizing objects in math, or putting the dishes away after dinner.

Through a variety of engaging activities and exercises, educational therapists work with children to enhance these skills. As a result, kids become more adept at organizing their thoughts, understanding complex concepts, and applying these skills in both schoolwork and everyday life.

Building confidence and reducing school anxiety

For many children with learning challenges, school is a punishment. Educational therapy can be a great tool for them by helping them become more confident and less anxious about schoolwork.

Often, kids avoid school because they struggle with reading or math. Educational therapy helps children overcome these challenges by identifying their strengths and teaching them ways of learning that work best for them.

As they start to understand and master their schoolwork, their confidence naturally grows. They feel more capable and begin to look forward to school. Therapy gives them strategies to manage anxiety, such as organizing their work, preparing for tests, taking movement breaks, and positive self-talk.

This combination of skill-building and anxiety management helps children approach school with a more positive and confident mindset.

Practicing social skills and improving communication

Educational therapy can help children improve their social and communication skills. This is especially important for kids who find it challenging to make and keep friends or who struggle with following school rules due to oppositional behavior.

Therapists give students a chance to practice and improve how they interact and express themselves. They work on the basics of communication like reading social cues and active listening. They also help children learn to understand how to tolerate boundaries without falling apart.

Group educational therapy sessions can provide a safe space for kids to learn how to share and take turns. This helps children with learning challenges practice the social skills that are vital for success in school and the workplace.

Building resilience

ET can help children develop resilience, which is the ability to bounce back from challenges and setbacks. Through therapy, kids learn to face difficulties in learning with a positive attitude. They're taught strategies to overcome obstacles, whether it's a tough math problem or a reading passage they don’t understand.

Therapists also encourage children to see mistakes as opportunities to learn, rather than as failures. This approach helps children to stick with hard tasks and to keep trying, even when things get tough.

By building these skills, educational therapy empowers children to handle the ups and downs of school life and beyond, fostering a sense of resilience that will support them throughout their lives.

Learning self-advocacy

Educational therapy empowers children to advocate for themselves, a vital skill for their school and life. Therapists work with children to help them understand their own learning needs and strengths.

They teach them how to communicate these needs effectively to teachers and family members. For example, a therapist might role-play scenarios with the child, practicing how to ask for help, request more time for a task, or seek clarification on instructions.

This type of practice gives children the confidence to speak up in class, ask questions when they're unsure, and seek the resources they need to succeed.

By learning to advocate for themselves, children become more independent and proactive learners.

Educational therapy offers life-changing benefits tailored to your child’s needs - both inside and outside the classroom. One-on-one support provides targeted reinforcement so kids can reach their full academic potential while building confidence.

Customized learning strategies promote self-reliance and accountability. It equips students with critical thinking and self-regulation skills that are beneficial well beyond graduation.

Perhaps most importantly, by advancing at their own pace with compassionate guidance, children begin to recognize their strengths rather than focusing on their limitations. Educational therapy shines a light on the unique abilities of children with learning challenges that traditional education systems tend to overlook.