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about :: contact :: staff :: frequently
asked questions :: directions :: links :: home
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Educational Therapist?
An Educational Therapist is a clinically trained educator who is…
Sensitively attuned to the interplay of emotions, cognition, and learning
Expert at helping clients gain the self-understanding needed to manage their
learning challenges
Knowledgeable about evaluation, remediation, and case management
Skilled at developing assessment-guided interventions
Skillful at communicating with families, school personnel, and allied professionals
An
educational therapist is a professional who is not merely a subject matter tutor,
but a professional who demonstrates a balance of knowledge and experience
in the field of developmental education, keeping abreast of current research
and literature in the burgeoning fields of learning disabilities, educational
diagnostic assessment, and the neurobiological and neuropsychological aspects
of learning and functioning. These relevant fields of study are part of the
multi-disciplinary nature of educational therapy, and help to define differential
diagnoses and the co-morbidity of disorders present in the diagnostic profiles
of many clients/students.
What do Educational Therapists Do?
Educational Therapists work with individuals across the life span who experience
learning challenges, such as:
Suspected or diagnosed learning disabilities (LD)
Dyslexia
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Non Verbal Learning Disorder (NLD)
Difficulty with Speech and Language
General and Specific Organizational Skills
Difficulty in the Workplace
General and Specific Difficulty in the Classroom
Difficulty with Executive Functioning Skills
Difficulty with Motivation
Low Self Esteem
How are Educational Therapists Different from other Education Specialists?
Educational Therapists offer intense intervention which includes attention
to the social/emotional forces that interfere with learning, remediating
academics, changing attitudes, facilitating accommodations as needed, and
communicating needs. Viewing the learning issues from the various perspectives
of school, parents and learner, educational therapists facilitate supportive
and tolerant relationships among all involved with the client’s educational
development.
What is the therapeutic aspect of educational therapy?
The therapeutic aspect of educational therapy does not imply that a client/student
is being offered psychotherapy. However, it does imply that an educational
therapist investigates and applies techniques and methods which address a
range of academic difficulties, thereby offering a sense of relief, enlightenment,
and self-management to the client/student. This occurs as a result of remediation,
and a comprehensive understanding of how and why the learning process is
unique
to each individual cognitively, socio-emotionally and neurobiologically.
Glossary of Terms:
Comorbid: two or more medical conditions that exist simultaneously
with and often independently of each other (e.g., ADHD, Dyslexia, Depression)
Learning
Disability (or disorder): impediments or a disorder in individuals of at least
normal intelligence who have difficulties learning or acquiring
skills, such as reading, writing, and other language based skills. This type
of disability may manifest itself in the classroom, the workplace, or in social
situations.
Attention Deficit Disorder: a condition which presents patterns of impulsivity,
difficulty with concentration, focus, and is sometimes accompanied by hyperactivity.
Individuals with ADD may have difficulty in the classroom, the workplace,
or in social situations.
.
Gestalt: A physical, biological or psychological configuration, unified as
a whole (e.g., regarding and respecting the person as a “whole”,
rather than as a summation of disorders or characteristics).
Executive Functioning
Skills: a set of cognitive functions that regulate other abilities and behaviours
such as impulsivity, transitioning, and emotional
responses (these behaviours, regarded sometimes as symptoms, are often identified
in individuals with ADD and other conditions).