Articles and Recent News
Republished from THE GRAM - LDA of California - Volume 44 No.1 Summer, 2011
DO YOU NEED AN EDUCATIONAL THERAPIST ?
By Joan Levine, Ph.D.
Many struggling students in classrooms from Kindergarten through 12th grade often need more than the daily instruction given in our schools today. (This can also include those students with LD in our colleges). These students have been designated “special needs” and are assigned to Resource or Special Day classes, or area included in general education classrooms with their non-disabled peers. Even attending extended year programs during the summer months may not be sufficient to support learning or stave off decreases in skills that often occur during vacation time.
What should parents do? Educational therapist or tutor?
First of all, it is imperative to know the differences between these specialists. A tutor is prepared to supply sustenance in a specific academic area. His/her knowledge of this academic area and the required school curriculum can provide needed support to a struggling student. Many tutors are teachers working after school hours, students trained by teachers, or even peer tutors. An Educational Therapist, on the other hand, can do a diagnostic evaluation of the student’s needs and develop strategies and teaching techniques to ameliorate weeknesses. Therapists should be familiar with teaching styles and methods, and can be selective in finding the best “gimmick or crafty procedures” from a scholarly storage container developed over years of practice.
So how do you know when you have found that “magic bullet” that will turn on the “light bulb” in a particular child?
1) Certification/Degrees – a graduate degree is helpful but not necessary; experience, training in reading, speech & language, special education methods, and psychometrics (testing and interpretation).
2) Extended Training – remedial strategies and techniques
3) Experience – years, ages of clients, models of teachings
How will the therapist meet your child’s needs? Training must be commensurate with the age of the child and academic area of deficiency (s). These might include but are not limited to: ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculaia, mental processing, comprehension, decoding, organization, receptive/expressive language (written and spoken), etc. Therapists should keep in contact with your child’s school and teachers, and professional business practices.
After interviewing a therapist a parent should be able to dedect a workable personality and teaching approach. Even though the skills may be present, without trust and personal attraction. sympathy, and harmonious interaction, the tutoring will not be successful. A good tutor/therapist must have the right amount of humor, disciplinary skills, sensitivity, creativity and ability to motivate and build self-esteem.
Having all these characteristics is a matter of luck but seeking someone with many of these qualities will insure the likelihood of finding a competent person who will care deeply about the success of your child.
Reference
Cowan, Polly (2011). Finding an educational therapist. National Center for Learning Disabilities: The World. Association of Educational Theapists 7044 S. 13th St. Oak Creek WI www.aetonline.org
Consult the Internet or telephone directory in your area.