FAQs
Families often come to us after months or years of trying everything—from tutors to extra practice—yet still seeing their child struggle. Educational therapy offers a different path, one rooted in evidence-based interventions and tailored to your child’s unique profile. The questions below highlight what parents most want to know before beginning this journey.
Q. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN EDUCATIONAL THERAPIST AND A LEARNING SPECIALIST?
A. We have deep respect for all educators and clinicians who dedicate their lives to supporting children - it truly takes a special person to nurture young learners. An Educational Therapist/Professional (ET/P), however, holds a unique credential approved by the Association of Educational Therapists (AET). This designation requires the highest level of professional preparation and experience, qualifying ET/Ps to provide specialized interventions for children and adolescents with learning challenges. The ET/P credential is a registered service mark that assures families of a practitioner’s professionalism, competency, and adherence to best practices.
Q. HOW IS EDUCATIONAL THERAPY DIFFERENT FROM TUTORING OR LEARNING SUPPORT?
A. Learning specialists and tutors primarily concentrate on reinforcing classroom instruction, ensuring students remain aligned with the curriculum. Their support often involves reteaching concepts, and providing targeted practice to promote immediate academic performance. While it can be effective short-term, this model differs from educational therapy, which intervenes at the foundational level to remediate underlying learning processes and address the root causes of learning difficulties and develop underlying cognitive processes.
Q. HOW LONG WILL MY CHILD NEED EDUCATIONAL THERAPY?
A. Educational therapy is not a quick fix, nor is it a forever process. Termination is the goal for every client. This goal is reached when the client self-actualizes and reaches a level of autonomy that allows her to transfer skills and processes independently. Everyone’s circumstances are unique to them and the length of time educational therapy can take.
Q. MY CHILD DOESN’T HAVE A DIAGNOSED DISABILITY; COULD MY CHILD STILL BENEFIT FROM YOUR SERVICES?
A. Educational therapy benefits a variety of individuals. In particular, educational therapy is highly suited for individuals with learning disabilities or other learning challenges that include, but are not limited to:
- Early ear infections, delay in learning language, and difficulty maintaining concentration, remembering, and/or paying attention.
- Challenges in developing foundational academic skills, such as learning to read, deep reading strategies, extensive writing, and independently applying math processes in the classroom.
- Loss of self-esteem regarding school performance.
- Resistance going to school or participating in normal childhood activities.
- Lack of progress at school and questions about ability to learn or to benefit from school.
- Extreme amount of time and parent support to get homework tasks done.
- Struggles with homework and school assignments that increase as schoolwork becomes harder.
- Discouragement and withdrawal.
Q. CAN YOU EVALUATE MY CHILD FOR A LEARNING DISABILITY?
A. Educational therapists do not formally diagnose, but we can administer academic diagnostics and gather detailed information about your child’s learning profile through observations and data. If a full evaluation is needed to determine the underlying cause of a learning difficulty, we refer families to trusted neuropsychologists. While an evaluation is not required, it can provide valuable insights that help us target our interventions more precisely.