Educational Therapy
Purpose of Educational Therapy
In the Christian School, a child must be developed as a whole person in all dimensions - spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and social. All students, including those with a learning difficulty, have worth because they have been created by God and in His image. Each student must be educated as an individual who possesses unique abilities which have been given to him/her by God, the Creator.
The Program
Educational therapy is conducted under the umbrella of the Resource Room and is a program for students who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities or who exhibit characteristics of that type of learning difficulty.
By definition, a student with a learning disabled has adequate motor ability and emotional adjustment, hearing and vision within normal limits, and average to high intelligence, but has difficulty learning. Children with learning disabilities receive inaccurate information through their senses since they have trouble processing information. Like radio static or a distorted picture on TV, the information becomes garbled as it travels from the ear and eye to the brain. Consequently, these children may have difficulty:
- Thinking clearly
- Writing legibly
- Spelling accurately
- Learning to read
- Learning to compute
- Following directions
- Remembering facts
- Putting information in sequence
- Copying information
Educational therapy, based on a program developed by the National Institute for Learning Development (NILD), works to strengthen deficit areas of perception and to develop cognitive skills so that students can reach their academic potential.
Structure of Educational Therapy
Students receive individual educational therapy twice a week for an extended period of time (approximately 80 minutes). An educational therapist designs and administers a therapy program planned to strengthen each student’s deficit areas in perception and/or cognition.
Parents of each student are involved through observations of therapy each marking period. They also supervise additional assignments at home throughout the school year and during the summer months.
The minimum duration of educational therapy is usually three to four years. The number of years in which a student is enrolled in the program will vary with the severity of the deficit and the commitment of the parents and student to the program.
Admission to Educational Therapy
A teacher or parent can recommend a student for testing by contacting the school administrator or a supervising teacher. The administrator or supervisor will then refer the student to the Director of Assessment and Reporting for testing. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children is administered by a psychologist. An educational battery of tests is administered by an educational therapist. The results of these tests are discussed at a conference with the parents and classroom teacher(s).
If a student is recommended for and accepted into educational therapy, an individualized therapy program is designed for him/her. This educational therapy attempts to stimulate the student’s deficit areas of perception and/or cognition. The goal of educational therapy is to help the student become independent and successful in the regular classroom. An additional fee is added to the student’s tuition for educational therapy.
