What is Educational Therapy?

The educational therapist will want to meet you or the client and collect some information. The first few sessions are usually performing a variety of educational assessments to collect data and observations. These are assessments that will inform the learning plan. A formal summary report will be made using information collected during the first few sessions. All medical history and reports should be disclosed, including other testing.

A detailed learning plan will be made and with parents and school to suggest any useful classroom modifications, academic scaffolding, behavioral strategies for home and school, and a list of current strengths and academic weaknesses. Letters can be written and interviews or meetings are regularly held with other professionals involved in the treatment alliance.

I have extensive experience working with children aged 6-16 to improve their sound awareness, build increasing working memory, expand their foundational number sense, and improve their self-concept through normalizing their struggles with learning issues. Clients typically have attentional, language-based, or other learning challenges.

The plans evolve with the needs of the client.

The Wilson Language System is very structured and a Tier-3 intervention that usually requires anywhere from 50-100 hours of remediation to improve up to 3 grade levels in both spelling and reading. The program is designed to be completed in 2-3 years, ending at a high school proficiency.

For some students, language support may be in foundational math – using multisensory strategies to learn and acquire new concepts. A third grade student may evolve from learning to read/write intensively to catch up 5 days a week for 45 minutes to becoming an independent 5th grade reader/writer who needs only 1 or 2 days a week to keep learning how to study, organize their thinking, and process new concepts in math.

Tutors have subject matter expertise in specific academic areas, like reading, grammar, writing, spelling, or math. Tutors mainly preview and reteach concepts taught in school for reinforcement; they help students prepare for tests and impart study skills specific within a particular core discipline. Tutors often do not have the formal educational training to understand how emotional, behavioral, social, physical factors may be impacting a learner’s ability to process, retain, or apply academic content and skills.

Educational therapists have subject matter expertise (many are former classroom teachers), but also have advanced training in structured learning modalities (such as Wilson) that are designed for those with unique cognitive profiles. ETs are trained to work directly with the challenges that come with having a learning difficulty – such as dyslexia, sensory processing issues, executive functioning deficits, or delayed language development. Work done in sessions complements the academic objectives of school; however, the ET goes more in-depth with the individual to also examine/explain the way they think or behave while performing academic tasks and to teach them hacks.

Rebecca holds private sessions in clients’ homes, in quiet shared spaces (library/office), or in the school setting. She usually works with families within the central San Diego area. Some older students work with her remotely due to scheduling issues.

Educational therapists set goals that are measurable academic skills that can be charted over time. Usually learning plans are designed for 3-month intervals, but last from several months to several years until the client is independently performing for their age.

Rebecca O’Brien charges an hourly rate for all her services, prorated for time. One professional hour is considered 50 minutes, with 10 minutes of planning. This fee increases slightly every fiscal new year to adjust for rising costs of inflation.