Educational Therapy

---

Executive  functions are the managers in our brains, telling our brains what, when,  and how they need to do things in order to be successful in various  environments. We most often associate executive functions with ADHD, but  ADHD actually only accounts for four of the thirty-three executive  functions researchers have identified. Many people have weak executive  functions without having ADHD. These weaknesses lead to difficulty with  all kinds of tasks: academic, social, and personal. 

Individual executive function coaching can help your student who knows what and how to do something but can't do it when it's necessary. For instance, she might be able to code for hours at a  time (she knows how to focus and sustain attention), but she can't focus  on writing a paragraph. Or it can help your student who knows what to do but can't figure out when or how to do it. For example, a student who studies for a test but gets a poor grade--he knows he has to study, but doesn't know how to or when to do it effectively.   

Individual  coaching is appropriate for students who struggle with ADHD and those  with specific learning disabilities, such as dysgraphia, dyslexia, and  dyscalculia. It also helps students who cannot age-appropriately manage  their schedules, belongings, and impulses. It takes time for students to  learn the skills and apply them appropriately, but the benefits of  strong executive functioning positively impacts all aspects of life. 

  Executive function coaching helps the individual set goals, learn the  skills they need to fulfill their goals, and then apply the skills in  all kinds of situations.   

Tutor:  Ginger Schollenberger

One-on-one Feuerstein therapy is available.

Teaching the brain how to learn

NIL is one-on-one individualized intervention, to address the underlying causes of learning difficulties, rather than just the symptoms.  Empowering children to become excellent learners.  By focusing on key components: Cognition, perception, academics, and emotions.  Therapy includes techniques such as Rhythmic writing, Blue Book, Orton Gillingham based phonics instructions, and much more.  These techniques are designed to strengthen weakness in auditory processing, dysgraphia, dyslexia, language processing disorder, visual motor deficit, memory, and executive function.  

Consultation and testing can help determine if therapy is the right fit for the student. 

More information regarding NILD (National Institute for Learning Development) at NILD.org

Tutors:  Kelly Blackman, Sarah Donegan, Ginger Schollenberger

 To improve directional concepts Rhythmic Writing is educational therapy's backbone, it will help meet any or all of these goals. 

1. To develop the ability to do 2 or more things at the same time.
2. To establish hemispheric specialization for language 

3. To improve visual-motor integration (eye-hand coordination)

4.  To improve directional concepts

5.  To improve visual sequential memory

A  student who has difficulty in the language area will benefit from developing one hemisphere of the brain to be the dominant hemisphere for language. This dominant hemisphere is usually opposite of the child's  dominant hand. When a dominant hemisphere is established for specializing in language, the student becomes more organized in his/her thinking. 

Rhythmic Writing helps to develop hemispheric dominance. 

In addition to developing a dominant hemisphere, it is also important for a  student to integrate both hemispheres of the brain. Crossing the mid-line forces both hemispheres to be involved in the task and thus develops that integration. 

The student's directionality concepts are strengthened as he/she does left/right counts.  

We will also be combining penmanship with this class

We will be doing executive function exercise writing and will use one penmanship book. 

FOR ALL AGES AND GRADES

Tutor: Sarah Donegan

Price: $600 and $50 book and supply fee per year

Class Size: 6 students

Zoe  Life is a social communications class designed for children with  special needs and learning differences of every kind. Each child is  welcomed and cherished. We desire each child to reach their God given  potential. 

Every person is made up of three things:  Body, Soul and Spirit.  Zoe Life will spend time on all three in each session.

Body-Each  child has intellectual and physical needs. We will stimulate your  child’s intellectual needs using various crafts and fun learning  activities while also encouraging them to express themselves with words.  We will encourage making eye contact, attending to a task, requesting,  initiating, asking for help, expressing ideas and frustrations using  words, turn taking, sharing and problem solving.  We will work on one,  two and three step directions. We will also teach how our behavior  directly affects others. Various toys will be available for pretend play  to develop abstract thinking. 

Soul-We  have emotional needs. Every child will be showered with love and  acceptance.  We understand our children are sometimes disruptive and  uncooperative; we use these opportunities to teach alternative  behaviors.

Spirit-We  have spiritual needs. The Word of God is incorporated into absolutely  everything we do. It is the power behind the growth we want to see.  

Children tend to be more self-centered rather than others centered.  We seek to change that. 

Careful discipline in self control will be a main focus. 

We’ll lead them to use the "JOY” method…

Jesus first

Others second

You third

What will this group produce in your child?  Galatians 5:22  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

God is love!  The more that God’s Word flows through your child, the more of these qualities you will begin to see!  

Joy will be produced in their heart when they find out it is much more fun to play with others than alone.

Peace is produced deep inside despite outward circumstances and appearances.

Patience is produced when we learn how to take turns and share.

Kindness is produced when we learn that our behavior directly affects the feelings of others; making them happy or sad.

Goodness is produced when we learn to obey our parents because God said so!

Faithfulness is produced as we learn to never give up; we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

Gentleness is produced as we learn consideration for others.  Putting others before ourselves is pleasing to God.

Self-control is produced when we learn to control our emotions and respond appropriately to others.

We  will learn how our behavior directly affects other people’s feelings;  and how they interact, respond and ultimately decide if they will be  friends with us or not. We will encourage the use of language at all  times to communicate our feelings of fear, frustration and anger.

Zoe is the Greek word for “life.” John 1:4 In Him was life [Zoe], and the life was the light of men.

Price: $650 per year

Afterschool or non-LWG days therapy is available.  

See Sarah Donegan for more information