Why can’t I find an educational therapist near me?

We’ve heard the same thing from many frustrated parents. They didn’t know that educational therapists even existed. Then they stumbled across an article circulating around Google or Facebook and clicked out of curiosity. As they learned about what educational therapists can do for students with ADHD, learning disabilities and other learning challenges, they grew increasingly excited! Ready to get started, they go to search, “educational therapist near me” to find some local professionals. Often, they are disappointed with limited results. Why is that?

Educational therapy is a highly specialized field. It’s also a fairly new field. The techniques and skills have been around for a while, but the English language (and the term “educational therapist”) is just catching on to what we’ve known for a while that students need.

Students with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and other learning challenges often need more than traditional tutoring. These students need a professional who understands the whole child and can tailor their instruction totally to the individual student. In tutoring, the focus is usually on isolated skills. In educational therapy, we want to hear from the parent, the student, the school, the student’s IEP team and/or other evaluations and anything that will help us understand and support the child’s academic and social-emotional needs more comprehensively.

For example, if a student is struggling with reading, a traditional tutor may teach the student to read using phonics instruction. An educational therapist may use a multi-sensory method to help incorporate multiple modalities to help the student process letter sounds in different ways. All teachers use creativity to reach their students, but educational therapists, due to their backgrounds and education, are pulling from a wider breadth of “tricks” and training to help reach the students who need it the most. This specialized expertise and training is rarer than a traditional teaching background.

“Educational therapists, due to their backgrounds and education, are pulling from a wider breadth of “tricks” and training to help reach the students who need it the most.”

Another challenge with finding an educational therapist near you is in finding the right match! Think about doctors for a moment. A general practitioner can help with most simple needs. If, however, you need a specialist, is there just one specialist doctor who sees all of the “specialized” needs? Definitely not! The more specialized your needs, the more important it is that you get the right specialist.

That’s also true for finding the right educational therapist! Even if you search, “educational therapist near me” and find some options, it’s a huge challenge to find the one who has the right specialized skill set for your child’s needs, age/development, and personality. There are educational therapists who specialize in reading, educational therapists who specialize in math, educational therapists who specialize in executive functioning and the list goes on!

As an adult, would you see a pediatrician for a medical need? Or course not. Similarly, many educational therapists are most qualified and most specialized for specific age groups and for specific needs.

“Progress Parade allows us to choose the perfect educational therapist for every student who needs this type of specialized support.”

How do I find an educational therapist near me?

This frustration many families expressed in finding an educational therapist is exactly what led us to start Progress Parade. Progress Parade allows us to choose the perfect educational therapist for every student who needs this type of specialized support. We can meet with students in small towns where these specialists may not exist and in large cities where the the right match may have a waiting list. Our goal is that every student who comes searching is able to find that perfect “educational therapist near me '' and is able to access exactly what they need: an educational therapist who can meet them right where they are and to start turning learning challenges into life changing achievements.

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