Tell us about your educational therapy practice and what you do.
My team of ed therapists and I work with students in my Santa Monica office, as well as in homes throughout the Los Angeles area. I work with students ages preschool through high school with a variety of learning challenges. My ultimate goal in my work is to make learning more engaging and accessible for my students and provide them with the tools and strategies they need to become successful, independent learners for the rest of their lives!
What inspired you to start your educational therapy practice?
I graduated from Pepperdine University with my teaching credential and immediately began teaching 3rd grade at an independent school in Pasadena. I loved the excitement and community of working as a teacher, yet in the full classroom environment I began to notice students who were not receiving the academic support they needed to be successful. I observed students who lacked skills in specific academic areas, couldn’t focus on work in the classroom setting, or simply lacked confidence in their ability as learners. While I tried my best to meet the unique needs of each student, I realized that many of these students would benefit from more targeted, one-on-one instruction. This led me to further my own education in the field of Educational Therapy and start a private practice.
What exactly is educational therapy?
Educational therapy is the practice of providing individualized instruction to students with learning differences, including but not limited to dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, ASD, executive functioning deficits, and auditory and visual processing issues. Educational therapists have specialized training in administering assessments, developing intervention plans, and implementing learning strategies and remediation for individuals with specific learning challenges. Check out AET https://www.aetonline.org/ for more information!
My ultimate goal is to make learning more engaging and accessible for my students and provide them with the tools and strategies they need to become successful, independent learners for the rest of their lives!
Why is educational therapy important?
Educational therapy is important because its ultimate goal is to create independent, self-sufficient students who enjoy learning and see themselves as life-long learners. Educational therapists help students understand how to learn in the best way for their specific learning profiles, which can hopefully lead to greater self-confidence and positivity throughout their lives. Educational therapists also help make the school systems, both public and private, easier to navigate for many families. An essential role of an educational therapist is to collaborate with parents, teachers, and other professionals working with the student to ensure all members of the team are working towards the same goals to best support the student’s progress.
What kinds of students do you work with?
I work with all different types of students, of all ages and abilities, which is one reason my job is so fun! I provide remedial instruction for students with specific learning disabilities like Dyslexia, executive functioning support for students with ADHD, and much more. Every session is tailored to my student’s age, interests, and the style in which I know that they learn best!
Educational therapy is important because its ultimate goal is to create independent, self-sufficient students who enjoy learning and see themselves as life-long learners.
What is your specialization?
While I work with a diverse range of students with a wide variety of challenges, one of my absolute favorite areas to work is early reading remediation. As an avid reader myself, I love helping books come alive to students, especially those who are not able to learn to read in a traditional classroom environment. I am trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction so I teach reading skills and phonics patterns in a very explicit and systematic manner, while incorporating lots of games and multisensory activities to make the learning more engaging and memorable!
Has your practice changed or altered since Covid-19?
My practice has become entirely virtual with the onset of Covid-19. At first it was challenging to transfer the process of educational therapy online, but I feel I have learned so much in the process and I am very proud of how my students have adapted. We now work towards the same learning goals, but online, which is actually even better for some students. Along with the regular support I provide in sessions, online sessions also offer tremendous opportunities to practice following directions, collaborating, and problem-solving, which is so beneficial for all learners.
Online sessions offer tremendous opportunities to practice following directions, collaborating, and problem-solving, which is so beneficial for all learners.
What are executive functioning skills and why are they important?
Executive functioning skills are vital to every part of daily life for children and adults. I once heard executive functioning skills described as the “CEO of the brain,” which is a metaphor I absolutely love. Executive functioning skills help us set goals, plan, and get things done efficiently. There are eight specific executive functioning skills: Emotional Control, Inhibition, Working Memory, Task Initiation, Planning & Prioritization, Flexible Thinking, Organization, and Metacognition or Self-Reflection. These skills are needed throughout the day for students, but are rarely explicitly taught. Each of us have areas of executive functioning strengths and weaknesses. For example, I am great at planning and scheduling ahead, but struggle with remembering certain things, like where I left my phone or keys. Like many students, I have compensatory strategies I use to help with my challenges. Particularly students with severe executive functioning weaknesses benefit from support from an educational therapist developing executive functioning skills and ways to compensate for their areas of weakness.
Is a lack of EF a disability?
A lack of executive functioning skills, or executive dysfunction, is not a specific disorder or diagnosis in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), but it is a skill deficit that can have a profound impact on a student’s life, both in and out of the classroom. Oftentimes, but not always, individuals who are diagnosed with ADHD also struggle with executive functioning skills. Students with other learning diagnoses or none at all can also struggle with executive skills weakness.
Most of the time there is a deeper reason behind why students struggle, whether or not they have diagnosed learning differences.
What do you see as the biggest need for students and/or educators today?
In my opinion, the biggest need for educators today is to change the lens through which they view their students. When a student can’t remember the sound of “e” or forgets to turn in their work for the tenth time, it is easy to think they aren’t paying attention or aren’t trying their best. Most of the time there is a deeper reason behind why students struggle though, whether or not they have diagnosed learning differences. All students can benefit greatly from having a teacher who is able to recognize their individual needs and provide accommodations that help that student stay successful and engaged in the learning process.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by my students, many of whom work exceedingly hard in the classroom everyday, and then work more with me! I love seeing students push through a challenging problem or apply a strategy they have learned to something new!
Learn more about the work Hannah Ross does or contact her for a consultation.
