Meeting to feature educational therapists





When their children are failing classes, parents can turn in many directions for help, including teachers, doctors, counselors—and educational therapists.

The Conejo Valley Mental Health Professionals group will host its monthly “Meet and Greet” lunchtime seminar Fri., April 3 with a focus on the field of educational therapy.

A panel of therapists, including Shawn Simon, will use the free seminar to advise parents about the options available to them.

Simon said a parent shouldn’t wait until a child is failing classes before consulting an educational therapist.

“When a child is failing, their selfesteem is often greatly affected,” Simon told The Acorn. “It is better to use an educational therapist when a child is beginning to struggle—then our work becomes a more preventative measure.”

Educational therapy includes interventions and therapeutic techniques to improve a child’s performance in school and how that child views their own abilities.

In addition to teaching “functioning skills,” which include organization, time management, homework planning and study skills, educational therapy focuses on “processing” problems..

Processing involves vision, hearing, and the speed at which a child can perform certain functions.

“There are auditory processing activities or listening activities that can help build a student’s ability to process and understand directions they hear,” Simon said. “The same idea is used for visual processing, such as picture mysteries (and) puzzles.”

She said processing disorders can affect reading comprehension and other areas of learning. The therapist can determine what problem is impacting which facet of learning, Simon said.

Students diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for instance, would be shown a range of therapy that might be used on a child with a processing disorder.

Regardless of the diagnosis, children with learning problems generally have low confidence in themselves.

“Building self-esteem is a key component in educational therapy,” Simon said. “When a child believes in himself, he can accomplish almost anything. Conversely, if a child does not believe in himself it makes it difficult to accomplish anything. So often when a child has trouble reading, he thinks he’s ‘stupid.’ It is our job to help him understand that he is bright and capable, it’s simply that his brain works differently.”

Simon and other therapists will provide an overview of educational therapy and answer questions at the meeting. Guests should bring their lunch to the session, which is noon to 1 p.m. at the Teen Scene Outpatient Program, 30343 Canwood St., Ste. 208A in Agoura Hills.

For more information, call Judy Wiener at (818) 706-0140 or e-mail j-wiener@sbcglobal .ne


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