Educational Therapy teaches students to think independently. Language and thinking skills are developed through effective questioning by therapists. Students develop strategies and are taught to reflect upon their thinking. They transition from dependent learners to those who think and reason independently. Upon completion of NILD Educational Therapy® few, if any, adjustments or modifications need to be made in the students’ academic programs.

Research has shown that through intense one-on-one mediation, a student's thinking can be developed and therefore strengthened.

Students in NILD Educational Therapy® receive two 80-minute sessions of intensive educational therapy per week either in individual or small group settings. These sessions include a variety of techniques designed to address the student's specific areas of difficulty and to improve their overall ability to think, reason and process information. Techniques emphasize basic skill areas such as reading, writing, spelling and math, applying reasoning skills within each area.

Students are taught by educational therapists, trained specifically in NILD methods. Our therapists also receive on-going training leading to NILD certification and post-graduate degrees. Ongoing collaboration between the educational therapist, parents and classroom teachers is vital in assessing progress and appropriately adjusting educational programs for each student.

Progress can be measured as the student becomes successful in:

• focusing on the teacher’s voice
• accurately hearing and retaining what the teacher says
• reading visual information on the board, transparencies, or computer screen
• reading at grade level
  
• understanding the main points of what the teacher is saying and deciding the significant information to record
• remembering how to spell the words
• recording information legibly
• understanding and applying mathematical reasoning
  

Educational therapists individualize intervention by:

• focusing specifically on the student's areas of difficulty and addressing problems as they emerge during the learning process
• encouraging focus necessary to help the student work through difficulties
• building trust to free the student to accept and work on difficult areas

Parents are equipped to:

• provide structure and accountability
• supervise therapy homework
• collaborate with the therapist in providing an effective program for their child