Academic Services
Academic Coaching
When and Where Do Sessions Take Place?
Academic coaching sessions can take place at the student’s home, virtually, or in our office; we can also meet students at other locations such as the local library or at their school. Academic coaching is most effective when sessions are held two or more times a week as it allows for consistency in skill development.
Who Are Our Academic Coaches?
Our Academic Coaches are well-educated, many with advanced degrees. They all have previous experience in working with children in varying capacities and environments. Our coaches are bright and enthusiastic professionals who are excited about helping students develop their executive functioning skills.
All coaches are mentored by Dr. Deane and the Academic Coaching Coordinator, with almost two decades of experience assessing and treating EF deficits. Status meetings are held on a weekly basis during which time each individual student is discussed, current progress is assessed, and strategies are identified to further enhance skill development.
Why Would A Student Need Academic Coaching?
Students with the following concerns could benefit from coaching:
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Student does not know how to start a task and spends time “circling the airport.”
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Student has trouble staying focused or filtering out distractions while working.
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Student takes an excessive amount of time to complete homework.
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Student does not know how to study or studies ineffectively.
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Student needs parents to be heavily involved in homework.
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Student often forgets or misplaces his/her homework.
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Student dislikes school or resists attending.
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Student often leaves work to the last minute.
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Student struggles in school despite having a strong ability to learn.
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Student and parents often get into power struggles over academic tasks.
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Student is not truthful about assignments, grades, or upcoming deadlines.
If any of these sounds like you or your student, then coaching should be considered.
Academic Tutoring
ALDS also offers subject specific tutoring which focuses on students' individual needs and learning styles. The purpose of tutoring is to provide support that is specific to content being delivered in the classroom setting and to find ways to help students better access and understand that material. Tutoring can also serve students by allowing them to not only grasp new concepts well, but to then expand upon those concepts in real world and practical ways.
This service can take place in the student's home, virtually, at our office, or at a community location (e.g., a local library).
Our tutors are well-educated, many with advanced degrees. They all have previous experience in working with students in varying capacities and environments. Our tutors are bright and enthusiastic professionals who are excited about helping students develop and further their understanding of their content knowledge.
Educational Therapy
What is Educational Therapy?
Educational therapy (ET) is specialized remediation skill development training for individuals with learning differences. Specifically, an educational therapist works with children and adults diagnosed with, but not limited to, AD/HD, executive functioning deficits, ASD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, giftedness, mood and anxiety disorders, as well as language, visual, and auditory-based processing and developmental disorders. Educational therapy sessions typically focus on academic instruction, remediation, and executive functioning skill development. Additionally, sessions address overcoming cognitive "blocks" and difficulties associated with accessing educational content.
These sessions are conducted by an educational therapist, who is a trained specialist with an advanced degree. They design individualized curricula and lessons geared toward remediating academic concepts and building appropriate habits and behaviors needed for school, work, and managing life responsibilities. Educational therapy sessions can take place at the student’s home, in our office, or virtually and are usually held at least twice a week.
How Does Educational Therapy Differ From Other ALDS Services?
A tutor works exclusively on re-teaching a specific academic subject or topic for the neurotypical student. An academic coach focuses on the executive functioning processes that support school success. However, an educational therapist provides targeted academic remediation for individuals who require more specialized and intensive support to address core educational weaknesses.
Examples of Areas Addressed through Educational Therapy:
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Reading:
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Reading Fluency
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Phonemic Awareness and Decoding
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Reading Comprehension
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Writing:
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Writing Fluency
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Grammar and Writing Mechanics
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Organization and Clarity in Essays
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Mathematics:
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Math Facts Fluency
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Core Concepts (e.g., decimals, fractions, percentages)
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Word Problems
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Educational Advocacy
The process of navigating 504 plans, IEPs, and school placements can be overwhelming. The aim of Educational Advocacy Services is to guide families through the process in a clear, collaborative, and supportive manner. Your advocate will educate your family about the resources available to them such as initiating a 504 plan, important elements of an IEP, available accommodations and modifications, as well as how to acquire each in a school setting.
What Are Educational Advocacy Services?
When and Where Do Consultations Take Place?
Prior to beginning services, our Educational Advocacy Consultant will schedule a 30-minute no-fee introductory call. Follow-up sessions will take place via phone, virtually, or at the school site.
What Do Educational Advocacy Services Include?
Services are designed to meet each family's unique needs but may involve:
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Records review
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Consultations with families about the 504 or IEP process
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Acting as liaison between parents + school administration to ensure student is being accommodated to the highest/most reasonable level based on comprehensive psychodiagnostic evaluation
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Collaboration with school teams to determine the most effective strategies and interventions to support student success in the classroom
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Attending school meetings/parent + teacher conferences and assist families with tracking and scheduling follow up meetings
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Providing support with school placement within the greater South Bay area (all local districts + private/independent schools
What is Academic Coaching?
Academic Coaching is an essential intervention that targets executive functioning (EF) in children, adolescents, and young adults. Executive functioning skills, developmental in nature, impact the consistent performance of an individual related to key areas such as attention, organization, time management, self-initiation, motivation, and behavioral and emotional regulation. Research shows that successful students have well-developed executive functioning skills.
Next Steps
If Academic Coaching, Tutoring, Educational Therapy, or Educational Advocacy seems right for your student, please use the link below to schedule a free phone consultation with Dr. Deane. During this call, we will discuss your student's unique needs, identify the appropriate service, determine initial goals, and review the structure of sessions and the fee schedule.