Educational Therapist - Educational Therapy

Neuro-Sensory Educational Therapy consists of a sequential step-by-step learning process that builds a solid foundation for learning success in school and life. The program takes students through four levels: Orange, Red 1, 2, and 3, Blue 1 and 2, and Green.

The Orange Level connects the body and brain. All students begin in the Orange Level doing kinesthetic exercises to develop gross motor skills, eye-hand coordination and balance between both sides of the body and brain. Students typically stay in Orange Level for three weeks, but depending on a student’s needs and ability, some graduate from Orange Level in a week while others stay here for up to eight weeks. Once the child demonstrates competency with all activities, they move to the Red Level.

The Red Level connects the eyes and brain. This is the vision level and consists of three separate levels which typically takes fifteen to eighteen weeks to master, but once again a student can take longer or complete a level in less time. Activities focus upon strengthening the eye muscles, expanding visual memory and refining visual discrimination. Each level in red (one, two and three) build upon each other by adding more challenging tasks until the student has mastered all activities. Some activities include accommodation glasses, tracing and prisms. It is in the Red Level that academics are introduced using phoneme books and level-appropriate readers. Writing and math activities are used when relevant to each child. After all Red Levels are complete, the student moves to Blue Level.

The Blue Level connects the ears and brain. This is the auditory level and consists of two levels each which take typically eight weeks to master depending upon the student’s needs and abilities. Activities focus upon auditory processing of information through auditory memory and auditory discrimination activities. Some of the Blue Level activities include Following Directions, Writing to Music, and Listen & Draw. Some of the visual activities from Red Level continue throughout Blue Level as correcting visual processing problems take a long time. Academic activities in reading, writing and math continue. Once a student has mastered the activities in the Blue Level, it is on to the last level, Green.

The Green Level connects all of the processing centers ~ body, eyes, ears and brain while emphasizing academics. The Green Level lasts until students achieve grade-level proficiency. Some of the green activities include Fine Motor, Analogy, and Visualization.

It is important to finish the program from start to finish as each level builds upon the next to creating new neural pathways that give the child a foundation and framework to be successful. Think of building a house. To make that house secure and livable, it needs a solid foundation. The Orange Level builds that foundation. Next, a house needs sturdy framework, plumbing, and electrical wiring. The Red Level puts up that framework and builds the neural pathways. A house also needs a walls, insulation and windows. The Blue Level adds more depth to the framework. And lastly a house needs a good roof. The Green Level puts the “lid” on all the processes done so far.

Often a student will begin to show progress in school work about two to three months into the program; grades will start to improve, reading levels will jump up; behavior will change for the better. To insure this continual success in school, it is recommended that a child completes the entire program; pulling a child out to early leaves the child vulnerable to slipping back into old patterns.

Being consistent is the key to a child’s success. The Neuro-Sensory educational therapy program exercises the brain muscles creating new neural pathways for learning and making necessary connections. Just like a muscle has to be used regularly to stay strong and efficient, so too does the brain muscle need the weekly workout to ensure optimal progression.

Educational Therapy has been used to treat the following conditions:

• Dyslexia
• Non-Verbal Learning Disorder
• Reading and Writing Difficulties (dysgraphia)
• Math Disabilities (dyscalculia)
• Attention Deficit Disorder/ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Asperger’s Syndrome
• Fragile X
• Tourette Syndrome
• Language Processing Problems
• Visual Processing Problems
• Poor Motivation
• Low Academic Self-esteem
• Poor Organizational and Study Skills
• School and Test Anxiety
• Poor Social Skills
• School Placement and Retention