Educational Therapy in Early Intervention

Educational Therapy for Children

At Olive Tree Development Center, we offer Educational Therapy (ET) to children with learning difficulties, from preschool to school leaving age. We provide a variety of early interventions that are specially designed for each child to help them develop their academic competency.

Children with learning difficulties may have neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Specific Learning Disorder (SLD), or Intellectual Disability (ID). These children face difficulties in the social and academic settings because they lack social skills, self-help skills, cognitive skills, and behavioural management strategies that help them cope with the sensory environment.

Traditional tutoring methods may not be effective for children with special needs, as they merely teach children on a specific subject matter, such as English or Math. Our educational therapists have a broader focus for children with special needs. We not only target remediation but also focus on building learning strategies and coping skills to help children nurture their self-confidence and learning efficiency.

The Early Intervention Programme For Your Child

To assess your child's profile, our early intervention programme uses a holistic approach. We conduct clinical interviews with either parents or children, collect information based on standardised assessment tests, self-report checklists, and the child's medical and family background, and even conduct school or home visits to observe the child in a naturalistic environment. We then develop an individualised education plan (IEP) that addresses cognitive, psycho-educational, and socioemotional aspects of lifelong learning.

Educational Therapy at Olive Tree

In our educational therapy programmes, we offer a literacy and maths curriculum. Our Olive Tree Achievers Programme (OTAP) is designed to help children with special needs learn English and maths concepts more effectively. Our educational therapists incorporate a variety of methodologies and teaching materials to address the child's academic deficits and build on their academic competency.

In our literacy programme, children will gain competence in reading, comprehension, vocabulary building, and spelling. We adopt different strategies, such as the University of Utah Reading Clinic, Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, Montessori, and Orton-Gillingham strategies, to stir the interest in literacy and functional literacy. Children will be assessed periodically using formative assessment and portfolio.

In our maths programme, children will gain competence in different maths concepts, such as solving word problems/story sums, heuristics questions, and different topics for PSLE Maths. We adopt different teaching methods, such as Montessori, Orton-Gillingham, and On Cloud Nine® (Visualizing and Verbalizing for Math). Similar to our literacy programme, children will also be assessed periodically.

Why Choose Olive Tree for Your Child’s Educational Therapy?

If your child has learning difficulties, they may benefit from Educational Therapy. We provide a safe and supportive environment for your child to develop their academic competency, social skills, self-help skills, cognitive skills, and behavioural management strategies. Our holistic approach ensures that your child receives a personalised early intervention programme that addresses their strengths and weaknesses.

References

Mash, E., & Wolfe, D. Abnormal child psychology.

Ficksman, M., & Adelizzi, J. U. The Clinical Practice of Educational Therapy: Learning and Functioning with Diversity.