Sometimes it Takes More Than a Tutor (Part 3)

This week we’ll finish looking at 5 big differences between tutoring and cognitive educational therapy, and how you know which is right for your child.

#1
Tutoring typically focuses on supporting academic skills or school subjects and cognitive educational therapy addresses the underlying processing or thinking skills that are needed in order for a someone to learn easily in school, as well as remediating reading, writing, spelling, and math.

#2
Tutoring typically looks a lot like school.

#3
Tutoring is most effective as a solution to a short-term problem. A long term learning problem must be dealt with by getting at the underlying issues.

#4
Tutoring may feel like an easier, more comfortable solution.
Tutoring provides a way to give students support and help them get their homework done. But it can also become a crutch because it doesn’t really solve the problem so that the student can do his homework on his own.
Many parents have said to me, “My child has had tutoring on and off over the years. He seems to do OK when we’ve got a tutor, but as soon as we quit, things go downhill again.” And that brings us to the fifth big difference between tutoring and cognitive educational therapy – the outcome.

#5
If tutoring is used to treat a learning problem, it is likely to end up being a never-ending process.

The goal of cognitive educational therapy, and our goal at the Stowell Learning Center, is to permanently stop the pain, frustration, dependence, and embarrassment that a learning problem can cause.

This is done through specialized programs and techniques that address the weak underlying processing skill areas that are causing the problem. Once students have a solid foundation or strong root system, they can become comfortable and independent learners.

There is an old saying, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.”

Tutoring may support students to help them get through this night’s homework or this class. Cognitive educational therapy eliminates the learning problem and teaches students to learn so they can learn anywhere, anytime, for a lifetime.

Here are some common symptoms, any of which may indicate that there are underlying processing skills are not supporting the learner well enough:

• Bright child, teen, or adult is underachieving
• Difficulty paying attention
• Gets distracted easily
• Avoids work
• Yawns all the time when listening
• Tries really hard for minimal outcome
• Struggles to sound out words
• Can’t remember months, days, math facts, spelling words
• Can’t follow more than one or two directions at a time
• Is inconsistent with math processes; can’t find or correct math errors; doesn’t understand how numbers work
• Struggles to read, write, or spell
• Is uncoordinated, awkward, or has poor posture
• Has to work excessively hard
• Gets fatigued quickly / has very low stamina for listening, reading, or schoolwork
• Misunderstands what is heard or read
• Misses or mishears information when listening

These issues can be changed. With specialized training the brain can learn to think and process information in more effective ways. Children and adults do not have to continue to suffer the effects of learning problems but it will typically take more than a tutor.

Find out if your child needs a tutor and something more to really get him or her on the road to being a comfortable, independent, confident learner.

Join us for a FREE parent information night.
Go to www.learningdisability.com for details.