EDUCATIONAL THERAPY & ASSESSMENT
LEARNING CONSULTATION
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
Exploring, developing, practicing and implementing learning strategies that work!
Learners with neurodiversity – ADHD, learning disabilities, mild autism, executive function, mood disorders – find success with my services.
Hello, I’m Shawn Usha, your partner on this exciting journey to successful learning. I am so pleased your are here on my website. More about me
Please explore the resources and information, and contact me for a free, initial consultation.
I provide services as an Educational Therapist. I meet the standards of the Association of Educational Therapists. My goal is to guide clients in discovering their path to educational success and the pleasures of learning.
BUILDING
Building is the process of working together to discern, understand, and produce solutions for learning challenges. Building is taking those solutions and practicing them till they become habitual and produce success with learning goals. Building is improving resilience, self-esteem, study skills, and self-knowledge of effective personal learning processes.
THE PATH
A path has stepping stones. The stepping stones for learning are core academic skills like fluent reading, vocabulary acquisition, writing mechanics and mastery of math procedures. Paths are also the means for academic skills to build upon each other and the means to produce steady, successful academic work. Paths build knowledge bases that lead to ever increasing learning and in-depth study in topic areas.
to ENGAGED LEARNING
Learning is an essential human endeavor and a life-long process. Learning can be joyous but frustrating at times. Learning can move in leaps but sometimes requires steady plodding. Engaged learning opens and expands curiosity, self-expression, and confident engagement with assignments. Engaged learning is sustained completion of complex academic work.
You too can say, “I know how to learn!”
SERVICES
Educational Therapy
Educational therapy provides one-on-one sessions that provide individualized learning support. Multisensory strategies (Orton-Gillingham based) for improving basic skills, executive function tools for work organization, and application of cognitive processing models lead to successful completion of complex academic tasks. Areas of specialty are dyslexia, writing, and work organization. In addition to academic growth, the learner develops self-understanding and resilience, rather than frustration.
Learning Consultation
Consultation with the learner, family members, and instructional staff to discuss current learning challenges. This includes a review and explanation of assessments, interviews with school staff and other support team members, and a written plan with recommendations for the next steps with services and strategies.
Assessment
Assessments provide information for several purposes. Assessments determine areas of deficits with core academic skills, provide focal points for improving executive skills and resilience, and can provide written guidelines for necessary supportive services and learning strategies. Assessments include evaluation of current academic work, interviews with family members and instructional staff, and completion of appropriate assessment instruments. This does not result in a diagnosis, which must be completed by an appropriately licensed professional.
Instructional Design
Instructional design can range in scope from the small – work tracking forms individualized for each learner to the complex – math skill training books for a work setting. Academic work processes – writing assignments, math procedures, reading assignments – increase in complexity through the grades. Developing study tools that work for each learner’s unique cognitive processing strengths and challenges are often beneficial and lead to increased learning success.
What Folks are Saying about Shawn Usha
You did testing for my son in 2nd grade and he is now in 12th grade. He wrote one of his college essays about the challenges of dyslexia and his story about everything we did to support him, including your testing. He is currently ranked 4th in his high school class and is taking all International Baccalaureate classes. I never thought this would be possible! Thank you for the part you played in his journey!
Thank you for the work you are doing. Your care, patience, and interest in his development is an important part of the progress he is making. Sincerely appreciate the creativity and thoughtfulness you bring to each session.
This has been a critical year for my son and you’ve played a critical role in helping him through it. I see meaningful progress in his confidence and capability and I believe your thoughtful guidance has made the difference.
FAQs
How are the educational therapy sessions conducted?
Our sessions are conducted either in person or online using Zoom. The office is located in the Grand Lake area in Oakland.
What is educational therapy?
An Educational Therapist is a professional who works in the academic domain with neurotypical and neurodiverse children, adolescents, and adults that have been diagnosed with learning disabilities, exhibit signs of learning differences, or demonstrate difficulties with learning.
What agency sets standards for educational therapists?
The Association of Educational Therapists provides the standards and verification for practitioners.
What is cognitive processing?
Cognitive processing refers to various components of thinking – visual and auditory processing, verbal reasoning, nonverbal reasoning, short-term memory, working memory, long-term retrieval – that are essential to learning
How does an assessment leading to a diagnosis different from your assessment?
Assessments for a diagnosis cover a range of areas – academic, cognitive functioning, and behavioral. These are completed by an appropriately trained and licensed professional, typically a psychologist. The work I complete includes academic and limited screenings for behavioral and cognitive functioning.
I hear so much about executive functioning. What is that about?
Executive functions refer to the ability to complete tasks in an effective manner. Typically these include emotional control and flexibility, behavioral self-monitoring and inhibition, and cognitive tasks: work organization and planning, task initiation-monitoring-completion, and working memory. This is separate from but often experienced with ADHD. My services provide in-depth exploration of executive functions and developing skills to strengthen them.
I’m not sure what my child needs – assessments, therapy, educational therapy? How do I figure this out?
My services include clinical interviews along with a review of the academic and developmental history. This can lead to informed decisions for prioritizing services and I can provide referrals to appropriate professionals.l
I’m not sure I understand or agree with the actions of my child’s school. What can I do?
My services include explanations and referrals to resources to understand school processes. Also, I can review assessments and service plans from the school and provide explanations and recommendations for next steps.
CONSULTATION
Ready to reach for academic growth and success?
Schedule your free consultation and find out how educational therapy can help you.