How Much Therapy is Enough?
So now that you know you need academic therapy...how long will it take to finish?
This is a great question, but it can be difficult to answer. The length of time needed in an academic therapy program really depends on your child's academic profile, needs, and retention of the information.
Typically we can help predict the length of time in a program based on standardized testing results (psychoeducational testing results, not necessarily state standardized assessments). Our team researched the length of time it would take to see consistent growth in reading ability. There were many factors at play but overall we found that students could expect to see around 8 Standard Score points of growth in a 6-month period with therapy occurring once to twice per week. There was not a statistical difference between students being seen once to twice per week.
You can check out the research poster >>here<< and the overview of findings here!
Of course, every child is different but typically we are able to give strong predictions of the length of time in a program. For reading remediation typically students remain on our caseload for 12-18 months depending on the concerns. Some students need less time and some need more.
For math students, it generally depends on how large the skill gap is - often students progress through our math program in 6-12 months (some need longer depending on the level of severity and cause of the deficit).
Our executive functioning program generally takes 10-12 weeks of once-per-week sessions to complete the skills workbook. Some students need longer with more individualized practice to really hold onto the skills introduced in the program.
What can you do to help your child make progress quicker?
Make sure to remain in communication with your child's therapist about the skills they are working on during our sessions.
The more practice and support you can offer your child outside of their sessions - the quicker the progress will be. Complete all of the home practice activities you are provided!
Consider inviting us to attend an IEP meeting so we can make sure your child is getting the most they can out of support provided at the school.
Be consistent with your appointments! We know life gets in the way, especially when you have such a long-term commitment to academic therapy. However, missing sessions significantly impacts the length of time it takes to complete the program.