advocacy

What Role do Educational Therapists Play in Advocating for Clients?

Educational therapists routinely serve as case managers and advocates for their clients, facilitating communication with schools and external providers while ensuring that students receive appropriate support. There are several key methods through which educational therapists advocate on behalf of the individuals they assist.

Within educational settings, educational therapists frequently participate in IEP or 504 meetings to provide insight into the student’s specific learning profile and to contribute to the development of suitable goals and accommodations. Many educational therapists also engage in ongoing collaboration with teachers and support staff, enabling these professionals to better understand and address the students’ needs through targeted strategies.

In addition, educational therapists offer direct guidance to parents, clarifying the reasons behind their child’s academic challenges and advising them on effective means of support. They may interpret assessment results and reports in accessible language, free from technical jargon, and assist parents in advocating for their child within the school system. Furthermore, therapists can help establish home-based systems to facilitate homework completion and study routines.

Finally, educational therapists empower students to self-advocate by fostering an understanding of their individual learning profiles and identifying necessary resources for success. They may engage students in practicing how to request accommodations or respond if their needs are unmet.

What Role do Educational Therapists Play in Advocating in the Broader Community?

Educational therapists understand that disability is a socially constructed idea that values certain abilities and norms over others—a perspective known as ableism. They also recognize that schools are typically designed for neurotypical learners, and often the school community (students, teachers, staff) does not appreciate the strengths of neurodivergent students. Given this, a key part of an educational therapist’s role within the community is to advocate for changes that fight against ableism. Central to this advocacy work is listening to the voices of neurodivergent individuals and working to empower and amplify them. They also aim to increase awareness about neurodiversity and shift perspectives from a deficit-based approach to one that emphasizes strengths. They champion more inclusive practices such as Universal Design for Learning, which allows students to engage with material and represent their learning in different ways, and they support making learning tools readily available for all students. Additionally, educational therapists advocate for broader interpretations of student behavior, understanding, for example, that a student with ADHD who is wiggling or standing instead of sitting still on the rug can still be listening and may be communicating a need. Through their diverse advocacy efforts, educational therapists work to turn school environments into truly inclusive spaces.

(The National Center for Learning Disabilities, n.d.)