When many students disengage from school, the issue is no longer academic, but rather psychological. Studies show that students with learning disabilities (14.8%) are three times more likely to have experienced chronic school absenteeism. This outcome may often be rooted in sustained shame, frustration, and a belief that effort will not change results. When learning becomes a repeated source of failure, children may internalize the message that something is wrong with them, long before they ever stop trying.
Lisa Judson believes this is precisely the moment educational therapy is meant to intervene. She describes it as a discipline many families need, but few understand. "If you had asked me what educational therapy was ten years ago, I would have shrugged and moved on," she says, pointing to a widespread lack of awareness, particularly outside the West Coast. As an educational therapist specializing in ADHD and executive functioning challenges, Judson believes the work fills the gap between diagnosis and day-to-day functioning.
