Virtual educational therapy: A case study of clinical supports and advocacy

ABSTRACT

A case study is a research approach that is used to generate an in-depth, multifaceted understanding of a complex issue in its real-life context. It is both time- and space-bound and is useful to explore, describe, and explain phenomena. It is an established research design that is used extensively in a wide variety of disciplines, particularly in the social sciences, including education. Many master's programs employ the case study methodology as the basis for the culminating project. The case study methodology is especially relevant to advancing "younger disciplines" such as educational therapy. Many do not understand the training and difference in approaches between an Educational Therapist and a tutor, so publishing case studies is crucial. This book presents a board-certified educational therapist's year-long case study of clinical supports and advocacy for a student with learning disabilities who is attending school remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. With online and blended learning, now the norm in K-12 education, educational therapists need new models of intervention, treatment, and relationship-building for their child-age clients. The book offers detailed single-case research focused on a middle-school student who is learning virtually while challenged with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as well as visual and verbal memory issues, but who is nonetheless found ineligible for special education services. Across eight chapters, the book describes the neuropsychological principles, research-based techniques, personal interactions, clinical approaches, and advocacy efforts that led to a vulnerable student's significant gains in academic skills and outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)