1. Schedule a Free Consultation: Your journey begins with a free phone consultation with our Special Education Intervention Specialist. This call gives you the opportunity to share your concerns, ask questions, and learn about the services that may best support your child.

2. Benchmark Assessment & Intervention Plan: Before intervention begins, we conduct a thorough pre-assessment to establish a baseline in key areas: literacy, written expression, oral expression, and numeracy. The results are compiled into a Benchmark Report with clear, personalized goals for intervention. This report is emailed to you and will guide progress tracking throughout the program.

3. Schedule your Intervention: With clear goals in place, intervention services officially begin. Interventions are structured in 3-month or 6-month blocks, tailored to our client's unique needs and goals.

Purpose of the checklist: This checklist is a practical tool to help families and professionals decide whether a child is ready to get the most out of one-to-one educational therapy. Educational therapy is a focused, structured approach that asks a child to sustain attention, tolerate transitions, follow adult-led routines, and work through deliberately challenging tasks. When a child does not yet have key regulation, communication, or cooperation skills in place, those demands can block learning, no matter how bright or motivated the child is.

Why sequencing and “prerequisite” skills matter: Think of learning like building a house: educational goals (reading, handwriting, strategies for learning) are the upper floors, and regulation, communication, and routine-following are the foundation. Skipping straight to the upper floors when the foundation isn’t stable makes progress slow, fragile, or even counterproductive.

Main reasons we check readiness first:

1. Regulation is foundational for learning. A child needs to reach a basic calm-engaged state before they can benefit from repeated practice and strategy instruction. When dysregulation is frequent, sessions become about managing behaviour rather than teaching skills.

2. Attention & stamina determine how much learning is possible in a session. Educational therapy expects the child to sustain short bursts of focused work and tolerate gradual increases in demand. If stamina disappears after a minute or two, the child won’t get the repetition and practice they need.

3. Functional communication reduces frustration. If a child cannot request help, a break, or express “more”/“stop,” they are more likely to escalate. Teaching or ensuring a reliable way to communicate (words, signs, or AAC) is often a precondition for productive one-to-one work.

4. Safety and cooperation matter. Escalating physical behaviours, frequent elopement, or unsafe actions prevent learning and put everyone at risk. These must be addressed before investing in intensive academic goals.

5. Efficiency and wellbeing. Sequencing supports saves time and protects the child’s relationship with learning. It avoids repeated frustration and helps ensure therapy time is meaningful and motivating.

Educational Therapy Readiness Checklist 

This checklist is designed to help families reflect on whether now is the right time, or whether to first focus on other supportive therapies (like occupational, speech, or behavioral therapy). It is not a test of ability, but a guide for sequencing support so that learning can feel safe, successful, and meaningful. 

Regulation & Wellbeing

• My child has trusted strategies (with or without adult help) to calm after becoming upset or overstimulated.

• My child can participate in a learning activity for 5–10 minutes when supported.

• My child can cope with small changes (e.g., hearing “not right now”) without extreme distress.

• My child’s sensory needs (movement, sound, touch, etc.) can be supported enough that learning time is possible.

Routine & Flexibility

• My child can follow a simple visual schedule for part of a session.

• My child can move from one activity or space to another with support.

• My child can take part in 2–3 guided activities with encouragement.

• My child can wait briefly (30 seconds–1 minute) between activities with support.

Communication & Connection

• My child can use words, signs, pictures, or AAC to ask for basic needs.

• My child usually responds when their name is called.

• My child can answer simple “what” or “where” questions with cues.

• My child shows interest in shared interactions (talking, gestures, eye contact, or other ways of connecting).

Attention & Learning Readiness

• My child can follow 1–2 step directions with support.

• My child can engage with play or learning materials for a few minutes at a time.

• My child can attempt fine motor tasks (drawing, writing, using tools) with encouragement, even if not yet fluent.

• My child shows interest in stories, songs, or interactive activities.

If your child shows many “yes” answers, they are likely ready to benefit from educational therapy. If there are several “not yet” answers, especially in areas like regulation, routines, or communication, it may be helpful to focus first on therapies that support these foundations, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, or behavioral therapy. We can guide you in planning the most supportive and effective next steps for your child’s learning journey.