Trained in Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
California Teacher Credentialed
Association of Educational Therapy Member
Amy Mecklenborg, the Educational Therapist, has over 11 years of experience in one-to-one and classroom education and coaching at schools such as The Bishop’s School, Hoover High and Correia Middle School, as well as public education at the CalEPA. Amy also provided Educational Therapy to students at a learning center in La Jolla prior to collaborating with Leanne Benjamin, Educational Therapist and Consultant, at Individualized Learning.
Amy’s educational background includes a B.A. in biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her M.S. degree in Interdisciplinary Advanced Studies at University of California, San Diego. She earned a California teaching Credential specializing in teaching middle and high school math and science to students with giftedness, ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning challenges. Amy is also trained in Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes.
As a Certified Educational Therapist, Amy has met rigorous professional requirements in the academic areas of elementary and secondary education, child development, educational assessment, learning theory, learning disabilities, and principles of educational therapy. Amy has completed supervised direct service hours. She specializes in reading and ADHD remediation.
Individualized Learning Values
Individualized Learning values individualized one-to-one K-12th grade instruction to help your child achieve his/her highest potential. We are dedicated to tutoring your child with customized one-to-one instruction to meet his/her learning style, learning needs, and ultimately accelerate your child’s learning. One-to-one sessions will unleash your child’s strengths and talents, develop interest-based individualized learning strategies and skills in areas of improvement and build self-confidence. We value our unique approach of learning by leading your child to be able to self-assess and grow into a life-long independent learner with a successful future. We collaborate with your child’s counselors, teachers, and learning team to advocate for your child’s needs and to help him/her to succeed. Our nurturing and encouraging environment welcomes you and leads your child in a comfortable and positive learning experience. Located in Carmel Valley and Encinitas, Individualized Learning serves all areas from North County San Diego to the city of San Diego.
Educational Therapy Addresses
- Learning Disabilities, a generic term which includes (but is not limited to):
- Reading and Writing Difficulties
- Math Disabilities
- Dyslexia
- Non-Verbal Learning Disorder
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD)
- Other Less Common Conditions, such as Asperger’s Syndrome, Fragile X, and Tourette Syndrome, etc.
- Language Processing Disorders
- Visual Processing Disorders
- Motivation
- Academic Self-Confidence
- Study and Organizational Skills
- Test Preparation and Test-Taking Skills (including ISEE, ACT, SAT)
- School and Test Anxiety
- Social Skills
- School Placement and Retention
Educational Therapy
The Educational Therapist is a professional who combines educational ad therapeutic approaches for evaluation, remediation, case management, and communication/advocacy on behalf of children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities or learning problems. (https://aetonline.org)
Educational Therapy considers the impact of school, family, and community on the client’s learning, collaborates with the client’s learning team, and collaboratively sets goals and develops an intervention plan that addresses psycho-educational and socio-emotional goals. An ET provides individualized intensive intervention, conducts formal and informal assessment of academic skills, and uses alternative teaching strategies. An educational therapist also can provide case management for clients by coordinating with the student’s learning team. An ET has extensive training in learning disabilities and other forms of learning difficulties, with additional specific training in the psychology of learning disorders, assessment, and intervention strategies that address the social and emotional aspects that impact learning.
The Core Principles of the Practice of Educational Therapy
- Directly attend to the social and emotional aspects that impact learning
- Foster trust, honesty, and mutual respect with client and family
- Respect issues of confidentiality, e.g. release of information, delicate issues of teenagers, etc.
- Understand principles of case management and collaborate to set goals
- Become a positive role model
- Create a supportive learning environment where it is safe to take risks and learn from mistakes
- Foster open communication regarding grades, problems at school or work
- Help parents know what is “normal,” to provide a realistic frame of reference for appropriate expectations
- Educate parents as to educational therapy goals and the techniques employed to attain them
- Embrace humor as a catalyst for learning; inject humor into the learning process
- Validate client efforts and accomplishments through specific, informative feedback
- Provide expanded input to the ongoing diagnostic process from continuous observation over time and in natural contexts
- Understand and abide by the AET Code of Ethics in all dealings with client