Learning therapy

Learning to read, write and calculate is not child’s play for every child – we can help with learning therapy!
As state-certified speech therapists with comprehensive, interdisciplinary ongoing training as learning therapists, we also specialise in the holistic support of children with school and learning problems. Why? Scientific studies have shown that children who have received speech therapy for a speech development or articulation disorder at preschool age are significantly more likely to develop an isolated learning disorder, such as a reading and spelling disorder, at school age. Our many years of practical experience confirm these findings.
Learning is a process that continues throughout life, and it plays an important role especially at the beginning of our lives, as that is when the foundations are laid for independent and autonomous learning.
In the case of a learning disorder, the exact analysis of the circumstances and causes are therefore of particular relevance in order to create individual and effective support strategies, to work specifically on the contents, and to ‘learn how to learn’ in the long term.
Unfortunately, learning disorder (e.g., dyslexia) therapies are not covered by the statutory health insurance and must therefore be paid for privately. However, it may be possible to apply to the authorities for the costs to be covered in accordance with § 35 of the German Social Code (SGB). Please contact us for more information.
Our experienced and committed team of highly qualified experts provides professional support for you and your child in the case of partial performance disorders and school problems. With our learning therapy, we place special emphasis on individual support that includes all the parties involved: the child, the parents, the teachers and possibly other therapists. You and your child benefit from our integrative approach and the interdisciplinary cooperation with the doctors and therapists at the VitalCenter as well as with other specialist disciplines. Our goal is the learning success of your child.
Rely on individual and qualified learning therapy through expert counselling, diagnostics and treatment for:

A reading and spelling disability (or dyslexia) is defined as a developmental reading and writing disability. It is a partial performance disorder, as only the ability to read and write effectively is affected. In other areas, however, those affected do not display any irregularities. Dyslexia can occur in isolation or in combination with other partial performance disorders (e.g., dyscalculia). Dyslexia symptoms include difficulties in matching the spelling to the pronunciation, remembering letters, transpositions and omissions of letters, and frequent breaches of already learned spelling rules. Reading may also present difficulties in linking sounds, grasping familiar words as a whole and speeding up the reading process. Words are often ‘guessed’ and coherent texts are not grasped in a way that makes sense.
A dyslexia diagnosis is usually made by a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry or a psychologist. Attention span and the ability to concentrate often play a role as well. The goals of learning therapy must therefore be individually adapted to the initial situation and needs of the person affected and include the areas of attention, concentration, perception, error processing and rule knowledge as well as motivation. In most cases, a longer period of support must be assumed (1-3 years).
Dyslexia therapy is not covered by the statutory health insurance and must therefore be paid for privately. However, it may be possible to apply to the authorities for the costs to be covered in accordance with § 35 a of the German Social Code (SGB). Please contact us for further information.

In the case of dyscalculia, the comprehension and handling of quantities and numbers as well as arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, division and multiplication is so severely impaired that even after much practise, frequent errors still occur with the simplest arithmetic problems. Symptoms include difficulties with the holistic comprehension of quantities, counting using the finger-counting method or problems with learning basic arithmetic. For example, it can be very difficult to count past the number 10 or to do addition without the help of fingers. Dyscalculia is a partial performance disorder that can occur either in isolation or in combination with other partial performance disorders.
A dyscalculia diagnosis is usually made by a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry or a psychologist. Attention span and concentration skills often play a role as well. The goals of learning therapy include teaching arithmetic skills, developing strategies to help with numbers, and counselling parents or relatives as well as exchanging information with teachers.
Dyscalculia therapy is not covered by statutory health insurance and must therefore be paid for privately. However, it may be possible to apply to the authorities for the costs to be covered in accordance with § 35 a of the German Social Code (SGB). Please contact us for further information.

Foreign language acquisition can be a particular challenge for children with learning disorders or who were diagnosed with a language development delay at preschool age. Especially children with reading and spelling difficulties often struggle to learn foreign word forms and pronunciation rules. We help with this through targeted training and by teaching learning strategies that your child can use independently.

Perceptual deficits, e.g., in the visual or auditory areas, can make it difficult for a child to concentrate properly or process visual and auditory stimuli effectively. Easy distractibility and a high sensitivity to external stimuli can prevent him/her from absorbing and automating new learning. When writing letters or numbers, mirroring may occur. The child quickly becomes restless, frequently asks questions, and may even be perceived as a ‘class clown’ or ‘troublemaker’. Perceptual and concentration difficulties often have a wide range of symptoms and can seriously jeopardise success at school. A thorough diagnosis is absolutely necessary in order to differentiate between the various disorders and to offer the right learning therapy. We often work together with other specialist disciplines, such as phoniatrics and paedaudiology, child and adolescent psychiatry or occupational therapists.

The transition from kindergarten to school is not an easy step for all children. The completely new situation with many other children, sitting in one place for a long time, focusing attention on what the teacher is saying and much more can be overwhelming at first. If at the same time the child experiences difficulties in learning written language or arithmetic, a learning deficit quickly develops – in the worst case, the child even loses the desire to go to school. But even with older school children there can be phases when it is difficult to keep up, especially if the problem is compounded by an attention deficit disorder or if the child is highly gifted and therefore easily bored. If your child develops problems at school, we try to find out what the cause is together with you and, if necessary, with the teacher(s) or other specialist disciplines and help you to overcome them.

Often, even older students and adult learners fail, not because of the difficulty of the subject matter itself, but because of their inability to structure themselves in such a way that a continuous and sustainable learning process becomes possible. Many issues can play a role in this: How do I prepare for the coming school day or a very specific subject? How do I follow up on a subject? How do I clarify questions that arise in the process? Where and how do I write down my homework schedule? How much time do I need for homework? Do I assess my performance correctly? Why do I make mistakes? How do I archive school and learning documents such as worksheets, notes, etc.? When do I start studying for the work ahead? How many times do I need repeat a task to remember something? What type of learner am I? Why are my oral scores so low – how often do I actually participate in a lesson? What is the best way to learn vocabulary and formulas by heart? Where do I find the information, I’m looking for?
A precise analysis of previous learning habits forms the basis for building a successful learning environment and learning behaviour: learning can be learned – you just have to know how! In our therapies, students in levels I and II (6 to 16 years old) are supported by experienced teachers and therapists who are able to engage with the required level of subject matter while providing help for self-reflection and self-organisation. Learning is easier with an individually developed structure!