What is NILD Educational Therapy?

Intensive individualized intervention for students who struggle in their learning

It focuses on developing the tools of independent learning rather than simply re-teaching academic content.

Structured and individualized, with a focus on strengthening weaknesses in processing, memory, attention, oral and written language, reading, spelling, and math.

At Discovery Therapy of the Lowcountry, the heart of what we do — and our most powerful service — is National Institute of Learning Development (NILD) Educational Therapy®.

Your child’s brain has an incredible ability called neuroplasticity — it can build new pathways and grow stronger at any age. 🧠✨ Our goal is to help every student feel confident, independent, and become lifelong learners. 🙌

Instead of reteaching the same material, we help students understand why they’re struggling and equip them with strategies that make learning stick — no matter the subject. 🛠️

Our program is a comprehensive, research-based approach that targets the root causes of learning challenges. Rather than just covering academic content, NILD therapy builds the cognitive and thinking skills that make learning efficient, effective, and lasting.

This approach is proven to help all learners — especially those with learning differences, attention challenges, or who haven’t thrived with traditional instruction.

Cognitive Development

Targeted Intervention

One-on-one Support

Measureable Progress

How is it different from tutoring?

The focus of NILD Educational Therapy is the development of clear, efficient thinking processes. Students are given the tools to enable them to overcome specific learning weaknesses. Tutoring typically focuses on content while educational therapy builds efficient learning processes.

Approach

Teaches students HOW to think rather than WHAT to think.

Cognitive Skills

Enhances cognitive skills, enabling students to learn and retain information more effectively.

Results

Builds confidence, independence and self-discipline

Empower
Growth

Using the National Institute for Learning Development (NILD) model, therapy sessions address the root causes of learning struggles, not just the symptoms. “Rewiring the brain to unlock a child’s full potential.”

Students develop:

Stronger attention and memory skills
Improved reading, writing, and math abilities
Confidence and resilience in learning
Executive function skills for organization and planning

NILD is more than traditional tutoring. Tutoring often focuses only on subject matter content, while NILD's therapies use subject matter as the learning vehicle to develop cognition and confidence. We focus on root learning issues, helping learners overcome these issues by developing new learning paths. Our therapies address the underlying causes of learning difficulties rather than simply treating the symptoms. We offer true educational therapy through individualized training.” (nild.org)

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How does it help in the classroom?

Students improve in their ability to:

Accurately hear and remember what the teacher is saying.
Read visual information on the board.
Organize and plan schoolwork.
Recall information at test time.
Understand the main points of what the teacher is saying and separate the significant information from less important details.
Avoid information “overload.”