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Assessment of Learning Disabilities The most common reasons for adults (and older adolescents) to seek testing for learning disability are: 1. To ascertain the presence of a true disability that may qualify for accommodations when taking college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT. The administrators of college entrance exams recognize that some students with learning disability are at a significant disadvantage on standardized tests compared to peers. As such, the boards recognize that accommodations may allow such students to show their true potential on college entrance exams. Typical accommodations may include:
However, test publishers have established high standards to demonstrate that accommodations are appropriate. A true disability must be objectively and rigorously identified. The diagnosis of learning disability alone does not automatically justify the need for accommodations. Often a combination of psychoeducational testing, neuropsychological testing, and psychological testing is required to meet the stringent criteria for accommodations set forth by test publishers. It can be difficult for a student to find and obtain such comprehensive testing from one source. Our group works closely with the student and his/her parents in collecting and organizing all supportive documentation including personal, medical, and academic history. In addition to comprehensive psychoeducational testing, we administer a wide range of neuropsychological tests to provide supportive documentation of disability in the areas of attention/concentration, intelligence, memory, processing speed, motor skills, visual-spatial skills, language skills, and executive functions. Psychological testing (i.e., mood, personality, and behavior) may also be administered to rule out alternative diagnoses. This information is integrated into a detailed, comprehensive report showing diagnoses, requested accommodations, and objective rationale for each if indicated by the data. It is important to note that learning disability testing is rarely covered by insurance companies and that testing for accommodations is usually an out-of-pocket expense. 2. To ascertain the presence of a true disability that may qualify for accommodations when taking graduate admission or professional tests such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, and GMAT. The level and comprehensiveness of this testing is the same as that required for college entrance exams. 3. To justify the need for accommodations when taking college-level coursework. The level of testing required to determine the need for classroom accommodations varies from college to college. The strictest colleges require the same level of justification as that required for college entrance exams. Other colleges are less strict and may require a diagnosis only. Typical accommodations include:
4. Self knowledge: Some adults are not necessarily seeking testing for any specific accommodations. However, they wish to better understand why they had to struggle so hard in school and in various life endeavors compared to their peers. Why did their reading and math come so hard? Why did they have to study 2-3 time longer than their peers and then still earn lower grades? Children and adolescents
The most common reasons for testing for learning disability among children and adolescents are :1. To diagnose the presence and type of learning disability for the purposes of developing a treatment program to compensate for these problems. Parents are often
bewildered by their child's lack of academic process. Many children with LD are
identified early in their academic careers. However, some adolescents and young
adults with more subtle learning difficulties can go undetected until middle
school or high school. Such students may have been able to minimize their deficits
due to their high intelligence and/or sheer persistence until the complexity
and amount of work reached a critical level of difficulty. There are also different types of learning disability and not all students fit the typical model. Unfortunately, private schools do not usually offer
psychoeducational testing. Parents with
children in private school often have difficulty finding specialists to
evaluate their child's or adolescent's academic functioning. 2. Justification for specific accommodations. Comprehensive psychoeducational testing can provide the framework necessary to identify and address problems with undiagnosed reading, math, and writing deficits. Accommodations may place students on an even playing field with peers so that they are less handicapped by their learning disability. Typical accommodations include:
3. Faster turn-around
on testing:
The process of obtaining testing through the public school
system is often slow. An ARD meeting is usually required to justify the need
for testing and to allocate the resources from the school budget before the
testing can be scheduled. Sometimes, the school system may disagree with the
need for testing. If testing is approved, there is often a back-log
of testing to be scheduled by the school. From start to finish, the process may
require several months for testing to occur. In the mean time, the student is
falling further behind. 4. A second opinion: At times, we are asked by parents for a second opinion if they disagree with the test findings of the school. This additional information may be presented to the school system for further consideration. We would welcome the opportunity to evaluate you or your student for possible learning disability. Our neuropsychology practice has served the Houston community for over 20 years. At the time of making an appointment, it would be important that the student and his/her parents specifically identify the purpose of testing as being for possible accommodations, so that the appropriate forms can be sent out ahead of time. |
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