“It can be difficult to admit that your child is struggling to learn.”
Some parents fear that their child may be “labeled” if he or she is identified as having a learning disability. And don’t confuse other disabilities such as mental retardation or behavioral disorders with learning disabilities. They are not the same. At least 2.7 million children are receiving help in school because of a learning disability. The National Institutes of Health even estimate that one of every seven Americans (15 percent) has some degree of learning disability.
Who is qualified to make a diagnosis?
Professionals who possess expertise in several disciplines are best qualified to make a diagnosis. The testing may be done by a single individual or by a team of specialists. Knowledge of and a background in psychology, reading, language, or education is necessary. The tester must have knowledge of how individuals learn to read and why some people have trouble learning to read. In Arkansas, a diagnosis must be made by a licensed psychologist, psychological examiner, or a doctor.
Most learning disabilities affect reading and language skills. In fact, a significant majority of students with a learning disability have problems with reading. If these children receive appropriate help early, most of them will become skilled, independent learners. When help is delayed, it becomes difficult for children to catch up.
Perhaps the most important reason to seek help early is to spare children the frustration and failure they experience when they don’t do well in school and don’t know why. You can help your child to understand that he or she is intelligent but simply learns differently.
Why is an Evaluation important?
If you suspect your child may be having trouble learning, it is important to have an evaluation to better understand the problem. Test results determine eligibility for special education services in various states, and they also determine eligibility for programs in colleges and universities. They provide a basis for making educational recommendations and determine the baseline from which remediation programs will be evaluated.
What should an evaluation include?
The evaluator will conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine whether the person’s learning problems may be related to other disorders. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), affective disorders (anxiety, depression), central auditory processing dysfunction, pervasive developmental disorders, and physical or sensory impairments are among the other causes of learning problems that a competent evaluator must eliminate to make a diagnosis. There is no one single test which can be used to test for dyslexia. A battery of tests must be administered and should include the following:
- developmental, medical, behavioral, academic and family history
- general intellectual functioning
- cognitive processing (language, memory, auditory processing, visual processing, visual motor integration, reasoning abilities, and executive functioning)
- tests of specific oral language skills
- reading, spelling, written language, and math
testing in reading/writing should include the following measures:
- single word decoding of both real and nonsense words
- oral and silent reading in context (evaluate rate, fluency, comprehension and accuracy)
- reading comprehension
- dictated spelling test
- written expression; sentence writing as well as story or essay writing
- handwriting
What happens after the evaluation?
Discuss the test results with the individual who did the assessment. You should receive a written report listing the specific tests administered, the test scores, and an explanation of the results. The strengths and weaknesses of your student should be explained and specific recommendations for intervention should be made.
If the recommendation includes intervention, call us to schedule a conference. We can help make an instructional plan for your child. The earlier the instruction begins, the better the results.
