Learning Disability Assessment and Evaluation in Highlands Ranch, Colorado

If your child or teen has been performing poorly in school, which is unlike him or her, it is important that you avoid believing that you failed your child as their first teacher. It is not something that you did or didn’t do because often times, there is something else going. The reality is that although children are taught the same way, not all children learn the same way as their classmates.In fact, there are many students across the country who require extra support in a traditional classroom setting. According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, one in five children in the U.S. have learning and attention issues including ADHD and dyslexia. Therefore, the children who have a hard time understanding the learning concepts or fail their tests possibly have an underlying learning disability and/or attentional issues, which he or she should be evaluated for sooner than later to determine whether its a learning disability, ADHD, or even a lack of motivation.

There’s of course a chance that you may not be familiar with what is involved in the testing for learning disabilities. Naturally, it could feel overwhelming when you think about what may seem like a long road ahead. Fortunately, our psychologists at Mountain Vista Psychology have experience working with children and families and strive to make this new world of evaluations as comfortable as possible for both parent and child. We conduct thorough evaluations and utilize a variety of tests and interviews, yet remain mindful of not burning our clients out as we try to identify what obstacles stand between your child and their academic success. Evaluation results may reveal issues regarding memory, processing speed, attention, or specific deficits related to learning to read, write, or complete math at grade level. But rest assured knowing you will get recommendations for interventions and accommodations to best support your child’s specific learning profile and needs.

Diagnosing a learning disability does require many different tests to be administered. Common tests used to diagnose a learning disability include, but are not limited to:

• Wechsler intelligence tests: (IQ tests) such as the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WIPPSI), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) for adults.  Looks at ability to learn new information visually, verbally, working memory, and processing speed.   

• Woodcock Johnson-IV:  Testing the looks at your child’s reading, writing, and math skills.  Depending on our findings we may also recommend extended memory testing or more in depth testing on specific reading skills (i.e., fluency, decoding).

• Key Math:  Targeted math assessment lasting 3-90 minutes.

• The Gray Oral Reading Tests-Fifth Edition (GORT-5): The GORT-5 is one of the most widely used measures of oral reading fluency and comprehension and will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of reading fluency and comprehension levels. 

• The Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing – Second Edition (CTOPP-2):  The CTOPP-2 is a targeted assessment of phonological skills.

• Test Of Memory And Learning – 2:  The TOMAL-2 is a memory battery used for evaluating general and specific memory function for children, adolescents, and adults ages 5 to 59 years 11 months. The standard battery for the TOMAL-2 consists of eight core subtests six supplementary sub-tests, and two delayed recall tasks.

There are several learning disability assessment tools. It is just a matter of finding out which would be the best assessment tools for students with learning disabilities to conduct because it  can be a little challenging. Students with ADHD, for instance, have a hard time with testing situations and may need breaks throughout testing.  We will work with your child to ensure they get what they need to demonstrate their knowledge and ability which will ensure the understanding and accurate diagnosis.