LEARNING DISABILITY TESTING & ASSESSMENTS - COLORADO SPRINGS & DENVER

When to Consider a Learning Disability Assessment?

You may have noticed your child struggles in various academic areas despite extra instruction, tutoring, or support at home from parents/caregivers. You know your child is bright and capable of learning within the school environment, but something is keeping your child from performing at school and learning at a similar pace as their same-aged peers. This may require a learning disability assessment and evaluation to clarify what is preventing your child from succeeding.

What Is a Learning Disorder?

A learning disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition. In other words, a learning disorder affects how the brain is “wired” and how it forms internal connections to process information. There is no single neurological explanation of learning disorders that is directly translatable to a specific pattern of brain activity or abnormality as seen via brain imaging. However, research has repeatedly emphasized that specific learning disorders most likely stem from how the brain is wired during early development.

 

How IDEA Defines a Specific Learning Disability

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines a specific learning disability as “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations.” This definition guides educational institutions in providing special education services. In other words, if a child is diagnosed with a specific learning disorder, public schools must provide services or interventions to address it. Most schools require formal testing and assessments to substantiate a specific learning disability.

 

What Our Learning Disability Testing Assesses

Our specific learning disability testing and assessments in Colorado Springs and Denver assess for three domains: math, reading, and writing. These are the three academic domains that have been identified as areas of focus for learning disorders by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th Edition, authored by the American Psychiatric Association. You will notice that we have been using the term Specific Learning Disorder to describe learning disorders. This terminology matches the wording in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. However, you may be more familiar with terms such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. These terms are compatible with the criteria for specific learning disorders, and the three specific learning disorders (in the areas of reading, writing, and math) generally subsume the criteria for these disorders.

Dyslexia and Specific Learning Disorder with Impairment in Reading

For example, dyslexia is defined by the following symptoms: problems with fluent word recognition, poor word decoding, and poor spelling. Similar to the classical use of the term dyslexia, Specific Learning Disorder with Impairment in Reading includes these problems and expands the criteria to include difficulties with reading fluency and reading comprehension.

Dyscalculia and Specific Learning Disorder with Impairment in Math

Another example is dyscalculia, defined by difficulties processing numerical information, learning math facts, and performing accurate or fluent calculations. Specific Learning Disorder with Impairment in Math also includes these problems, as well as difficulties with math reasoning and accurate numerical sense when solving math problems. Thus, although you or other professionals may use the words dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, our use of the term Specific Learning Disorder is generally inclusive of the criteria for these disorders and expands upon their definition to include more complex issues within the academic subject.