Diagnostic Testing
Diagnosing learning disabilities is not an exact science, and experts often disagree on the best way to determine if a learning disability (LD) exists. To further complicate the matter, public schools and private evaluators answer to different governmental agencies and have different standards in determining if an LD is present in a student.
As public schools are increasingly turning to the “Response to Intervention” (RTI) model to determine if an LD is present, more and more families are seeking evaluations outside the public school system. When indicated, SAS provides comprehensive psychoeducational testing which allows our licensed psychologist to diagnose an LD and the severity of it.
The first step in determining if a family wants to go through with diagnostic testing is to set up a time to discuss your concerns. Every student is different; we can help you determine what type of testing makes the most sense for your child. Depending on the symptoms, goals, and background of each student, we might redirect you to a neuropsychologist. Other times, we determine that our LD testing is the best fit for your student. Either way, we are happy to help you navigate through this decision.
If you decide to go forward with the testing, our licensed psychologist will call you to set up a testing date and time for your student. All testing takes place at our facility. At this time she will answer any specific questions you might have regarding the process and test used.
During the testing day, you can expect your student to work privately with the diagnostician for approximately 3-5 hours. Sometimes this is too long for a student to sit and stay focused, so depending on needs, this testing period can be broken into two different days. This will be determined when you speak with the diagnostician on the phone.
After testing is completed, the diagnostician will spend approximately two weeks compiling data, writing a report outlining the results, and making his or her recommendations.
At this time, the diagnostician will make an appointment for a family consultation to review the results, recommendations, and answer any questions you have. The consultation takes place at our office, and it usually will last an hour to an hour and a half.