Academic Testing for Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities, classified as neurological disorders, can impact a person’s academic skills and performance. Learning disabilities affect the way a person’s brain receives, processes, stores and responds to information. Most often, when people think of learning disabilities, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia come to mind. These are some of the most common learning disabilities, and can respectively affect a person’s ability to read, solve mathematical problems, and write.

For both children and adults, having an undiagnosed learning disability can cause serious impairment in their ability to function at school and at work. Processing deficits can also impact a person’s comprehension skills and their ability to sustain attention. Signs that a learning disability are present might include: having difficulty reading, difficulty following instructions, being unable to follow along with math concepts, and having trouble with memory or attention span. Often times, children who have an undiagnosed learning disability can present as behaviorally disruptive and/or disinterested in class, but the underlying issue is neurologically based.

Testing for a learning disability usually entails a comprehensive assessment of a person’s cognitive abilities, academic achievement, and social-emotional functioning. This may involve standardized cognitive and achievement tests (such as the WISC, WAIS, and the WIAT), observations, interviews, self-reports, and reviews of educational and medical history. Cognitive assessments can help identify specific differences that may be present in a person’s working memory, processing speed, verbal comprehension, visual-spatial skills, and executive functioning. Academic achievement testing can help determine whether a significant gap exists between a person's cognitive abilities and their academic performance; and help pinpoint specific areas of difficulty, such as reading, writing, math, or other subjects. Academic testing also takes into consideration a person’s cultural and linguistic background. Socio-emotional assessments can help determine if there are other underlying mental health related symptoms that could be causing or contributing to the deficits in learning.

Once test scores are interpreted, the results can help guide intervention and treatment planning. For children, testing results might guide the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 plan, if appropriate, and to inform educational programming to meet the child’s needs. For adults, testing may help lead to obtaining reasonable accommodations in their place of work, or higher education setting, that will help them be successful.

Testing for learning disabilities is an important step in understanding and addressing the needs of children, or adults, who may be struggling in school, or work. A comprehensive evaluation can provide valuable insights into a person’s individual strengths and challenges, and guide the development of effective interventions and support, in order to improve academic success.