Assessment for Learning Disabilities and ADHD

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Most colleges require up-dated testing in order for a student to receive reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.  This usually means that the testing must be within 3 to 5 years.  Even though they are expected to provide this up-dated testing as part of the transitional plan, many high schools do not.  Other high schools will only do a very brief battery of tests that does not provide the student, the parent, or the college important information about their strengths, challenges, and needed accommodations.

Sometimes it is only after the student gets to college and the bar is raised beyond their abilities to compensate that they need to explore their learning in the context of a full battery of tests.  Some students struggle with reading issues during high school but are able to compensate by listening in class and working with the teacher.  Other students struggle to remain focused in class or while doing their homework in high school but the volume or expectations are just low enough that they can get by.  Then they get to college and find that they must read a hundred pages a night or keep attentive in a two hour lecture; things start to go downhill.  A full psycho-educational battery may be an important first step in exploring the student’s learning profile.

Testing here at the Learning Edge may start with a reading screening or some other assessment as a way to get a quick view of the student’s processing abilities.  Although screenings cannot be used to diagnose a disability, they can give an indication on whether a full battery is warranted.  If a full battery is warranted, I administer a number of tests to explore the student’s strengths and challenges so that the student has a full picture of their learning profile.  A full test battery may include:

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence  Scale- IV
The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability
The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement
The Nelson-Denny Reading Tests
as well as other tests appropriate for each student.