Book a Learning Abilities Assessment for Your Child – Only $250
The Learning Abilities Assessment (45-90 minutes) will give you insight into why your child is struggling in school. It’s hard to fix a problem if you don’t know exactly what is causing it. In order to fix a wet floor you need to know if it is caused by a broken pipe or a dropped glass of water. The “fix” is very different once you understand the cause. If you know that your child needs more help than you, the school, or a tutor have been able to provide, take the next step and call to make an appointment for an assessment.
The assessment will reveal why your child struggles in school and what can be done about it. Using a variety of tests, we will test your child’s cognitive/thinking abilities in the following areas:
- processing speed
- working memory (auditory and visual)
- visual processing
- auditory analysis (sound blending, sound segmenting, sound analysis)
- word identification (reading real words)
- word attack (decoding non-real words)
- spelling (encoding)
- logic and reasoning
- selective attention
- rhythm and timing
While doing the assessment we are watching for behaviours, attitudes, coping strategies, and other things:
- is easily frustrated
- gives up quickly
- persists, no matter what
- shows anxiety, stress
- is oppositional, argumentative
- is hard-working
- is not hard-working
- becomes confused
- shuts down
These “personality traits” are essential in determining which programs are best suited or may be completely out of the question for the child. (The reason we have so many program options is so that we can better match up the child and program.)
Some children with reading problems might also do the Reading Progress Indicator. It is an online screening tool that tests phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension. Others might do components of the CTOPP, GORT, or other assessments and tools it they seem necessary.
Most children think the test is fun. They get a prize from the treasure chest and an entry form into our weekly contest. Most kids ask, “When can I come back?”
Parent Consultation – 90 minutes
A few days later the parents will attend a consultation (without the child) in order to go over the results, discuss the child’s particular challenges, review any other assessments that may have been done previously, and determine which of our programs is the best solution for this particular child.
Even if you don’t put your child in one of our programs, you will have a far deeper understanding of why your child struggles and what you can do about it.
We use a number of assessments as needed. Our standard initial assessment involves the Gibson Cognitive Test Battery, Woodcock Reading Mastery Test, and Interactive Metronome. Some children may require alternative or additional sub-tests or testing instruments which may be from Gray Oral Reading Test, Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, Test of Auditory and Visual Processing, or Reading Progress Indicator. We may also choose to try the child on a program to see if the child is capable or what the child’s reaction will be. All within the $250 fee.
Although we don’t do psycho-ed (psychological-educational) assessments, we also don’t charge thousands of dollars, make you wait for months (or years) to get in, and make you pull your child from school for several days to do it. You will get a clear understanding of the root causes of your child’s learning problems for only $250 and in just a few days. You will also get an easy to read report with colour graph. It is much more understandable than the lengthy and complicated psycho-ed. Also, during our parent consultation you will gain a clear understanding of what the test entailed and how you child stacked up against his or her peers and what needs to be done to improve your child’s learning abilities. Whereas, a psycho-ed supplies a list of recommendations, coping strategies for the teacher, not ways to help your child overcome the learning challenges.
The cost for the assessment and parent consultation is only $250.
Call (604) 539-13886 today to book the assessment and start understanding your child’s learning problems… and the solutions!
Can’t make it in to us? We offer online testing as well. Click here.