Learning Disability Assessment

At the Clinic on Dupont, our psychologists provide learning disability-specific psychological assessments for children, adolescents, and adults. During the initial consultation with the psychologist, you can discuss what you are hoping to accomplish with the assessment, your goals, and you will work together to come up with a plan for next steps and whether or not a comprehensive assessment is necessary.

A psychological assessment involves an in-depth interview with questions about current and past symptoms, academic and/or work functioning, social and developmental history, mental health history, and medical history. The next step is standardized, cognitive testing, which are kind of like “brain games”. This testing involves testing different areas of one’s thinking abilities including reading, writing, math, attention, memory and executive functioning, which all can be negatively affected in someone with a learning disability. Although the tests are standardized, the assessment is also tailored to each individual.

The testing results are compared to others of similar age, education level, and in some cases gender to determine how one’s thinking abilities compare to others in the general population and how one’s different thinking abilities compare to their other abilities. This will provide a true test of whether a learning disability is present.

At the end of the assessment, you will be provided with feedback about the results and a written report. The psychologist will tell you whether or not there is a Learning Disability diagnosis by integrating all sources of information – interviews, testing, questionnaires, and observations. Additionally, the psychologist may be able to provide information on whether there may be alternative explanations for the challenges one is facing. Aside from diagnosis, the other main advantage of an assessment is that you will be provided with behavioural strategies that can help optimize your functioning. With a diagnosis and report or letter from the psychologist, you will have access to accommodations at school or work. This can also provide individuals with an individual education plan (IEP). Such accommodations might include:

Alternative workspace
Separate room for working or writing exams
Extra time on exams
Strategic seating

What is a Learning Disability?

A Learning Disability also known as a Specific Learning Disorder is a mental health condition that typically negatively impacts one’s ability to read (inaccurately and/or slowly), comprehend written text, spell, express oneself in written form, and with math (including number facts and math reasoning). Typically, individuals with learning disabilities have average or above-average thinking abilities but struggle to acquire certain academic skills in expected ways. The academic ability affected is often significantly challenging for the individual and lower than expected based on their age/grade level. This is evidenced through challenges in the academic and/or occupational environment. These challenges typically present themselves in childhood but may not become fully demonstrated until the demands exceed the individual’s capability. The prevalence of a learning disability is approximately 1/10 among children and 1/25 adults. It is more common for family members with a learning disability to also have one. The course and expression of the learning disability can vary based on the environment one is in. For instance, if one has a specific learning disorder with impairment in math but are not required to do any math in their university program, then the learning disorder may not significantly impact their functioning.

Why Get a Learning Disability Assessment?

Our Learning Disability assessments are designed to:

Understand the cause of academic struggles
Identify strengths and weaknesses
Determine eligibility for school accommodations (e.g., IEP)
Guide intervention strategies and tutoring support

Recommendations and Supports May Include

Academic accommodations (e.g., extra time, assistive technology, separate room)
Individual education plan (IEP)
Targeted tutoring or intervention strategies
Access to accommodations for standardized testing or licensing exams (e.g., GMAT, LSAT, MCAT)