Initial Assessment for Learning Differences

The Initial Assessment for Learning Differences is an affordable initial screening for individuals who are interested in finding out if they have potential learning differences but do not want a full evaluation at this point in time.  The assessment consists of a Slingerland Screening with results and an action plan available within one day.  This evaluation is for individuals, 1^st grade through college, to determine if there are underlying processing difficulties, such as dyslexia, that may be contributing to educational, behavioral, emotional, or focusing problems. 

This assessment can be helpful for children and young adults who exhibit any of the following:

• Who are bright, yet are not reaching their full potential in school
• Who struggle with schoolwork, yet the school has not yet identified any specific learning problems
• Who have difficulty concentrating in school or have been diagnosed with ADD
• Who have developed signs of emotional distress or behavioral problems in school or at home
• Who have difficulty with spelling or reading and tend to reverse or transpose letters, numbers, or words
• Who struggle with handwriting, copying from the board, or writing sentences and paragraphs
• Who have problems with directionality, such as left and right
• Who dislike completing schoolwork and are sometimes viewed as “lazy” 
• Who were doing well in school and then began struggling when the workload became greater

Additional difficulties in the area of math, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, sustained focusing, organizing, and emotional and behavioral concerns may occur as a result of or in conjunction with processing problems.  These areas are best assessed with a full psycho-educational evaluation.  A full psycho-educational evaluation is also required to give an official diagnosis of a learning difference for accommodations at school or for standardized testing, such as the SAT, LSAT, or MCAT.