Assessments for ages 7 (second half of 1st grade) through adult

Please refer to Early Screening ages 4-6 for younger students who before the second half of 1st grade 
or Adult Consultation and Services for more specific information on adult assessments

While assessments are recommended, they are not essential to begin intervention.  Please note: While I am knowledgeable about autism spectrum disorder, I am not qualified to evaluate emotional-social behavior or advise ASD intervention. 

Slingerland Screening for Identifying children, adolescents, and adults with Dyslexia

​​​Screening is often the first place to start. Less intrusive to the student and cost-effective, the Slingerland Screening can indicate a need for intervention and accommodations. It may be accepted for a 504 plan of accommodations.  Please note: A screening is not a formal diagnosis of dyslexia. 

​​The Slingerland Screening identifies people who demonstrate speaking, reading, spelling, or writing behaviors indicative of dyslexia.  This screening is helpful when a student is under-performing school expectations, and the reason is not apparent.  Screening tasks involve various visual and auditory perception, discrimination, and memory combinations—additionally, some tests integrate kinesthetic-motor modality for written output.  Research and practice have supported the validity and usefulness of this screening.  The Slingerland Screening evaluates across intelligence levels and second language learners, and results can pinpoint a need for multisensory structured language instruction.  Also, the Slingerland Screening helps determine which accommodations would best assist the individual student in class and adults in the workplace.  The Slingerland Screening takes an hour and a half of the student's time.  The cost for children and adolescents is $600.  It includes an hour-long parent meeting to discuss outcomes and a formal report. 

Full Academic Assessment

​​A formal assessment is best when a student is home-schooled or attending a private school.  Public school parents are encouraged to request their children be evaluated for special education services through a written request if attending public school.  Public schools rarely take private reports for an individual education plan.  The Slingerland Screening (above) is a highly effective and cost-effective first step to identifying dyslexia, providing parents with confidence in developing an educational plan. 

​The purpose of a formal reading assessment is "to assess overall achievement, to compare a student's performance with others at their age or grade, or to identify comparable strengths and weaknesses with peers" (Weaver, 2007).  Standardized scores allow a means to measure a student's personal growth in intervention.  ​

​Using the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, 3rd Edition, and other formal/informal tools, a full academic evaluation looks at the student's current academic strengths and weaknesses, including math and writing.  The Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement is an educational tool for children measuring math, reading, written language, and oral language.  The results of this evaluation help determine an intervention plan.  Conclusions and recommendations will be based on a compilation of suggestions from experts for a general population and my expertise.  Testing can take three to six hours over two to three sessions. The cost ranges from $1,300-$1,950 and includes ​an hour parent meeting to discuss outcomes and a formal report. 

​​Every student is unique.  Academic assessments play a crucial role in identifying struggling learners aged seven and up, providing parents and educators with valuable insights into a student's strengths and weaknesses. These assessments also offer solutions for the best approach to helping these learners.  When it's uncertain about the necessary intervention, assessments provide a detailed understanding of the issues.