Learning Disability Testing

Learning disabilities can be categorized as academic skills disability, speech and language disorder and miscellaneous learning problems. Academic skills disorders include dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia which hamper the academic progress. While in the second disability, speech, hearing or understanding is impaired. The third category covers learning disabilities like dyspraxia. In order to identify a learning disability and treat it properly, learning disability testing is crucial.

What Are The Different Learning Disabilities?

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is very often accompanied by a learning disability. A common learning disability in patients with ADHD is integrative processing deficit. People with this kind of disability find it difficult to absorb information and process it. Yet, another learning disability widely prevalent in people with ADHD is working memory or short term memory problems. It is related to information that is conveyed on the spot. Another kind of learning disability, frequently associated with ADHD is visual processing. These learning disabilities can greatly affect and influence their academic performance. Besides these, other learning disabilities include dysgraphia, dyslexia, reading and writing skills, logical reasoning and syntactic processing.

What Steps Should Be Taken To Assess A Learning Disability?

Accepting that one has a learning disability can be quite discouraging but it is always better to be aware of the type of learning disability and how to deal with it. In order to do this, one needs to go through several tests to determine the kind of learning disability that one has. In order to find out if you are suffering from a learning disability you need to undergo learning disability tests. These learning disability tests evaluate and estimate the IQ levels, assess your personality and compare it with your interests. Scoring high in one test and very low on the other, points out the probability of a learning disability. Evaluation by a psychologist or a psychiatrist is also recommended. Mental health professionals are also of great help. Learning disability testing makes use of special test like TOVA (Tests of Variable Attention) for evaluation of ADHD.

Some learning disabilities like dysgraphia can be easily identified by illegible handwriting. On the other hand, in order to identify other learning disorders, learning disability testing is essential. For instance, dyslexia can be determined only when one reaches teens. Slow reading, incorrect spellings, difficulty in learning a foreign language, poor memory, problems in planning and organizing simple tasks are common signs of dyslexia. A proper dyslexia test needs to be conducted by a qualified neurologist in order to evaluate reading, writing, speech and language skills.