Assessment Learning Disability

Identifying learning challenges in the early years of life are based on clinical observation and the emerging research on the developmental pathways involved in early learning and eventual mastery of reading, math, writing and organizing. These early learning challenges involve emotional and social capacities, auditory processing and language (including memory and retrieval), visual-spatial processing, perceptual motor and motor planning (including visual memory, sequencing, and what is often referred to as nonverbal learning) capacities and sensory modulation

The identification of a learning disorder involves the examination of two kinds of evidence.
1. A detailed case history: It is important to collect detailed information regarding the child's birth, development, familial status, learning environment, medical history, and social-emotional adjustments. This is done by interviewing the parents/care-givers and often provides reasonably good insight into the issues underlying the learning problem.
2. Evaluation of the child: Information regarding the child's functional skills can only be gained by directly assessing him/her using informal and formal testing procedures. The child is tested in the areas of motor, speech-language, sensory, cognitive-perceptual and academic skills. Psychological tests are often carried out to identify and rule out associated features such as Intelligence levels, ADHD/ADD, Behavioural, and Social-Emotional issues.
Neither source of evidence by itself is conclusive. However, a comprehensive profile of the child can be drawn from both the case history and results of the direct testing, which will also help determine the source of the learning problem. Analysis of the pattern of performance is a very powerful tool that helps identify a variety of academic problems that range from a general poor reading skill to inconsistent writing to attention deficit problems. It is also very essential to assess the child's learning potential rather than just labeling his/her deficits.