Assessment for Learning Disabilities

Since I've seen mixed reviews on going through the public schools, I thought I'd pipe in...as a public school teacher of eight years, I've seen a wide variety of parents whose children have learning disabilities--some enable, some ignore the problem, and some are absolutely fantastic about supporting their child and their child's public school education. To be the latter, simply ask questions and don't give up. I KNOW there were parents I did not give sufficient answers to; the polite parents and the persistent parents, though, usually got the best help. It's sad, but as a special ed teacher friend of mine told all parents: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you opt for testing through the schools, be involved--it will help tremendously in the service you receive from them!

Hi L. -

I would try the Park Nicollet Alexander Center in Eden Prairie. They usually have quite a wait to get an evaluation. We have an appointment for Monday, after waiting over 3 months.

We took our first grader to Alexander Center in february and he was diagnosed with dyslexia. They are very good there, but booked out depending on what you need.
Had we waited for the school system we probably wouldn't have been through the process yet. I would recommend you act quickly on your concerns.
I've heard good reports about Groves Academy - they have a wealth of information and do testing. You might want to contact them, too. good luck!

I just want to say GOOD JOB in doing this for your child! I have a learning disability and am thankful when my parents were active in trying to get help for me.

Hi L., it's great you're checking around. In many states, there is an official form that you would need to fill out in order to begin the evaluation process. This should be done immediately, whether you have the school evaluate your daughter, or a psychologist. That form will initiate a legal timeline so that there is a deadline for the school to have a meeting and make decisions about your daughter. Often, that timeline can be lengthy, so start the clock running now, and get the evaluation in the meantime. It IS the best approach to have a psychologist in charge of the testing. Also, it often makes sense to allow the psychologist the freedom to look at any contributing factors beyond learning disabilities, so that you will know how to best help your daughter. Since the school year is nearly concluded, gather any information that may be helpful from the schools now, so that you are able to provide it to the psychologist (grade reports, teacher comments, examples of schoolwork, etc).
Best wishes to you and your daughter.

Contact your daughter's school/teacher and request that she be assessed. Schools will follow through with parent requests. Remember, most schools have to have documented interventions before they are able to proceed with any testing so if the process seems to take some time that is the reason.

I suggest the Alexander Center in Eden Prairie. It is part of the Park Nicollet System. I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 17 and I have referred many people who fear they may have LD/EBD issues for help. Nothing but good results!

If your daughter is in school, the school district must pay for the assessment. At the age of six, I believe she would fall under the Early Childhood Special Education umbrella. They don't service children for Learning Disabilities at that age, but focus more on Developemental Delays (not reaching major miles stones). Once your daughter turns seven, she should be able to be tested for a learning disability by a school psychologist.

The definition of a learning disability (LD) used by schools in Minnesota states that a child with an LD experiences a discrepancy between their ability (IQ) and their achievement in reading, writing, and math (I think there are actually seven areas in which to qualify. Reading, writing and math are just the basics).

Before testing can be done, the school must document at least two interventions in which they have tried to meet your daughters needs. If these do not provided progress, testing for an LD can be planned. In order to prove a discrepancy exists the school psychologist or special education teacher will give your daughter a series of tests. The first of these tests deal with IQ. The second round of tests will look at acheivement. The Woodcock-Johnson is the test that is usually used in this second area. Very little is required to pass this test, which makes it difficult to prove a learning disability exists. Once these standardized tests are completed, scores from the two will need to be compared. If a child receives a 100 on the IQ test, they should receive a similar score on the achievement test.

It's important to remember that you are an integral part of this process. You are your child's best advocate. I hope this answered some of your questions. Best of luck.

I would start with your daughter's school or your pediatrician. My oldest son has ADD, I wanted him to be tested because I thought he fit most of the characteristics and we have a family history. There wasn't anything that my son's school could do (this was in AZ) so I went to our ped. She gave me a questionaire for me to fill out and one for the teacher. The doctor evaulated them and we went from there.

Hope this helps, it was the best thing we ever did for our son. Good luck.

I'm assuming school is almost over or over in your area. If so and you decide to go through the school district I would wait until fall. Speaking as a now former special education teacher you will get a rushed evaluation if you start now because they'll try to get it done before the end of the year.
I'll admit I know nothing about special education law in Minnesota but I would also suggest going private if you can. You probably get a more thorough evaluation that will do you more good in the long run.
The law varies from state to state. I taught in Iowa in the Omaha Nebraska metro area and I have seen kids that qualified in Nebraska move to Iowa and no longer qualify and seen kids in Iowa move to Nebraska and no longer qualify. When I student taught in Nebraska every child had to have an IQ test to qualify. In 9 years teaching in Iowa we gave one child an IQ test during an evaluation. In Iowa you can use testing from group achievement tests to qualify a child for an IEP. In Nebraska that was a huge no-no. I'll also admit to having witnessed on evaluation of a fourth grader where the poor thing was give 3 different IQ tests until we got one with a score that we could use to qualify her for services. Schools look for information that either qualifies or disqualifies a student for services. A private evaluation is more likely to be one designed to answer your question of what is going on wtih this child?

Another point I want to make. If there is a problem you want a specific label. The part of Iowa I work in doesn't classify children as LD or BD or ADHD or MR. All students recieving IEP services are classified as elegible indvidual. The problem with that comes after high school. Services after high school are usually coordinated through Vocational Rehabilition, which is funded by federal dollars and require a specific diagnosis for the student to qualify for services. In the past 9 years I have had to go through many student files looking for an IEP that was old enough to have a specific classification on it. I've also had students that had to be tested by a psychologist during their senior year of high school in order to get the documentation needed to qualify them for services. (Not something most high school students want to mess with)I had a couple of students whose parents had gone with private evals after their children qualified for services and it helped them have a clearer picture of what was going on with their children and later provided what they needed to get their children services beyond high school.

I disagree with the previous post. The school district can evaluate, but cannot diagnose. I recommend contacting a college with a teaching program. They have students, who, with the supervision of professors, can do all the testing. It might cost, and you insurance might pay for some, but the info then belongs to you. The schools only want to give what they want, not necessarily what your child needs. You are better off going outside their system.

I used to work at LDM..It was 12 years ago so I am out of touch with current processes and regs but my recollection is that: Schools are required to assess for Information Processing issues; they cannot medically diagnose LD or attention challenges. Some parents are leery of going thru the school because the child gets a label that stays on their records "forever". Getting a medical diagnosis can be expensive and lengthy process (sometimes takes months just to get an appointment). For referral info, contact the learning disabilities division of Family Services of St. Paul (Lori Perryman if she still works there) or LDA in Mpls. Post-assessment or diagnosis options can include doing nothing, getting a 504 Plan or doing a full-blown IEP. I would recommend doing lots of research on the internet regarding LD the condition, laws that support people/kids w/disabilities, and creative ideas for accomodations that will help your child learn and play...You will need to be one step ahead of doctors and school officials. Sad but true.

I assume your daughter is already in school. Check with your school about taking her to child study. Child study teams are usually made up of special ed teachers, school psychologist, school social worker, classroom teachers, principals, etc. Parents are always involved as well. Depending on what the situation is, there will be different kinds of testing and observations done. You will also probably be asked to complete some checklists. Once all of the data is compiled, the team will meet to look at the results and if your daughter qualifies for any special services. The team will make recommendations and you have the opportunity to ask questions. You can also ask your pediatrician/family doctor for referrals, but those you would have to pay for out of your own pocket. Child study through your school would be at no cost to you. Good luck!

Start with the school and her teacher. If you hit resistance and you probably will, go to a local university and ask for help. I have 2 LD kids and a granddaughter with Asbergers Syndrom, a form of Autism. As a parent we know our kids better than anyone and we need to listen to our gut. I have run into more resistance than you can erver even think about because I knew something was wrong and the teachers would not back me.
There are experts at local technical schools and universities and they can often put you in touch with someone who can test your child and the school HAS to follow their recommendations.

Good luck

Your local school district must do this if you request it. They have 30 days from the date of your signature to test and report on it. I'll be honest with you, she is very young to test for LD. How close to age 7 is she? You can have her tested, but be wary of the results (either way) right now since she is so young. Be sure to ask which testing materials they will use (Woodcock Johnson, Brigance, etc.) Your in a good school district, so I have no doubt that you will get some good information on your daughter. Good luck.

Your school district needs to provide this. Ask your child's teacher or the school's administrator. You will need to fill out a referral form explaining your concerns and according to the law they have 90 days to test and report back to you and offer services if you child qualifies for educational services. Good Luck!

Through the local AEA or a Sylvan learning center.

i wouldnt rely on any school system. take it private then inform the school what is needed for your child. if you "ask" they will either hem haw around it or spend alot of energy on things that arent suited to your child but what is just available.

my last one graduates high school in two days. after a combined 26 yrs experience being a mom in a "wonderful" (ha ha)school system i trust NO ONE with what my child needs besides myself.

good luck!

Although I believe the school system does what it can, but for reasons beyond individual school control, (meaning state guidelines), I feel that their assesments are below the standards that we as parents believe to be necessary. Meaning, in order for your child to get help through the school system, he or she has to be in dire need. I feel their standards for children that NEED attention with learning disabilitys, are set extremely low. There are so many ways a child can learn, for some, classroom and book method are easy. Others need more hands on. I recommend you watch the report card. See which classes your child is doing well in, and find out if it is visual or auditory learning that your child is more successful with. The state university system has many programs with young students who will take your child as a part of their own learning experience. I was told through the school system, after each evaluation, that my daughter has the capability of doing well. Uhhhh, ok, my response was how then? They couldn't help with that question. She had been tested 3 times 2nd through the 10th grade, and every time, I got the same answer from them. It's very hard to see your child so frustrated with learning that they give up, and the teachers pass them to the next grade all to be more frustrated. Eventually, I transferred my daughter to an alternative school, (same standards) but individual learning. She has soared from D's F's and incompletes to A's, B's and a C. They were right, she has the capability, but it will be up to you to find the right answer. We live too far for what your area has for private testing centers, I'd suggest paying for their opinion, as well as demanding school testing. Take your reports to the board as well. NO ONE CARES FOR YOUR CHILD LIKE YOU. The louder you are the more attention you will get. Good Luck L.!