Learning Disability Assessment
Learning Disability Assessment
If reading has always felt effortful, writing never comes out the way it sounds in your head, or numbers refuse to stick, you're not lazy, you're not careless, and you're not alone. Learning differences are neurological, not motivational.
Our learning disability evaluation uses a comprehensive battery of cognitive and academic measures to build a clear picture of how your brain processes written language, math, and information and where targeted support can make the biggest difference.
Areas the evaluation explores include:
Reading - How your brain decodes, processes, and makes meaning from text including fluency, comprehension, and the phonological foundations beneath them
Writing - How ideas translate into written form, spelling, composition, and the gap between thinking and output
Math - Number sense, calculation, and reasoning, including why some concepts click and others do not
Cognitive processing - The underlying processing speeds and memory systems that shape how you learn including the strengths in your profile alongside the places that require more support
Whether you're a college student navigating accommodations or an adult finally ready to understand a lifetime of "almost", this evaluation is for you. Reevaluations are available for those whose prior assessments no longer reflect where they are.
Results are reviewed with you, not handed to you. Your psychologist brings your full story into the room so you are connected to supports that work for you, not just a report. We understand learning differences as cognitive variation, not deficit.
The Assessment Process
Our process involves three appointments: intake, assessment, and feedback.
We begin with a 60-minute intake appointment to collaboratively design the evaluation process around your needs. This is generally followed, within 1 to 3 weeks, by an assessment appointment which can range from under an hour to five hours, depending on which service you've selected.
Results typically take 1 to 4 weeks to be reviewed, processed, and written into a report. We conclude with a 45-minute feedback session, where Dr. Worm reviews your results and shares detailed recommendations both in conversation with you and in a written report.
Intake and feedback sessions are conducted virtually, while the assessment appointment will be in-person. The Learning Disability Assessment requires in-person cognitive testing.
If results are needed more quickly, just let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
Here is what each appointment looks like:
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Prior to your appointment, you'll complete an intake form covering key aspects of your history. During the intake appointment, we will:
Discuss your experiences across domains such as academic, work, family history, cognitive, emotional, physical, and social functioning
Collaborate to identify the best approach for your assessment process, including whether the evaluation is the right next step for you. If not, Dr. Worm will provide resources and referrals
Schedule your assessment and feedback appointments
The intake appointment lasts approximately 60 minutes and is conducted virtually for your convenience.
If you've had prior testing, evaluations, or diagnoses, please bring that documentation to your intake appointment, or upload it beforehand to the client portal.
If you are interested in exploring academic, work, or standardized testing accommodations, please let Dr. Worm know so we can confirm the assessment process covers any required items.
Between the intake and assessment appointments, you and someone who knows you well may be asked to complete surveys or questionnaires about your experiences.
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Conducted after the intake appointment, generally 1 to 3 weeks afterward.
For the Learning Disability Assessment, we'll lead you through activities that measure different cognitive processes. Activities include:
Answering questions
Writing
Drawing
Completing puzzles
The appointment length varies from under 1 hour to 5 hours and will be reviewed with you during your intake appointment.
Please take your medications as usual on testing day, with one exception: ADHD medication should not be taken the day of your assessment, unless your clinician specifically advises otherwise.
Bringing your own snacks and water can be helpful during breaks.
The testing room is well air-conditioned, so please consider bringing an extra layer if needed.
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Generally scheduled 1 to 4 weeks after the assessment appointment.
During this time, Dr. Worm reviews the results of your evaluation and integrates them with the discussion of your lived experience from the intake appointment. He then prepares a written report providing an overview of the assessment process and findings. All written reports can generally be used for accommodations for school and work and sent to other providers including psychiatrists and therapists. Generally, Learning Disability Assessment reports can be used for accommodations for standardized tests.
During the feedback session, Dr. Worm will walk you through the results and explore with you how they align with your lived experience. This is also your opportunity to ask questions or share any concerns about the results.
At the end of the session, he'll provide you with your written report. If any changes are needed to better align with the discussion from the feedback session, Dr. Worm will provide the report within one week of the feedback session.
The feedback appointment lasts approximately 45 minutes and is conducted virtually for your convenience.
If you need your report sent directly to a school, employer, or other party, let us know and we can arrange that with your written permission.
If reevaluation, further documentation, or additional resources are needed after your feedback session, just let us know. We're happy to work with you.
Other assessments we provide are listed on Services.
Unsure which one suits you? Reach out to us today, and we'll help you find the right one. We offer complementary 15 minute consultations to discuss options.