Jane Said:

how much does testing for a learning disorder cost?

We Answered:

Learning Disability clinics are often associated with School Psychology or Clinical Psychology doctoral programs. In these clinics, advanced students provide consultation and assessment (while under the supervision of licensed professionals) for some to no cost. They are almost always on a sliding scale, and many are eligible for evaluation at no cost to you.

Meet with the clinic or a clinician there an explain your situation, if money is an issue, make them aware. The clinics are there to train future professionals so YOU are a valuable resource to them.

Larry Said:

where do I get learning disability diagnostic test? please help?

We Answered:

If you are in high school, you need to arrange this test with your school counselor.

If you are in college, contact the administration office for more information. They will arrange for you to be tested. Or contact your advisor/counselor. Additionally, any office in any department of the college should be able to refer you to the correct person to contact.

Kelly Said:

learning disability?

We Answered:

If you get tested through the school, your parents have to sign a release, then you have to go through several weeks of observation, modificatons/ accomodations to make sure that you can be successful in the classroom setting with a few changes. Then a team sit together to talk about your performance and they determine if you need to be tested for a disability. To qualify as having a learning disability you have to have a 16 point difference between your IQ and and your performance on an achievement test.

If the team decides you do not need to be tested, but can verify through observations and performances during that six week period, that you can be successful with modifications, then you MIGHT qualify for a 504 plan, which could enable you to have the modification of having more time on tests/ exams.

Do not count on these things happening unless you are not successful in the classroom.

If you do not agree with the school's findings or test results you can go to a psychologist or psychiatrist and they can administer the IQ and achievement test.

The modifications are designed to level the playing field for kids who are not successful in the classroom, they are not usually given to students who can make a "b" or "C" in the regular education setting.

Lena Said:

Does anyone know about Ohio's laws regarding learning disability testing?

We Answered:

The state currently requires that a parent/agency be responded to within a reasonable time frame with a prior written notice after a request for testing is made. (A reasonable time is not defined at this point.) Please understand that schools are NOT required to test a child simply because it is requested. It used to be this way, but is no longer, because of the changes due to IDEA's (as a result of NCLB) push for research-based intervention (RTI). Ohio is a big RTI state, so there are some districts that don't routinely do IQ/achievement testing anymore, because they are using a different method first. Of course, you can still request a formal eval, but I'm not sure how that works out. I'm in a district that is trying to do a combination of the two.

Usually, when my schools get a parent request, we send a prior written notice saying we refuse to test until we have met in an intervention meeting (if we haven't already). Usually we schedule it within 2 weeks of receiving the letter. Then at the meeting, we listen to the parent and talk to classroom teachers, and review the cume folder to review history, and see what interventions have already been done, and what needs to be done (if anything) before an eval can be completed.

Once the team as a whole suspects the child has a disability (and this may be at the same intervention meeting, or a subsequent meeting), the school has 30 calendar days to get your signature with informed consent. That's why you can't give permission in a blanket letter, because you haven't been informed as to what the school will do. Parents have gotten mad at me about this fact, but I can't accept a signature until I've given the parent's rights booklet (and gotten their signature attesting to this fact) and gotten informed consent. Once this is obtained, the clock starts for testing. Testing and evaluation team meeting (to discuss results) has to be done within 60 calendar days of the signature. If the child qualifies, the student's IEP must be written and begun within 30 calendar days. So if you've just recently submitted your request, the calendar day requirement may be your issue, as the staff won't be available to complete the eval. It's not just the school psych who has to evaluation, but also the speech therapist, classroom teachers, nurse, and whoever else is neeed.

I say all of this with the knowledge that the Ohio state regs change July 1. It will probably take a little bit to get the new procedures, etc. But right now we are still under the old regs, so if you've not yet gotten a copy of your parent's right booklet, I've attached a link. You should have gotten one when you submitted your request for an eval.

Jorge Said:

What kinda testing will the psychologist can verify to see if you have a learning disability?

We Answered:

The psychologist would likely do some or all of the following:

- a test of learning potential or intelligence
- tests of academic achievement to see where your strengths and weakness lie in comparison to your learning potential
- tests of information processing to see how well you take in and give back information (examples - memory for visual info, memory for verbal info, phonics skills which are important for reading, writing and spelling and/or fine motor skills which are important for spelling and writing)

He or she would also likely review your report cards, speak with your teachers and parents and talk to you to better understand what aspects of school work you find difficult, when you starting have difficulties and get a general overview of your strengths and weaknesses. He or she may also give you, your parents and/or your teachers questionnaires to fill out as well.

Where I live, each school has a psychologist assigned to it and the testing would be done free of charge. There would also be a wait time for the testing since most psychologists service multiple schools. If you and your family are able, you could also see a psychologist in private practice. Some insurance plans cover the testing but in all honesty, many do not. Again, just going by where I live, cost of testing can vary a fair bit, anywhere from $800 to $1500.

Having a learning disability does NOT mean that your are dumb or cannot go to college or whatever else you may have heard. People with learning disabilities have at least average learning potential/intelligence but experience difficulty achieving in one or more areas. It is difficulties with processing, those skills that underlie or contribute to achievement, that lead to the academic difficulties.

There are many accommodations and modifications that can be made to a student's program to help him/her work around the areas of weakness. For example, for those who have a really hard time reading, there is computer software that can scan books and read them to students. For those who have a really hard time getting their ideas down on paper but can talk them out really well, there may be opportunities to do tests orally instead of in writing.

It is very hard to comment without knowing your individual circumstances but I hope the information above helps you to better understand what the process would be like. If you do have an assessment, please do not hesitate to ask questions of the person testing you. It is important that you feel comfortable during the process and are able to put forth your best effort.