Learning Disability Testing

Dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and other learning challenges

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When Learning Is a Challenge

Many children, adolescents, and adults work incredibly hard yet continue to experience persistent challenges with reading, writing, or mathematics. They may spend significantly more time completing assignments, require repeated instruction to master new concepts, or become increasingly frustrated despite putting forth genuine effort.

A learning disability evaluation seeks to understand the reasons behind persistent academic challenges. By examining patterns of cognitive abilities and academic skills, we can determine whether an individual has a Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)—including dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia—or another learning-related challenge, and identify the supports, interventions, and accommodations that are most likely to help.

“Learning differences don’t define potential—they help us understand how to support it.”

A thoughtful evaluation identifies an individual’s unique learning profile and provides the foundation for personalized interventions, accommodations, and meaningful long-term support.

Is Learning Disability Testing the Right Fit?

Learning disability testing may be appropriate when persistent challenges with reading, writing, or mathematics interfere with learning despite appropriate instruction and genuine effort. Every learner is different, and these examples are not intended to be a checklist for diagnosis. Rather, they illustrate some of the challenges that may prompt a comprehensive evaluation.

Not every learning difficulty is caused by a Specific Learning Disorder. Learning disability testing can also help determine whether academic challenges may be related to other factors, as noted below.

A learning disability evaluation could be helpful if you’ve observed challenges in any of the following areas:

Reading (Dyslexia)

Slow, effortful, or inaccurate reading
Difficulty learning letter-sound relationships and sounding out unfamiliar words
Frequent mistakes when reading aloud
Difficulty recognizing familiar words automatically
Trouble understanding what has been read
Avoidance of reading or frustration with reading assignments

Writing (Dysgraphia)

Difficulty organizing thoughts in writing
Frequent spelling errors
Poor handwriting or slow, effortful writing
Difficulty planning and completing written assignments
Trouble organizing sentences or expressing ideas clearly in writing
Frustration or avoidance of writing tasks

Mathematics (Dyscalculia)

Difficulty understanding number concepts and quantity
Trouble learning or recalling basic math facts
Difficulty solving multi-step math problems or following mathematical procedures
Difficulty estimating, determining, or understanding time and money
Frequent calculation errors despite practice
Frustration or avoidance of mathematics

Other Learning Challenges

ADHD or executive functioning difficulties
Cognitive processing weaknesses
Language-based challenges
Gaps in instruction or interrupted educational experiences
Another condition affecting learning or academic performance

What Should a Learning Disability Evaluation Answer?

A thoughtful learning disability evaluation goes beyond identifying whether a diagnosis is present. Our goal is to understand how an individual learns, why certain academic tasks are challenging, and what supports are most likely to promote success.

A learning disability evaluation should answer these questions:

Does this individual meet criteria for a Specific Learning Disorder, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia?
Which specific reading, writing, or mathematics skills are most affected?
Could another factor—such as ADHD, anxiety, executive functioning difficulties, or another learning-related challenge—better explain these concerns?
What cognitive strengths can be used to support areas of academic challenge?
What interventions, accommodations, and recommendations are most likely to support long-term success?

Every evaluation is guided by the individual’s unique referral questions and concerns. Rather than applying the same evaluation process to everyone, we thoughtfully tailor each assessment to understand how the individual learns and identify the factors contributing to academic challenges. The result is meaningful insights and practical recommendations that support informed decisions at home, in school, college, work, and beyond.

Our Approach to Learning Disability Evaluations

Learning disability evaluations should do more than determine whether a diagnosis is present. They should provide a clear understanding of how an individual learns, identify the factors contributing to academic challenges, and translate those findings into practical recommendations that promote long-term success.

Because every referral question is unique, each evaluation is thoughtfully tailored to gather the information needed to understand the individual’s learning profile. While every assessment is individualized, learning disability evaluations typically emphasize comprehensive cognitive and academic achievement testing, along with relevant background information and multiple perspectives on academic functioning.

Academic & Developmental History

Every evaluation begins with a review of the individual’s educational history, current academic concerns, developmental background, and previous interventions. We work to understand how learning challenges have developed over time, what supports have already been attempted, and the specific questions the evaluation is intended to answer.

Comprehensive Cognitive & Academic Assessment

The core of a learning disability evaluation involves comprehensive assessment of cognitive abilities and academic achievement. These measures help us understand how an individual thinks, learns, reasons, remembers, and performs across reading, writing, and mathematics, allowing us to identify meaningful patterns of strengths and weaknesses.

Multiple Perspectives

Learning occurs across many settings, so we gather information from multiple sources whenever appropriate. Depending on the individual’s age and referral questions, this may include parent interviews, teacher rating scales or questionnaires, school records, previous evaluations, and other relevant information that helps place testing results in context.

Individualized Evaluation

No two learning disability evaluations are exactly alike. Additional measures—such as attention, executive functioning, language, visual-motor integration, or emotional functioning—may be included when the referral questions or initial findings suggest they are necessary. Our goal is to answer the referral questions as thoroughly as possible without administering unnecessary testing.

What You’ll Receive

Our goal is not simply to determine whether a Specific Learning Disorder is present. We want every individual and family to leave with a clear understanding of how the individual learns, the factors contributing to academic challenges, and the practical next steps that will support long-term success.

Personalized Feedback Session

Following the evaluation, we’ll meet with you to review the findings, explain how we reached our conclusions, answer your questions, and discuss recommendations in clear, understandable language. We believe feedback should be collaborative, educational, and tailored to your unique concerns—not simply a review of test scores.

Comprehensive Written Report

You’ll receive a detailed report summarizing the evaluation findings, diagnostic conclusions (when applicable), and individualized recommendations. Our reports are designed to be practical resources that can be shared with healthcare providers, schools, colleges, or employers when appropriate.

Individualized Recommendations

Recommendations are tailored to the individual’s unique strengths, challenges, and goals. Depending on the evaluation findings, recommendations may include:

School accommodations and classroom supports
College disability accommodations
Workplace accommodations (when appropriate)
Evidence-based reading, writing, or mathematics interventions
Executive functioning and organizational strategies (when appropriate)
Assistive technology recommendations
Recommendations for additional educational services or specialized instruction

A Roadmap for Moving Forward

Perhaps most importantly, you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of how the individual learns, why academic challenges are occurring, and which supports, interventions, accommodations, and instructional strategies are most likely to help. Our goal is to provide the clarity needed to make informed decisions and move forward with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a learning disability?

A learning disability, formally known as a Specific Learning Disorder (SLD), is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how an individual learns specific academic skills. Learning disabilities are not caused by low intelligence, lack of motivation, or poor instruction. Many individuals with learning disabilities have average or above-average intellectual abilities but process certain types of information differently.

What does a learning disability evaluation involve?

Every evaluation is tailored to the individual’s referral questions and concerns. Learning disability evaluations typically include a review of educational and developmental history, comprehensive cognitive and academic testing, information from parents and teachers (when appropriate), and additional assessment when needed to fully understand the individual’s learning profile.

How long does a psychoeducational evaluation take?

The length of a learning disability evaluation depends on the individual’s age, referral questions, and the areas of academic functioning being assessed. Most evaluations include an initial interview, one or more testing appointments, and a feedback session to review the findings and recommendations.

Because learning disability evaluations typically involve comprehensive cognitive and academic achievement testing, the testing portion may take several hours and may be divided across multiple appointments when appropriate. During the initial consultation, we’ll explain the anticipated process and timeline based on the individual’s specific needs.

How is a learning disability evaluation different from a psychoeducational evaluation?

Learning disability evaluations focus specifically on understanding persistent challenges with reading, writing, and mathematics and determining whether a Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) or another learning-related factor is contributing to those difficulties.

Psychoeducational evaluations take a broader approach by examining how learning, cognition, attention, executive functioning, and mental health work together to influence academic performance and everyday functioning. Depending on the referral questions, one evaluation may be more appropriate than the other. We’re happy to help determine which option best fits your needs.

Do you evaluate college students and adults for learning disabilities?

Yes. We evaluate children, adolescents, college students, and adults.

For college students, learning disability evaluations are often requested to clarify longstanding academic challenges, support requests for disability accommodations, or better understand learning strengths before entering graduate or professional programs.

Adults who are out of school may also benefit from a learning disability evaluation when persistent difficulties with reading, writing, or mathematics continue to affect work performance, everyday functioning, or lifelong learning. In some cases, a broader psychoeducational evaluation may be more appropriate depending on the referral questions and goals for the assessment.

Can learning disability evaluations be used to obtain school or college accommodations?

Yes. When appropriate, our evaluations provide documentation that may support requests for school-based services, standardized testing accommodations, college disability accommodations, or workplace accommodations. Because each institution has its own documentation requirements, we recommend confirming those requirements in advance whenever possible.

Does insurance cover learning disability evaluations?

Calhoun Psychology is a self-pay practice for psychological assessment services. Our self-pay model allows evaluations to be individualized based on clinical needs rather than insurance requirements or predetermined testing limitations. This flexibility allows us to recommend the assessment approach that best addresses each individual’s unique referral questions rather than tailoring the evaluation to insurance coverage criteria.

If your evaluation is completed by one of our Licensed Psychologists, we can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance company to request possible out-of-network reimbursement. Because reimbursement policies vary widely by insurance plan, we recommend contacting your insurance provider directly to determine your specific out-of-network benefits.

To help make comprehensive psychological evaluations more accessible, we also offer reduced-fee evaluations completed by doctoral-level psychology interns and postdoctoral clinicians who are closely supervised by our Licensed Psychologists. While these clinicians receive extensive supervision and all evaluation findings are reviewed by a licensed psychologist, services provided by interns or postdoctoral clinicians are generally not eligible for out-of-network insurance reimbursement.

Ready to Understand How You Learn?

Persistent difficulties with reading, writing, or mathematics can leave individuals and families with more questions than answers. A comprehensive learning disability evaluation can provide the clarity needed to understand how an individual learns, identify the factors contributing to academic challenges, and develop practical recommendations that support long-term success. Whether you’re seeking answers for yourself, your child, or a college student, we’re here to help. Schedule a consultation today to discuss your concerns and determine whether a learning disability evaluation is the right next step.