FAQ

Why test for dyslexia?

     Knowing more information about your struggling reader is vital to early intervention.  Studies have shown it takes 2-3x longer to help a learner in 4-5 grade than it does a learner in 2-3rd grade.  Students with reading delays often deal with unnecessary retention, frustration, and educational trauma.  By identifying your learners' specific needs, you can avoid wasted time, money, and undue stress put on your learner. 

Does this evaluation provide my child with an IEP/504?

     Diagnosis of any disorder does not guarantee your learner with an IEP/504.  Once an assessment is completed, all results and recommendations will be provided to the parent.  The parent is then to provide that information to the school to help start or continue the IEP process.  It is the school's responsibility to conduct its own testing and identify an educational need for support.  There are some situations where students with a dyslexia diagnosis do not meet the requirements for an IEP.

Do these assessment batteries work for the Family Empowerment Scholarship?

     The Family Empowerment Scholarship specifies that a diagnosis of "unique abilities" must be done by a licensed psychologist or physician.  Although these assessments will not directly qualify for this scholarship, these assessments will aid in the IEP/504 process through the public school system.  The assessments were chosen in collaboration with a local school psychologist as standardized tests that would be useful in the IEP decision process.  Simply show your finalized diagnostic battery to your physician and they typically will sign off on the diagnosis.

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More information on the Family Empowerment Scholarship:

https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/fes/

Does medical insurance pay for this assessment?

     No, at this time medical insurance does not pay for educational assessments such as assessments for dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. 

I am concerned my child might also have ADHD (or any other problem), can you help?

     If you are concerned your learner has a reading disability and another issue, I suggest you contact your physician and ask for a referral for psychological testing.  Although medical insurance does not pay for educational assessments, they will cover testing for ADHD, ASD, ODD and so on.  Many psychologists will also test for educational deficits during the evaluation process if you ask.

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What if I'm not sure?

    I have extensive experience working with learners with a large spectrum of disorders and if I feel further testing is warranted outside of dyslexia, I will let you know!

Why do you use a nonverbal IQ test?

     There are two reasons you need a nonverbal IQ test to diagnose dyslexia.  Because we can not feasibly take fMRI scans of all children, we have to use other measures to identify dyslexia.  One of the largest hallmarks of dyslexia is an average to above-average IQ and a significantly impaired reading ability.  The second reason we use a nonverbal test is that we can see IQ without the impact of a language deficit.  Many people with dyslexia also have an oral and written language delay.  The KBIT-2 is an IQ screener and can not be used as a definitive IQ score but it gives us enough information to aid in diagnosing dyslexia.

What happens after the assessment?

     After I finish assessing your learner, I will take a few minutes to score the tests and create a final report.  I will then review the test results in detail with you. You will be provided with a summary of results, the actual scores, and recommendations of how to proceed.