LEARNING DIFFERENCES TESTING

Discover How Your Child Learns Best

Comprehensive assessment to understand learning challenges, identify strengths, and create a path to academic success.

a student doing work at their laptop

What Is Learning
Differences Testing?

Learning Differences testing is a comprehensive assessment process that helps identify specific challenges in acquiring and using academic skills. These evaluations examine not only what a child knows but, more importantly, how they process and learn new information.

At Mind Matters, we recognize learning differences reflect brain differences, not deficits.

Children with learning differences are typically bright and capable, with average to above-average intelligence. They simply process information differently and need tailored approaches to unlock their potential. Our assessments go beyond simply labeling or diagnosing learning challenges. We aim to:

  • Identify your child's unique learning profile, including specific strengths and challenges

  • Understand how information processing differences affect academic skills

  • Develop personalized strategies that leverage strengths while supporting areas of difficulty

  • Provide clear recommendations for home, school, and other learning environments

Types of Learning Differences We Assess

→ Dyslexia

Dyslexia affects reading and language processing, making it difficult to recognize and decode words, develop reading fluency, and comprehend text. Children with dyslexia may struggle with:

  • Sounding out words

  • Reading fluently

  • Spelling accurately

  • Understanding what they read

  • Learning new vocabulary

→ Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia impacts writing abilities and can manifest in several ways:

  • Fine motor difficulties affecting handwriting

  • Challenges organizing thoughts and expressing ideas in writing

  • Difficulty with spelling, grammar, and punctuation

  • Struggles with planning and structuring written work

  • Discrepancy between verbal expression and written output

→ Nonverbal Learning Differences

These affect the way children process visual-spatial information and can impact:

  • Understanding nonverbal social cues

  • Visual-spatial organization and perception

  • Physical coordination

  • Mathematical reasoning

  • Adaptation to new situations

→ Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia involves challenges with mathematical concepts and calculations, including:

  • Difficulty understanding number sense and quantity

  • Struggles with basic calculations and math facts

  • Challenges with mathematical reasoning and problem-solving

  • Trouble visualizing mathematical concepts

  • Difficulty learning and recalling mathematical procedures

→ Language-Based Learning Differences

Beyond dyslexia, these can affect:

  • Comprehension of spoken language

  • Expressive language and word retrieval

  • Processing complex language

  • Following multi-step directions

  • Understanding subtle aspects of language like humor or metaphor

Why Test for Learning Differences?

Learning Differences testing provides numerous benefits:

Accurate Understanding

Identify the specific learning challenges affecting your child's education and distinguish them from other potential factors like attention issues, anxiety, or instructional gaps.

Building on Strengths

Identify and leverage your child's cognitive and academic strengths to develop compensatory strategies and maintain motivation.

Evidence-Based Interventions

Develop targeted support strategies based on your child's specific learning profile rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Self-Awareness & Advocacy

Help your child understand their learning style and develop self-advocacy skills for educational success.

Educational Accommodations

Provide documentation needed for school accommodations through 504 Plans or IEPs, ensuring your child receives appropriate support in the classroom.

Family Support

Reduce frustration and increase understanding among family members by clarifying the nature of learning challenges.

Long-Term Planning

Make informed decisions about educational pathways, learning supports, and future planning.

Our Approach to Learning Differences Testing

At Mind Matters, we take a comprehensive, strengths-based approach to assessing learning challenges:

Step 1

Thorough Information Gathering

We collect detailed information through:

  • Parent Interviews: Understanding developmental history, family history of learning challenges, and current concerns

  • Teacher Input: Gathering observations of academic performance and learning patterns

  • Child/Adolescent Interview: Learning about the person's own experience with learning

  • Records Review: Examining school reports, previous evaluations, and work samples

Step 2

Comprehensive Cognitive Assessment

We examine how your child thinks and processes information, including:

  • Verbal and nonverbal reasoning abilities

  • Visual-spatial processing

  • Processing speed

  • Working memory

  • Phonological processing (important for reading)

  • Rapid naming (important for reading fluency)

  • Executive functioning (organization, planning, task management)

Step 3

In-Depth Academic Assessment

We conduct detailed testing of academic skills, including:

  • Reading: Decoding, fluency, and comprehension

  • Writing: Handwriting, spelling, and written expression

  • Mathematics: Calculation, fluency, and problem-solving

  • Oral language: Listening comprehension and verbal expression

Step 4

Information Processing Analysis

We examine how your child processes information, which may include:

  • Auditory processing: How they process what they hear

  • Visual processing: How they process what they see

  • Memory systems: How they store and retrieve information

  • Integration abilities: How they combine different types of information

Step 5

Comprehensive Analysis

We integrate all information to:

  • Determine whether specific learning differences are present

  • Identify patterns of cognitive strengths and challenges

  • Understand how these impact academic learning

  • Consider alternative or co-occurring conditions

  • Develop personalized recommendations

Step 6

Collaborative Feedback

We discuss our findings and recommendations with you in a way that:

  • Emphasizes strengths alongside challenges

  • Provides practical, actionable strategies for home and school

  • Considers your child's individual needs and your family's values

  • Empowers you to advocate effectively for your child

When to Consider Learning Differences Testing

Consider an evaluation if your child:

  • Struggles consistently with specific academic skills despite receiving good instruction

  • Shows a significant discrepancy between their apparent intelligence and their academic performance

  • Works much harder than peers to achieve similar results

  • Has a family history of learning differences

  • Demonstrates uneven skills across different academic areas

  • Experiences increasing frustration or anxiety related to school work

  • Has teachers expressing concerns about specific learning challenges

Early identification of learning differences is beneficial, but testing becomes most reliable and informative once a child has had some formal schooling (typically kindergarten or later).

For younger children with early signs of potential learning challenges, we can provide developmental screening and recommend appropriate early interventions.

What Sets Our Learning Differences Testing Apart

Neurodiversity-Affirming Approach

We view learning differences as variations in brain functioning, not deficits or disorders. Our assessment identifies strengths to leverage alongside challenges to address.

Clear Communication

We explain our findings in accessible language, helping you truly understand your child's learning profile rather than just receiving a diagnosis

Comprehensive Assessment

We conduct thorough testing across multiple domains to ensure we capture the full picture of your child's learning profile.

Collaborative Process

We partner with families, schools, and other providers to develop a shared understanding and coordinated approach to supporting your child.

Practical Recommendations

Our reports include specific, actionable strategies that can be implemented at home and school to support your child's learning.

Expertise & Experience

Our licensed psychologists have extensive training and experience in assessing and supporting individuals with diverse learning needs.

Who Provides Learning Differences Testing?

Our learning differences assessments are conducted by licensed clinical and educational psychologists with specialized training in learning and cognitive development. The same experienced team that performs our comprehensive evaluations conducts our learning differences assessments, ensuring quality and expertise.

Fees

Learning differences testing at Mind Matters is typically conducted as part of a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation or as a focused evaluation.

Comprehensive Psychoeducational Evaluation

  • $7,200 with all Mind Matters Clinicians except Dr. MurrayMetzger

  • $8,100 with Dr. MurrayMetzger

Learning Disability Screening

  • The total cost (including the initial meeting) usually ranges from$4,200-$4800

Discounts Available:

  • Discount when paying by cash, check, or Zelle

  • Discount for returning clients or siblings of prior clients

Mind Matters offers a limited number of fee adjustments based on family household size & total income. Please inquire with our Client Care Coordinator for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Learning differences are specific challenges in acquiring certain academic skills despite average or above-average intelligence. Intellectual disabilities involve below-average intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior across multiple areas of life.

  • Yes, many children with learning differences are highly intelligent. In fact, their obvious brightness in some areas can sometimes mask their specific learning challenges. This pattern—where cognitive ability significantly exceeds academic achievement in specific areas—is often a key indicator of learning differences.

  • Learning differences reflect differences in brain functioning and are not something a person "outgrows" or "gets over." However, with appropriate understanding, support, and strategies, individuals with learning differences can achieve academic success and thrive in their chosen pursuits.

  • While both can affect academic performance, learning differences specifically impact the acquisition and use of particular academic skills, while ADHD primarily affects attention, impulse control, and activity regulation across multiple settings. They can co-occur, and our assessment process helps distinguish between these and other potential factors.

  • While learning differences are generally considered lifelong, periodic reassessment (typically every 3-5 years) can be helpful to track progress, refine interventions, and update accommodations as academic demands change. For college accommodations, testing completed after age 16 is often required.

  • Assessment results can provide documentation needed for formal accommodations (through 504 Plans or IEPs), guide teachers in adapting instructional approaches, and help identify appropriate interventions and support services. We can attend school meetings to explain results and advocate for appropriate accommodations.

  • Our assessment includes specific recommendations for home support, which might include structured homework routines, reading and practice strategies, assistive technology, strength-based approaches, and ways to build confidence and resilience alongside academic skills.

Ready to Understand Your Child's Learning Profile?

Let's Unlock Their Learning Potential Together!

Our comprehensive learning differences assessment provides clarity, understanding, and practical strategies for academic success.