Dyslexia Testing
What Is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a term used to describe a type of specific learning disability, characterized by difficulties with sight word recognition, poor decoding and phonics skills, spelling difficulties along with being able to read fluently. Sometimes, but not always, students also struggle with reading comprehension. It is a common misconception that dyslexic learners are merely defined by showing letter reversals in reading and writing, such as “b” and “d” letters being seen or written backwards. The truth is that dyslexia, a language-based learning disorder is much more complex and requires a thorough evaluation by a specialist to understand each child’s unique learning profile.
Some parents and educators assume these students aren’t applying themselves and unfortunately can even be labeled “lazy learners”. Actually, people who struggle with dyslexia are intelligent and hardworking, but they will need additional support and guidance to navigate an educational environment that relies so heavily on language. The Pinellas Psychology Associates team in St. Pete can help children with dyslexia develop their strengths, understand their challenges, and create plans to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
When should I schedule a Dyslexia Assessment?
Is your child struggling to make academic gains, even despite extra support and tutoring? Watching our children struggle is painful. Dyslexia can make school and academic work painful for them to learn in the traditional classroom format. A comprehensive assessment can help you and your child’s teachers better understand how your child learns best. From delayed speech development to struggles with learning to read, write, and comprehend language, dyslexia impacts children in many ways.
Dyslexia testing in our office is the first step to understanding your child’s complex brain, taking power over their challenges, and leading a more satisfying life – so let’s get started!
Do You Offer Dyslexia Testing For Adults?
Our main focus for dyslexia testing at Pinellas Psychology Associates is school-aged children. Our evaluations are designed to help young children and their parents determine the most successful interventions for their child’s learning. We do not offer testing for adults, with the rare exception of actively enrolled college students with a previous diagnosis of dyslexia who require updated testing for school based accommodations. If you are an adult who has never been evaluated, we recommend that you seek an evaluation from a provider that specializes in adult testing.
What Happens During Dyslexia Assessment?
When you partner with the Pinellas Psychology Associates team in St. Pete, we will help you to understand your child’s individual strengths and struggles with dyslexia through a comprehensive evaluation. Then, we can provide information and a learning evaluation report in order to help gain access to classroom and testing accommodations along with other resources to help improve your child’s experience with their schooling. The most important outcome of dyslexia testing is finding how your child learns best so that instruction can be provided and adapted to their learning style.
During a dyslexia assessment, we will review health and educational history, past testing, documentation from physicians and educators, and other resources. We want to interview and observe your child. Then, we will administer a personalized testing battery in order to assess skill levels. After the interviews and testing, we’ll evaluate and compile the data. You’ll receive a report that can be helpful in finding appropriate accommodations and resources either in the classroom for school aged children or to make other aspects of life easier to navigate.
Are You Ready To Begin?
With a comprehensive evaluation, we can help you better understand how your child learns, maximize their strengths, and move beyond challenges. You child’s struggles don’t need to define what they are capable of in their life. Call Pinellas Psychology Associates serving St. Pete and all of Tampa Bay to be matched with an expert to help you on your journey!