919.446.3700 Schedule Consultation

Home / Services / Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

Learning Disorder Testing

Dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia evaluations

A child who struggles with reading, writing, or math deserves a diagnosis, not a label. Rebecca provides the specific assessments needed to identify learning disorders with clinical precision.

The Three Conditions

Specific Learning Disorders, assessed individually

Dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia are distinct neurological processing differences, each affecting a separate academic domain. They share a common clinical home under the DSM-5 category of Specific Learning Disorder (SLD), but they are not interchangeable. Understanding which one (or which combination) is present is the first step toward meaningful support.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disorder rooted in phonological processing, the ability to recognize and manipulate the sound structure of words. It manifests as persistent difficulty with accurate and fluent word reading, spelling, and decoding. Dyslexia is not a vision problem, a sign of low intelligence, or the result of inadequate instruction. It reflects a difference in how the brain processes phonological information.

  • Phonological awareness and processing measures
  • Reading accuracy and fluency assessment
  • Decoding and word recognition testing
  • Available through adulthood

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia affects the mechanical act of writing: the motor planning, letter formation, and transcription processes that allow a person to get thoughts onto paper. Students with dysgraphia often have strong verbal ideas they cannot render in written form at the same speed or quality. The difficulty is not creativity or language, it is the physical and cognitive process of writing itself. Dysgraphia is frequently overlooked because the struggle is attributed to effort or carelessness rather than a processing difference.

  • Written expression and transcription assessment
  • Spelling and written fluency measures
  • Motor processing component evaluation
  • Accommodation recommendations for the classroom

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a specific learning disorder in mathematics that affects a person's number sense, ability to retrieve basic arithmetic facts, and capacity for accurate computation. It is not the same as math anxiety, though the two often co-exist after years of difficulty. Students with dyscalculia frequently understand math concepts at a conceptual level but lose accuracy when working with numbers, procedures, or timed tasks. Dyscalculia is among the least-diagnosed of the three conditions and is often overlooked in schools where reading is the primary focus.

  • Number sense and arithmetic fluency testing
  • Math computation and problem-solving measures
  • Working memory contribution assessed
  • Differentiated from math anxiety
Clinical Process

Why the two-step process is not optional

Rebecca's approach to learning disorder testing reflects how these diagnoses are meant to be made: a standard cognitive and achievement battery first, then the specific diagnostic tests. This sequence is not a billing convenience. It is what makes the diagnosis clinically sound.

1

Cognitive and achievement testing

The first phase establishes a complete baseline. Rebecca administers a full cognitive battery (measuring reasoning, processing speed, working memory, and language) alongside a comprehensive academic achievement test. This phase identifies overall intellectual profile, academic skill levels across reading, writing, and math, and any discrepancies between cognitive potential and measured performance. Without this foundation, specific learning disorder test scores have no frame of reference.

2

Specific learning disorder testing

Only after the baseline is established does Rebecca administer the specific diagnostic instruments for dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. These tests are targeted assessments designed to probe the precise processing mechanisms underlying each condition. The results are interpreted in light of everything the first phase revealed, so the final report reflects a genuinely integrated clinical picture rather than a single isolated score.

3

A diagnosis that holds up

Schools, medical providers, IEP teams, and disability services offices all require documentation that meets a clinical standard. A diagnosis generated from a single screen or a brief online tool does not meet that standard. Rebecca's reports are written to be accepted by public and private schools, pediatricians, college disability offices, and testing accommodation boards because the underlying methodology is defensible.

Instruments used

Rebecca selects from a validated battery of cognitive, achievement, and specific learning disorder measures appropriate to the individual's age and presenting concerns.

Cognitive battery (IQ) Academic achievement testing Phonological processing measures Reading fluency assessment Written expression battery Math computation measures Working memory assessment Processing speed measures
Adult Evaluation

Clarity is available at any age

Rebecca's dyslexia assessment extends through adulthood. That matters more than most people realize.

The adults who were never tested

Many adults today grew up in schools that did not evaluate for specific learning disorders. They were told they needed to try harder, read more, or pay better attention. Some developed workarounds that allowed them to succeed in certain environments while quietly avoiding reading aloud, struggling with written communication at work, or feeling defeated by anything that required sustained math. A diagnosis in adulthood does not change the past. But it can finally provide the explanation that was always missing, and it can open access to real support.

College and graduate students

Students entering college or graduate school who suspect a learning disorder, or who already have an informal understanding of one, need current, formal documentation to access disability services and testing accommodations. Most colleges require a recent evaluation from a qualified clinician. Rebecca's assessments meet that standard and are designed to be accepted by university disability offices and standardized testing boards including ACT and SAT.

Workplace and professional contexts

Adults pursuing professional licensure, promotions, or vocational training that involves a significant reading or math component sometimes seek evaluation to understand whether a processing difference has been a factor in their experience. A formal diagnosis can also support workplace accommodation requests under the ADA. Rebecca provides adult evaluations that address these professional contexts directly.

Common Questions

Learning disorder evaluation FAQ

What is the difference between dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia?

All three are Specific Learning Disorders under the DSM-5, but each affects a different domain. Dyslexia involves difficulty with phonological processing, reading accuracy, and reading fluency. Dysgraphia involves difficulty with the mechanical act of writing, including letter formation, spacing, and transcription speed. Dyscalculia involves difficulty with number sense, basic arithmetic facts, and math computation. A student can have one, two, or all three, which is why each is evaluated separately rather than assumed from a single broad screen.

Why do you administer a cognitive and achievement test before the specific learning disorder tests?

The specific tests for dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia are diagnostic instruments, not screening tools. For results to be clinically meaningful and defensible, they must be interpreted against a baseline picture of how a person learns and where their academic skills currently stand. Rebecca administers a standard cognitive and achievement battery first, then adds the specific learning disorder tests. This two-step sequence is not an upsell or a delay: it is the clinically correct way to reach a valid diagnosis. A diagnosis of dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia given without that foundation is not adequate documentation for schools, medical providers, or accommodations boards.

Can adults be evaluated for dyslexia?

Yes. The dyslexia assessment Rebecca uses extends through adulthood, not just childhood. Many adults who struggled in school, were told they were "slow readers," or developed their own coping strategies never received a formal evaluation. If you are an adult and you suspect you have dyslexia, or if you want to understand whether a reading difficulty has an identifiable cause, testing is available. A diagnosis in adulthood can open doors to workplace accommodations, disability services at community colleges or universities, and a clearer understanding of how you process language.

Will I (or my child) receive a formal diagnosis?

If the data support it, yes. Rebecca does not assign a diagnosis unless the clinical evidence meets the criteria. That is also why the process includes multiple instruments rather than a single test. When a diagnosis is appropriate, the written report will state it clearly and include the data that supports it. When the data do not support a specific diagnosis, the report will explain what was found, what was ruled out, and what recommendations still apply.

How does a learning disorder evaluation differ from an ADHD evaluation?

ADHD is a condition of attention regulation. Learning disorders involve processing weaknesses in specific academic domains (reading, writing, or math) that persist even when attention is not a factor. They look similar in the classroom because both can result in underperformance, avoidance, and frustration. The evaluations use different instruments and target different constructs. Importantly, these conditions frequently co-occur. Rebecca evaluates for both in the same assessment process when the clinical picture warrants it, so families leave with a complete picture rather than a partial one.

Can dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia occur together, or alongside ADHD?

Yes, and this is more common than many families expect. Co-occurrence across learning disorders is well-documented in the research literature, and the overlap between ADHD and Specific Learning Disorders is also substantial. A student who is struggling with reading, writing, and math is not simply a poor student: they may have multiple concurrent processing differences, each of which has its own profile and its own appropriate supports. Rebecca's evaluation process is designed to identify the full picture, not just the most obvious presenting concern.

Get the specific answers your child (or you) has needed for years

A learning disorder evaluation is not a formality. It is the first step toward understanding what has actually been happening and building a plan around real evidence. Call or email to talk through whether an evaluation is the right fit.

Schedule a Consultation View All Services