The Morris Center offers a complete array of learning disability testing at our Florida clinic locations.
To get an accurate picture of how someone learns, we conduct neuropsychology testing, which includes a psychological assessment and a thorough assessment of cognitive and motor functions. This identifies strengths, weaknesses and likely contributors to learning, language or sensory difficulties. Oftentimes a learning difference assessment and diagnosis proves to be a relieving discovery to both child and adult clients. Walk through our learning disability testing process below.
Prospective clients will meet with Dr. Conway before treatment. This ‘meet and greet’ allows families to ask the licensed professionals questions in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. Client history is discussed and established, and treatment options are reviewed based upon the client profile before learning difference testing.
This is a broad neurodevelopmental evaluation, assessing attention/focus skills and some processing skills, to determine if the individual is a good candidate for TMC’s extensive range of treatment services. Our Phase 1 neuropsychology testing includes the following components:
Diagnostic Interview– Our physician conducts a standardized, neurodevelopmental assessment to identify the client’s strengths and weaknesses in the areas of language, vision, learning, fine/gross motor and attention abilities. At this time, background information is also collected from additional sources, e.g. Questionnaires completed by parents/caregivers, teachers, tutors, other healthcare providers. Read More
Attention/Focus Assessment – We gather, review, and evaluate our own information along with patient history to help determine if an attention disorder is present. Possible diagnoses which include ADHD-Inattentive, ADHD-Hyperactive, or ADHD-Combined Type. ADHD may interfere with cognitive, academic and behavioral skills, as well as academic achievement. Read More
The Phase 1 learning difference testing typically takes 1.5 days to complete (or 1 week to complete if a classroom observation is conducted) and includes the following components:
Before the Phase 1 assessment begins, we will ask you to complete detailed questionnaires on the client’s medical, developmental and academic history. Also, we request that you provide copies of previous evaluations and test results. We will also need treatment summaries from other clinics (speech/language, academic, psychotherapy, occupational therapy, tutoring, etc.). All questionnaires, forms and previous records must be returned to TMC at least 2 business days prior to the first part of the Phase 1 evaluation — which is a meeting with the Psychiatrist or Psychologist, called a “Diagnostic Interview.” (See below for details.)
In addition to the background forms, there will be several standardized questionnaires about attention and behavior. You and one of your child’s teachers must complete and return the questionnaires prior to scheduling the first evaluation appointment. Significant concerns about attention, behavior, or social skills at home, school or work may be identified by the responses to the questionnaires. If so, then we may ask to conduct a classroom observation or talk with a teacher.
During a meeting at TMC between you and the neuropsychologist, the professional will thoroughly review the primary concerns, medical, developmental and academic history. Also, behavior, emotions, personality, and social skills will be discussed, as well as any previous treatments for the primary concerns or problems identified.
This neuropsychology testing is a formal evaluation of attention skills – the ability to focus, sustain, divide and switch one’s attention between various tasks that may or may not be of high interest. Attention is usually assessed using tasks that involve auditory (hearing) tasks and visual (seeing) tasks. Since 50-70% of children with learning disabilities also have attention disorders, it is important to assess whether attention problems could be contributing to the learning difficulties or primary concerns. It can be problematic to assume that attention abilities are fine and to skip formally evaluating attention. Undiagnosed and untreated attention disorders may cause additional testing of academic, language, sensory motor or other skills to be invalid or to provide vague information about attention versus cognitive abilities. For example, in a child with attention problems it is very difficult to determine whether low scores on a reading test are due primarily to attention problems or to problems reading words. We will discuss options for addressing attention problems, if needed, prior to proceeding to the Phase 2 learning disability testing.
Our transdisciplinary team of professionals (Neuropsychology, Psychiatry, Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) & Occupational Therapy (OT)) reviews the results of the Phase 1 evaluation to determine:
Is a clinical diagnosis of ADHD supported?
Are there weaknesses in skills that would justify explicit SLP, OT, Academic/IQ/Achievement and/or neuropsychology testing to provide detailed analysis of scope and breadth of these weak skills?
A plan for a comprehensive Phase 2 learning difference testing. The primary focus of TMC testing services is to guide planning for effective treatment(s). These can help an individual’s weak skills become stronger, lead to improved skill development, and support improved functional abilities in academic and/or occupational skills, which are consistent with an individual’s true potential.
The clinic’s director and the psychologist or psychiatrist who participated in the Phase 1 evaluation will meet with you to review the transdisciplinary team’s findings and their recommended assessments for the Phase 2 portion of our unique learning difference testing process. The next step in the assessment process will either be pursuing comprehensive treatment of ADHD (before the Phase 2 evaluation) or to begin scheduling the detailed Phase 2 evaluation. You will receive a cost estimate for Phase 2 evaluation.
Based on the information obtained during the Phase 1 evaluation, a comprehensive assessment plan is developed for Phase 2 learning difference testing. These evaluations use professionally developed tests that compare you or your child’s current performance to a nationwide sample of same-aged peers’ performance on these same professional tests.
Phase 2 evaluations are scheduled based on the individual’s age, ability and stamina. Children’s evaluations typically occur in the morning and last from 3 to 4 hours per day; high school students, college students and adults may complete 4 hours of testing in a morning, have an hour lunch break and then complete 2-3 more hours of testing in the afternoon. We aim to obtain the best measurement of an individual’s performance in each professional discipline (i.e. Speech-Language, Occupational Therapy, and Psychology/Neuropsychology evaluations).
After the Phase 2 evaluation is completed, the transdisciplinary team meets and discusses the test results across each discipline in a comparison and contrast format — e.g. do the speech-language test results influence the interpretation of the occupational therapy, academic or psychological assessment and vice versa between all disciplines. Next, the team develops a profile graph of the individual’s specific strengths and weaknesses, determines specific diagnoses, and creates an individualized treatment plan.
This plan may include:
During this meeting, which typically takes place a few days after the diagnostic staff meeting, the transdisciplinary team reviews the results of the evaluation with you in depth. The team answers your questions as they explain the individual profile of strengths and weaknesses and provide individualized treatment recommendations.
At the end of this meeting, if treatment at TMC is something you choose to pursue, some logistics will be discussed including: an estimate of treatment costs, typical or available daily/weekly treatment schedules and the next available treatment start date.
After the final interpretive meeting, a start date for treatment will be identified. Start dates for treatment at TMC are open-ended and are based on availability on a first-come first-served basis. We are unable to determine or guarantee an exact start date for treatment with TMC’s unique team of professionals and research-based treatment programs prior to the completion of our evaluation process.
A cost estimate for the individually-prescribed treatment plan (listing discipline, duration, frequency, intensity for treatment) will be provided. A financial deposit is required to reserve treatment services at TMC.
At any time, if you have any additional questions about the learning disability testing process at The Morris Center, then please ask the Office Manager, [email protected] or call +1 (866) 792-3514. The Office Manager will either answer your questions or relay your questions to the appropriate professional team member to get an answer for you as soon as possible.
