Assessment

It should be emphasised that not all children experiencing learning problems will necessarily go on to be diagnosed with a learning disorder. Some children mature more gradually and are slower in developing certain skills. However, given that any delay in development may put a child at risk of a wide range of problems, including social and emotional difficulties, it is important to have a full assessment of difficulties if learning problems are suspected.

The first step in this process involves ruling out other possible causes of the difficulties being experienced, such as a sensory problem (e.g., visual or hearing impairment), emotional disturbance (e.g., depression), environmental factors (e.g., cultural or economic disadvantage or a lack of access to adequate education) and intellectual disability. All of these can also influence learning.

SESSION ONE

SESSION TWO

Overview and Symptoms

Learning Disorder/Difficulties

In Australia it is likely that two to three children in each classroom will experience problems with learning. Many adults in various types of employment may also struggle with difficulties in reading, writing, spelling or maths. For people with a specific learning disorder, these problems cannot be explained by low intellectual ability, by another disorder, a lack of education, or a visual or hearing impairment. Each person experiencing a learning disorder is unique and will present with varying degrees of difficulty.

Intellectual Disability

People with intellectual disability encounter special challenges that are different from people with other types of disabilities in a number of important aspects. For example, they have difficulty learning and applying knowledge and in decision making. Almost 60% of people with intellectual disability have severe communication limitations. This distinguishes intellectual disability from other major disability groups for which severe limitations are more concentrated in self-care and mobility. People with intellectual disability are also highly likely to have severe limitations in all three core activities of daily living - self-care, mobility and communication.

Learning Disorder/Difficulties

• Confirmation of your appointment. You will receive several online questionnaire links. These must be completed before your appointment.

• Review developmental history questionnaire (30 minutes)

• Cognitive (IQ) evaluation (60-90 minutes)

• Academic achievement assessment (60-90 minutes)

• Questionnaire sent via online questionnaire link client’s school teacher (30 minutes)