Clarifying Strengths, Challenges, and Learning Profiles

Understanding Your Child’s Learning and Emotional Needs

Testing batteries are provided for diagnosing specific learning disabilities, including:

  • Specific learning disorders such as reading and mathematics
  • Visual or auditory processing
  • Disorders of attention (ADHD) and executive functioning
  • Nonverbal learning disorders
  • Emotional difficulties

A battery includes a variety of tests in several domains of functioning. To make a diagnosis, Dr. Picard will administer, analyze, and interpret the results, looking for patterns across the domains to determine the specific strengths and weaknesses that challenge your child. The testing results, along with a thorough history and review of records and teacher reports, will be incorporated into a report, which will then be used for remediation and accommodations in school.

What the Evaluation Includes

The domains of functioning that are addressed include:

  • Intellectual Functioning—cognitive abilities, verbal and nonverbal
  • Achievement—reading, mathematics, written and oral language
  • Language Processing—expressive and receptive skills
  • Visuospatial, Fine Motor, and Processing Speed
  • Memory and Learning abilities
  • Attention and Executive Functioning—auditory and visual
  • Social and Emotional Functioning

Testing typically takes six hours, spread out over numerous mornings, according to the needs of the individual child. Dr. Picard also meets with parents both before and after the testing in order to acquire appropriate background and history and then to review the testing results and formulate an appropriate plan. Follow-up with schools and professionals involved follows the feedback session.