testing for LDs for son

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

I’ve been researching and scrounging, but I can’t seem to find a single resource to find names of specific tests to pinpoint what DS’s LDs are. I mean, he’s had the WISC-III, the WRAT-3, and other psychiatric tests, but no educational tests, per se. Aren’t there known tests out there that can pinpoint what LDs he has, so we can then have a good diagnosis from which to work? I need to know names of specific tests to ensure that the school is going to perform the appropriate assessments.

I feel that we need to find out what LDs he has (i.e., the only labels I can think of - dysgraphia, dyslexia) in order to get him the appropriate supports. To use a metaphor: If you have a sour stomach, isn’t it important to know why you have too much acid production in order to treat it properly? If it’s an ulcer, as opposed to a gall bladder problem, these things are addressed differently. In my son’s case, if he’s having trouble reading, shouldn’t I know why, so we can give him the appropriate “medicine”/supports?

Any advice?

Donna

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 01/21/2002 - 11:41 AM

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The WRAT-III is an achievement test. It should show- though since I doin’t know the test, I don’t know with how much detail- difficulties he is having in reading as compared to his individual capacity as a learner (the WISC score) and as compared to the rest of the population. The psychologist who gave the tests should be making recommendations about what supports and instruction- if any- are needed, based on how he did. There are other tests that can be given of course- but you said he had some others? IQ and achievement testing are the core of an LD eval however.
Robin

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 01/21/2002 - 2:53 PM

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Donna I am new to this but one of the test for LD that
my dd is getting is the Woodcock and Johnson III . I
question this because she had the WJ Revised last year.
I was told it was the best for showing strengths and weakness
in abilities. I did find one site online about it and I liked the infro.
But I do not have the address. Sorry … but I just put in the
name and did a search and it can right up. How this helps.

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 01/21/2002 - 3:37 PM

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The WRAT is not a good test for diagnosing anyhting — it’s a very quick screening test. A series of words to read, a series of words to spell, and a series of math problems to do; no separation by type of skill and the format itself can throw some students. We used it yearly because it is also very popular (and it’s quick), but it often showed progress inconsistent with more thorough tests.
WHat grade?
For our middle & high schoolers, we tested every year with the Gray Oral Reading Test, the Diagnostic Spelling Potential Test, the KeyMath, the WRAT, and a silent reading test that I don’t remember; these were used to keep track of progress and for diagnostic purposes (though it’s during the teachign that the real diagnostics happen).

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