Today an increasing number of students are struggling in school. Some are having problems with reading and writing, and others feel lost in math. These learning problems are affecting students everywhere—in public, private, and charter schools, and homeschoolers.  Parents have been working hard to find ways to help their students and some have noticed that after one or more remote school terms that their child’s learning problems seem to have become more serious.

Many parents find that their search for help is confusing and frustrating because some approaches take a narrow view of the student’s learning issues. Parents wonder if their child might experience one or more specific learning disabilities, but they may not know where to go for help. As they search, they will find many offers of testing for Dyslexia and there is a great deal of information suggesting that all students who are having difficulties at school have either Dyslexia or ADHD, or a combination of both. Sometimes parents were told in the past that their student’s learning problems were only because of Dyslexia and ADHD. Even though they have followed all of the recommendations, their student still falls further behind their peers every semester.

Although you may have heard only of Dyslexia and/or ADHD as being the main cause of learning problems, there are actually many types of specific learning disabilities, sensory problems, and other factors that can be contributing to academic struggles. You can find a list of some of these on the Testing & Assessment  page. Any testing that is designed to search only for one specific problem is unlikely to uncover very much about other issues. A comprehensive educational diagnostic assessment takes a wide view of the student and doesn’t begin with any assumptions about the root causes of the learning difficulties.

When searching for an in-depth comprehensive educational diagnostic assessment for your student, it is critical to work with a professional who has extensive educational background and experience in education, with a graduate degree and experience in learning disabilities and educational assessment. A learning disabilities specialist must have an understanding of the countless factors that could be contributing to academic struggles, including, but not limited to, auditory processing. functional vision, sensory integration, head injury, specific learning disability, working memory, language development, processing speed, visual-motor integration, phonological awareness, executive functioning and organizational skills. 

For more information about my own credentials and experience, please see the Home and About pages.

Very bright students of all ages, from primary through university, can be experiencing learning difficulties or learning differences that are preventing them from reaching their own highest potential.  They often become discouraged, stressed, and anxious about school because they don’t understand why they can’t seem to do as well as their friends, classmates, or their siblings.  Many bright students decide that they aren’t very smart and their self-esteem suffers. It’s never too late for students to learn about their own strengths and to also understand the causes of their learning challenges. The earlier the root causes and contributing factors of their academic difficulties are discovered, the more time a child has to overcome those problems while they are still in school. However, it is never too late, and every year we do comprehensive educational diagnostic assessments with students of all ages, from primary grades through university.

For those who live too far away to come for the testing part of the educational diagnostic assessment, you can contact me to schedule a Remote Consultation.   Remote Consultations are designed for students who live in regions where comprehensive educational diagnostic assessments aren’t available. I work with students across the United States, including homeschoolers, and also with expat families living internationally.  Please see the Remote Consultation page for more information.

You can email Dr. Minton today to schedule your complimentary consultation.

DrMinton@MintonLearning.com