Discussing an Assessment With Your Child
It may be helpful to describe what the assessment will be like and how the information will be used.
Frequently Asked Questions by Children:
"Why do I have to be tested?"
This assessment will help you, your parents and your teachers understand how you learn. All of us learn differently, and sometimes these differences make it hard to succeed in school. Some have difficulty learning to read, write or do math. Some have trouble understanding what they hear or read, or remembering new information. And other students find it hard to pay attention or sit still. Some feel different from other children. Some children have learning differences (sometimes called learning disabilities) and by law, schools need to provide special help to certain children with different learning needs. With more information, your parents and teachers will be able to better support your academic success. By the time a full assessment has been scheduled for your child, it is likely that he/she has experienced negative feedback about academic performance or behavior in school. Having an assessment is not a punishment for something he/she has done wrong.
"Will it be like tests in school?"
The assessment is different from school and gives the student an opportunity to show his/her strengths and get clarification about areas of difficulty. An assessment will include testing in most or all of these areas:
- Thinking and problem solving
- Speaking and understanding language
- Academic subjects: reading, spelling, writing and math
- Attention and concentration
- Visual processing
- Fine-motor skills
The assessor will also talk with your child about what he/she likes to do and how he/she feels about himself and school.
Explain to your child that the tests used are appropriate for children of his/her age, but some questions might be pretty difficult or challenging. Questions will start off fairly easy and then get progressively more difficult. Ask your child to try to do his/her best during the assessment, but explain that no one expects him/her to know all the answers.
"What will the tests tell me?"
The purpose behind the testing is to gather information on how you learn best in many different areas. The information from the tests will help us to come up with a plan for supporting your academic success and confidence. Test scores are typically compared to other similar-aged children, providing a picture of how you are performing relative to what is expected for your age or grade. From the results, adaptations and interventions are often recommended including educational therapy, tutoring, and classes or referrals to other professionals.
Frequently Asked Questions by Parents:
"Should what I say change depending on how old my child is?"
In general, younger children may not need to know as much about the assessment process as older children or adolescents might. Young children may simply want to know whether they will have fun and what the place looks like. You may find it helpful to tell your youngster that a lot of the assessment will be fun and even amusing. Your child will sit at a table for most of the assessment and will, in most cases, work primarily with one assessor. Older students may need to feel that their time away from school or any other activity will be worthwhile. Older students should be told about the importance of the assessment and that their participation and cooperation in the process will be helpful to their parents, teachers and themselves.
"How long do evaluations take?"
At DLS, assessments usually last six hours. If the assessment is scheduled on two days, the assessment starts in the morning, and is scheduled for three hours at a time. If the assessment is scheduled for one day, the assessment starts in the morning, the evaluator and the child work together until lunch time. Breaks are taken for snacks. Parents are asked to provide lunch for their child; many parents take their child to one of the nearby restaurants. After lunch, the evaluator and the child work together until mid-afternoon. Once testing is completed, the evaluator will again meet briefly with parents. On rare occasions, a return visit may be required due to time constraints.
