The Advantages of Assessment

Psychoeducational (Learning Disability) and Attentional (ADHD/ADD) assessments provide numerous benefits for individuals facing challenges with their academic and professional performance. Here are some advantages of having an assessment:

1. Early Identification and Intervention: Psychoeducational and Attentional assessments will identify learning challenges when conducted in a child’s formative years. At Artemis, our assessments are entirely confidential and do not need to be shared with anyone outside our facility. Early identification allows timely intervention and support, significantly improving a child’s learning trajectory and development.
2. Later Identification: Being identified with a learning disability before high school, post-secondary education, or even in late adulthood can be incredibly beneficial. Identification can help students understand why they have struggled in previous years and help them better manage their workload as the demands increase. Many individuals find relief and better understand themselves when diagnosed in late adulthood. Take a look here to read more about one individual’s experience. 
3. Accurate Diagnosis: The assessments at Artemis use standardized tests and comprehensive observations to accurately diagnose an individual’s specific learning challenges. A precise diagnosis avoids mislabeling an individual and ensures appropriate support and accommodations. 
4. Understanding Diverse Learners: Assessments uncover how an individual learns new information and how they best demonstrate what they learn. This allows educators to tailor their teaching methods and materials to provide the best learning experience for each student. 
5. Academic Accommodations: Students become eligible for accommodations to their learning environment with a formal diagnosis. Things such as extended time on tests, the use of assistive technology, smaller class sizes, non-distractible settings, and attending on a partial load basis may be provided, depending on the diagnosis. These accommodations are used to level the playing field, ensuring that students with learning disabilities have equal opportunities to succeed academically. 
6. Financial Assistance: If an individual is diagnosed with a learning disability, some financial support may become available to them, depending on the severity of their diagnosis. OSAP has a bursary for learning-disabled students. The Disability Tax Credit Certificate may be available for individuals with more severe needs.
7. Boosting Self-Esteem: Proper identification can help students understand that their challenges do not indicate their intelligence or abilities. Experiencing success in school due to accommodations in the learning environment can improve their self-esteem and confidence. In turn, this can encourage in them a positive attitude toward learning and personal growth.
8. Individualized Education Plan (IEP): An assessment necessitates the creation of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The IEP outlines the specific goals, accommodations, and support services that will be provided to the student to help them succeed. The assessment helps direct the creation of the IEP by providing an accurate diagnosis and specific accommodations tailored to the individual.
9. Parental Involvement and Knowledge: All assessments involve the parents in the process, from providing developmental information about the student to filling out questionnaires to attending the feedback session where the diagnosis is presented. This provides parents with valuable insights into their child’s learning profile, helping them support their learning better needs at home and in collaboration with educators. It can also provide some insight into their own challenges with learning. 
10. Tailored Teaching Strategies: For educators, learning disability assessments and attentional assessments provide valuable information about how to best teach individual students and how to best assess each student’s abilities. 
11. Future Planning: Post-secondary institutions require an assessment to provide accommodations. As individuals transition to higher education, they must be assessed, particularly if they have received accommodations in earlier academic years. Assessment can also help to guide career choices by helping to determine an individual’s suitability for academic and workplace requirements. 
12. In the Workplace: Legislation is now in place that requires employers to provide appropriate accommodations for identified learning-disabled individuals. From assistive technology to non-distractible settings, assessment can provide critical indicators of how employers can help employees be successful in their chosen occupation. 

Learning disability and attentional assessments are vital in promoting inclusivity, empowering individuals to reach their full potential, and fostering a positive learning environment that recognizes and celebrates individual differences. By addressing learning challenges head-on, individuals can thrive academically and develop self-confidence and independence.