The Problem Of Proper Assessing Of Students With SpLD

As there is not one standard clear-cut test or simple check-list approach which will prove that an individual has a spLD it is not always as "black or white" for an accurate prompt diagnosis to be made by an assessor. In some cases, it may be difficult to find conclusive proof of a spLD present in an individual and the assessor may not want to make a misdiagnosis. The individual will have to undergo an initial screening first and then if warranted a series of written and oral in-depth tests and observations backed up with solid evidence from family and teaching staff before an accurate diagnosis can be made and the right help implemented. Also, spLD's are different for every person who has them. No two individuals are going to experience or present the same limitations or symptoms to the assessor which is another reason why making an accurate diagnosis for a spLD is difficult on some occasions for an assessor which could also lead to an inaccurate diagnosis and incorrect labeling of the individual. Also, their symptoms may not be immediately obvious to the assessor. As each individual with a spLD will have their own unique set and severity of core symptoms which will impact on them differently there isn't always that easily identifiable set of criteria or checklist of symptoms the assess can confidently refer to in order to make the diagnosis. A diagnosis can be highly subjective depending on the assessor.

An individual may present several overlapping symptoms which are having a major impact on their daily life which may make it hard to distinguish a spLD from other potential difficulties because they can easily suggest or be confused with a number of conditions so the professional will have to narrow things down first or rule other conditions out before they can be confident enough to make a clear diagnosis. While other person may only present single, mild isolated symptoms and on the surface may seem to have no problems at all because they are not having much of an impact on them or are not noticed so much by other people. The ignorance of the assessor. Sometimes the professional carrying out the diagnosis may be newly qualified so may not be well acquainted with spLD's and may easily miss things so may not want to make a diagnosis and prefer to be cautious or "be on the safe side" and not risk unduly labeling the individual unnecessarily. They may not have yet acquired the required skills or are specifically experienced enough as a specialist to be able to recognize, diagnose and treat complex learning difficulties which may entail a lengthy wait for a diagnosis for the individual and their family especially if they haven't access to another expert in that area. It is unrealistic for a professional to be familiar with every difficulty so it may take a lot of perseverance and an uphill battle and an awareness on the part of the family/carers in order to reach a satisfying diagnosis for everyone concerned. As the child grows and develops their symptoms may change meaning that their strengths, weaknesses and abilities may change and they may have learnt to hide their difficulties and be good at faking their successes or have developed adaptive behavior or coping strategies of their own over time e.g sitting next to a more able peer and copy8ng their work in class in order to overcome and manage their differences. If the individual being assessed is very young their symptoms may not become completely obvious until they are much older and the demands of their life situations have changed. Also, they may be experiencing other medical or mental health issues epilepsy or depression at the same time as well as their other learning difficulties so it can make diagnosing an spLD extremely difficult.

It is sometimes difficult and more challenging to distinguish the specific learning difficult if the individual also has two or more comorbid conditions which very commonly occur together e.g. ADHD, depression and dyslexia overlapping with the spLD making it difficult to distinguish exactly what is causing the differences in the child.

If the assessor does not have a lot of opportunity or time to invest in the individual and be able to observe them over a course of time then their symptoms and current state may be confused as something else, making it difficult to give them a proper diagnosis. It is also difficult to reach a conclusive diagnosis if the child being assessed is very young. All tests are subjective depending on who is assessing them and could lead to a disagreement about certain difficulties that have been diagnosed. Sometimes the professional can only go on what the parents say they have observed in the child and inconclusive evidence from the school. Also, some important signs and symptoms do not fully develop until the child is older. Someone with a high intelligence may be able to hide their limitations from the assessor. Nowadays teaching staff are pushed for time and may not have had the chance to put the correct series of interventions in place and not had the chance to monitor it properly so their results and may be very conclusive. Girls are far better than boys at being able to hide their difficulties when it comes to a diagnosis so their limitations can quite easily be missed. An assessor will be reluctant to make a diagnosis when limitations are not truly present in an individual.

As the assessments will probably take place in an unfamiliar environment it may make the individual change their behavior while they are being assessed. The individual may become extremely anxious especially if they have to be orally assessed which may affect the way that they perform.

Child development is not exact so it is hard to make a decision as to what is considered normal or abnormal. There is a great deal of variation from child to child throughout their development and they won't all reach their developmental milestones at the same time. Different children will develop at different rates and some individuals may just be late in reaching their age-related milestones. Their limitations are going to change as they get older making some symptoms less or more obvious as time progresses. Some may have difficulties in one area such as speech but be very good when they are given the right tools while another may be very creative but are not successful in learning math concepts. Some signs and symptoms of autism are the same or similar as other conditions which may make it difficult to separate them and be able to diagnose what their actual problems are, are they mentally underdeveloped, do they have learning difficulties, or language disorders, or a spLDs or are they likely to be epileptic? If the individual has some autistic traits it may make it difficult to distinguish and separate them from a spLD.

Nowadays it is very expensive to bring in an assessor into schools, colleges and universities to assess students so existing staff with these organizations are hurriedly being trained up in order to assess students for access arrangements in order to save money and they may miss limitation within an individual.