Learning: A Symphony of Sensory Processing
February 8, 2024
The ‘Why,’ ‘Who,’ and ‘How’ of Eradicating Addressable Learning Challenges
April 22, 2024
“Dyslexia.”
We hear this term often. We self-diagnose or affix this label to our children or students.
Sometimes we’re right.
Often, we’re incorrect.
Many processing deficiencies manifest in ways that lead us to label children as Dyslexic. Even when we receive such a diagnosis from a credentialed specialist, we’re still told our only solutions are, at best, workarounds – that the diagnosed person will deal with this hindrance for life.
There Is Hope!
Many observed symptoms that are believed to be linked to Dyslexia are, in fact, readily addressable processing issues. (See last month’s article, “Learning: A Symphony of Sensory Processing,” for more insights on this topic.)
To this end, ACHIEVE Learning Sciences, our collaborative outreach division that is teaming up with professionals, educators, and parents to eradicate addressable learning challenges for Utah students by the year 2035, has developed a first-of-its-kind evaluation that uncovers the core causes of processing issues and shines a light on real, sustainable solutions that help affected children overcome reading and learning challenges and blossom into successful students who thrive at school, home, and in society for life.
ACHIEVE’s breakthrough evaluation doesn’t just address vision issues; it is a comprehensive, integrated experience that addresses vision, hearing, speech and language, and mental health matters at a core processing level. The resulting report gives specific recommendations that align your child’s needs with specialists who work in concert with each other to your child’s greatest benefit.
A Free Sneak Preview
We’re pulling back the curtain and providing you with a preview of the opportunities and insights afforded by this ground-breaking process by giving you access to the parent surveys that are part of this comprehensive evaluation. You can download PDF versions of these surveys from our community outreach project site, Thriving Students.
(While you’re there downloading your free PDFs, make sure to claim your free subscription as well to receive timely insights from us and other providers working to bring the best learning experience to your children.)
What You’ll Find in the Surveys
Below is a brief explanation of each survey so you understand their purpose and what they help us know from your point of view. When your child is evaluated, your insights combine with the findings of the doctor/provider panel following the evaluation to create a well-informed view of your child’s struggles, the core processing issues behind them, and the solutions that align with your child’s unique situation and needs.
Vision Symptom Survey
The College of Optometrists in Vision Development developed this survey to identify the behaviors, signs, and symptoms most commonly linked to vision-related learning challenges. Research has uncovered a strong correlation between individuals who score 20+ on this survey and those who are likely struggling with undiagnosed vision problems (eye tracking, eye teaming, eye focusing, and vision information processing challenges).
Any school-aged child who scores 20 or above on this survey should receive a vision evaluation from a neuro-developmental optometrist. These specialized optometrists will assess the child’s vision (not just 20/20 eyesight (see our article, “Sight vs. Vision” for more on this point) to see if there are vision processing deficiencies that may be disrupting the child’s ability to read and learn.
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) Referral Checklist
This checklist addresses signs and symptoms related to Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). If several issues on this list are being observed at home or at school, APD may be contributing to your child’s struggles with reading, writing, and spelling. Our comprehensive Dyslexia & Processing Evaluation will further identify these potential issues and how they interact with other processing deficiencies. As appropriate, we can refer you to a trusted audiologist or speech-language pathologist who specializes in APD following your child’s D&P Evaluation.
Speech/Language Development Survey
Children’s speech and language development can be linked to their ability to understand written language. This survey addresses important speech/language developmental milestones that should be reached in children’s early years of development, as well as common speech/language concerns that can contribute to school-aged children’s ability to read, write, and spell. Your insights from this survey will assist our provider panel in accurately assessing the data collected in your child’s Dyslexia & Processing Evaluation.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7)
This assessment is based on outside observation of a child in the home and gives us insights from the parent/guardian’s point of view. Sometimes mental health challenges (anxiety, depression, etc.) can disrupt children’s ability to process what they learn. In other cases, the stress and demand of reading/learning challenges can manifest secondarily as anxiety, depression, or general overwhelm. In any case, mental health must be included in the overall equation of children’s success with reading and learning. The insights gained from this survey integrate with the findings from the child’s Dyslexia & Processing Evaluation to give us a holistic view of all factors that may be adversely affecting the child’s reading and learning performance.
Free Downloads
We hope you find these surveys helpful in determining whether you feel your child may benefit from a comprehensive evaluation that addresses his or her academic needs holistically. Many parents find the insights gained from this evaluation to be the answers they have been seeking in their tireless searches for solutions for their children.
Download the surveys here. Print them out. Fill them in. See what they tell you about your child.
If, after doing this, you feel your child may benefit from a Dyslexia & Processing Evaluation, please contact us at 801-492-6393 to schedule your child’s evaluation. If you have questions first, simply ask to set up a phone appointment so a doctor can address them with you before deciding to have your child evaluated.
Please feel free to share these surveys with other parents, your child’s teacher and school administrators, and anyone else you feel may benefit from them.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your journey in discovering solutions to helping your child thrive! We sincerely appreciate your time and trust.
Dr. Mark Curtis, OD, FCOVD
Dr. Jeremy Gardner, OD, FAAO
Dr. Christopher Pope, OD
Download the Surveys & Subscribe to Thriving Students Here
ACHIEVE Family Vision • ACHIEVE Vision Therapy • ACHIEVE Learning Sciences
Teaming up with professionals, educators, and parents to eradicate addressable learning challenges for Utah students by the year 2035
