Evaluations

What We Offer
Big Springs offers a Psycho-Educational Assessment that allows us to diagnose learning disabilities and develop appropriate recommendations for remediation, strategies, and techniques to improve the client's academic success. The client’s performances and scores are described in a detailed report.

The report also provides explanations and specific recommendations for an appropriate educational program and/or remediation of deficit areas, as well as further assessments that may need to take place, and resources for parents.

The evaluation is scheduled in six appointments (one 30-minute phone intake meeting, four 50-minute testing sessions, and one 50-minute Zoom conference). At the last appointment we discuss our findings and recommendations with the parents (children under age 18 do not attend the conference). At that time, we will describe your child’s performances, provide an outline description of the results, and explain our recommendations. The detailed report will be emailed in four to six weeks after the conference.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I sign up for an evaluation?
Start with sending us a message using the form at the bottom of the page! Completion of all paperwork and a non-refundable $250.00 fee, applied toward the cost of the evaluation, is required to schedule.

What will the evaluation do for me/my child? 
Our goal is to comprehensively outline the client’s learning strengths and weaknesses and then design an individualized remedial program based on his/her unique processing style. Once we discover the root of his/her learning difficulties, we can recommend appropriate techniques and/or strategies to use in his/her academic program. The evaluation provides a starting point for a remedial program and classroom modifi­cations if appropriate.

Is there a test for dyslexia?
No single test exists to diagnose dyslexia. Instead, a dyslexic pattern is found by examining a range of areas (reading, spelling, language, visual perception).

Is there a test for dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia is a pattern of extremely poor handwriting that is sometimes related to other underlying problems. To diagnose a true dysgraphic pattern requires testing in several areas, including fine motor skills, ability to transfer visual information to motor production, visual spatial and perceptual skills, and visual memory. Big Springs’ educational assessment covers these areas and provides a thorough analysis of the root of writing difficulties in order to establish appropriate remediation and/or bypass strategies.

Therapy

Big Springs Educational Therapy Center provides one-on-one remedial sessions for children in several areas:

• Educational Therapy

• Speech and Language Therapy

• Language Enrichment

• Writing/Written Expression

• Dysgraphia

Sessions are conducted on standing appointment basis: each client reserves a 50-minute weekly session with a particular therapist. Completion of our Psycho-Educational Assessment allows us to design an appropriate remedial plan for the therapist to follow that prioritizes the client’s areas of need and gives specific programs, strategies, and materials to use.

Descriptions of Therapy Areas

• Educational Therapy is designed to optimize learning and school adjustment. An individualized remedial plan is implemented for each client with measurable goals. Techniques are tailored to provide the most benefit and practical compensations are used to help in current school/work situations.

• Speech and Language Therapy focuses on verbal communication skills as related to academic learning, social development, and self-esteem. Specific areas of language weakness as noted in the multidisciplinary assessment are addressed using proven techniques and verbal interaction.

• Language Enrichment is a remedial program designed by the speech/language pathologist and provided by an educational therapist. Emphasis is on remediating academic problems using a language-based ap­proach.

Clinic FAQs

• What is a therapy session?
  Therapy is a one-on-one 50-minute session individually designed to assist the client in specific areas of difficulty. Therapy can include remediating skills in various areas, assistance with homework, teaching strategies for learning and organization, learning to use technological assistance, and using compensations to bypass weak areas.

• What’s the difference between therapy and tutoring?
  Therapy utilizes different approaches to learning as dictated by the client’s learning style. Multisensory techniques and other proven methods are employed to help the student improve weak areas or teach bypass compensations.

• After the evaluation is completed, are we required to enroll in your services?
  If our evaluation indicates that services are warranted, it is your choice to enroll for therapy sessions with Big Springs or another agency that provides similar services. We encourage parents to share our report with the child’s teachers and school counselors to enlist their help in providing an appropriate educational setting.

• How many therapy sessions are required?
  Length of therapy depends on several factors: the client’s ability level and motivation, the extent of the learning problems, the number and type of sessions each week, measurable progress, and appropriate attendance. We do not require a contract for a set length of time in therapy.

• Why are weekly sessions necessary?
  Continuity is a critical part of the growth process. Students who learn differently need consistent, frequent reinforcement of new skills and strategies.

• How do I know if therapy is working?
  Communication with your therapist is critical. Ask your therapist about goals, progress, techniques used, and concerns. Your therapist will be happy to provide a progress report with measurable goals, generally after at least three months of therapy sessions.