IMPACT PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
LEARNING DISABILITY TESTING IN WESTCHESTER, NY
Get Clear Answers About Your Child's Learning Challenges
When your child struggles in school despite their best efforts, the uncertainty can be overwhelming for the entire family.
You watch them work harder than their peers yet still fall behind, and you're left wondering if there's an underlying learning disability affecting their academic success. At IMPACT Psychological Services, we understand the frustration of not having clear answers about your child's learning challenges.
Our comprehensive learning disability assessments in Westchester provide the clarity you need. Led by licensed psychologists Dr. Talya Cohen and Dr. Tracy Prout, our team uses evidence-based testing methods to identify specific learning disorders like dyslexia and dysgraphia. We don't just diagnose – we provide detailed recommendations and connect you with resources throughout Westchester County.
Located in the heart of Mamaroneck, we're uniquely positioned to understand the academic expectations of Westchester schools and can provide assessments that directly support your child's educational needs in our local school districts.
Learning disability testing is a comprehensive evaluation process designed to identify specific learning disorders that may be impacting your child's academic performance.
Our assessments go beyond simple academic testing to examine cognitive processing, memory, attention, and other factors that influence learning.
This thorough approach ensures we identify not just what your child is struggling with, but why they're struggling and how we can help.
The assessment process typically spans several sessions over 2-3 weeks. We begin with a detailed intake interview to understand your child's developmental history, school experiences, and current challenges. During testing sessions, we use standardized assessments to evaluate areas like reading comprehension, written expression, mathematical reasoning, and underlying cognitive processes. Our psychologists create a comfortable, supportive environment where children feel at ease during testing.
Following the assessment, we spend significant time analyzing results and preparing a comprehensive report. This isn't just a list of test scores – it's a detailed explanation of your child's learning profile, including strengths and areas of need. We provide specific recommendations for school accommodations, intervention strategies, and resources available in Westchester County to support your child's success.
The final step involves a thorough feedback session where we explain the results in clear, understandable terms. We discuss how the findings apply to your child's daily academic challenges and work with you to develop an action plan. Many families leave feeling relieved to finally have answers and empowered with concrete steps to help their child thrive academically.
Explore Your Child's Learning Assessment
KEY BENEFITS
Take the First Step Towards Healing
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Our learning disability assessments utilize the most current, research-supported testing instruments to provide accurate diagnoses. Dr. Cohen and Dr. Prout stay current with the latest developments in learning disability assessment, ensuring your child receives evaluation using gold-standard tools.
We assess multiple areas, including reading fluency, reading comprehension, written expression, mathematical calculation, and mathematical reasoning, to create a complete picture of your child's learning profile. In Westchester County, where academic expectations are high, having an accurate diagnosis is crucial for accessing appropriate support services. Our comprehensive approach means we don't miss subtle learning differences that might be overlooked in briefer screenings.
We examine not just what your child struggles with, but the underlying cognitive processes that contribute to these difficulties. This depth of assessment is particularly valuable for bright children whose learning disabilities might be masked by their intelligence or whose previous evaluations didn't capture the full scope of their needs.
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Our psychological reports are written specifically to meet the documentation requirements of both public and private schools throughout Westchester County. We understand that a diagnosis is only as valuable as the accommodations and services it generates, so our reports include specific, actionable recommendations that translate directly into classroom supports.
Each report clearly explains how your child's learning disability impacts their academic performance and what interventions will be most effective. Working extensively with Westchester school districts, we know what documentation is needed for 504 plans and IEP services. Our reports include the specific language and clinical findings that school teams look for when making eligibility determinations.
We also provide recommendations that are realistic and implementable within typical classroom settings, increasing the likelihood that your child will receive appropriate support. Many families find that having our comprehensive assessment eliminates the need for additional school-based evaluations and speeds up the process of accessing services.
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Learning disability assessment is not a one-time event but the beginning of a collaborative relationship focused on your child's long-term success. After completing the evaluation, we remain available to consult with your child's teachers, attend IEP meetings, and provide guidance as your child's needs evolve throughout their academic career.
This ongoing support is particularly valuable as children transition between grade levels or schools, when new challenges may emerge. In Westchester's competitive academic environment, having a psychologist who understands your child's unique learning profile can make the difference between struggle and success.
We help families navigate the special education process, connect with local tutoring resources, and access specialized programs available in our area. Our relationship with local educational professionals means we can often facilitate smoother communication between families and schools, ensuring that assessment recommendations are properly implemented and monitored for effectiveness.
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Many children who reach our office have already undergone some form of educational evaluation, yet questions remain about their learning differences. We specialize in comprehensive assessments that can identify learning disabilities in children with complex profiles – including those who are gifted and have learning differences, children with attention challenges alongside learning disabilities, or students whose previous evaluations didn't fully capture their needs.
Our extensive training and experience allow us to tease apart the various factors contributing to academic struggles. For Westchester families seeking answers beyond what school-based assessments provide, our neuropsychological approach offers deeper insight into cognitive processing differences.
We can identify subtle learning disabilities that might be overlooked in briefer evaluations, particularly in children who have developed compensatory strategies or whose intelligence masks their learning differences. This thorough approach is especially important for students in Westchester's demanding academic environment, where learning differences can significantly impact performance despite strong intellectual abilities.
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Our deep knowledge of Westchester County's educational landscape means we can provide recommendations tailored to resources actually available in your area. We maintain relationships with local tutoring centers, specialized schools, and educational therapists, allowing us to make specific referrals rather than generic suggestions.
This local expertise helps families navigate the sometimes overwhelming array of intervention options to find services that truly match their child's needs and their family's circumstances. Working regularly with both public and private schools throughout Westchester, we understand the strengths and challenges of different educational settings in our area.
This knowledge informs our recommendations about school placement, program selection, and advocacy strategies. We can help families understand which local schools have strong special education programs, what private options might be appropriate for children with learning disabilities, and how to access specialized services available through BOCES and other regional programs.
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We recognize that seeking learning disability testing often comes at a time of significant family stress. Parents may feel frustrated, confused, or worried about their child's future academic success. Our approach prioritizes clear communication, emotional support, and practical guidance throughout the assessment process.
We take time to answer questions, explain procedures, and help families understand what to expect at each step of the evaluation. Children, too, can feel anxious about testing, wondering if something is "wrong" with them. Our psychologists are skilled at presenting assessments in a positive light, helping children understand that we're looking for ways to make learning easier and more successful.
We create a supportive environment where children feel comfortable showing both their strengths and their struggles, leading to more accurate results and a more positive experience for the entire family. This approach is particularly important in Westchester's achievement-oriented culture, where children may already feel pressure about academic performance.
Service Categories
Together, we navigate the journey toward healing, resilience, and positive change. See how we can help you.
Learning Disorder Assessment
Our comprehensive learning disorder assessment identifies specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. This evaluation includes a detailed intake interview, 2-4 hours of testing, thorough scoring and analysis, comprehensive report writing, and a feedback session to discuss results. The assessment examines reading, writing, and mathematical abilities alongside underlying cognitive processes that support academic learning. We provide detailed recommendations for school accommodations and intervention strategies tailored to your child's specific needs.
Neuropsychological Assessment
For children with complex learning profiles or multiple areas of concern, our neuropsychological assessment provides the most comprehensive evaluation available. This extensive assessment examines cognitive abilities, academic skills, attention and executive functioning, social-emotional development, and personality factors. The evaluation is particularly valuable for children with developmental concerns, those with suspected autism spectrum disorders, or students whose learning difficulties haven't been fully understood through previous evaluations.
Targeted Assessment for ADHD and Learning Disabilities
When learning difficulties co-occur with attention challenges, our targeted assessment can differentiate between ADHD and learning disabilities or identify when both conditions are present. This focused evaluation examines attention, executive functioning, and academic skills to provide a complete understanding of your child's learning profile. The assessment includes recommendations for both attention-related and learning-specific interventions, helping families and schools address all factors impacting academic performance.
Therapeutic Assessment
Our therapeutic assessment combines evaluation with short-term therapeutic intervention, providing both diagnostic information and immediate support for your child. This approach is particularly beneficial for children who are anxious about testing or who have had negative experiences with previous evaluations. The process includes family involvement and intervention sessions alongside traditional testing, creating a more collaborative and supportive experience while still providing comprehensive diagnostic information.
Our Process
STEP ONE
Initial Consultation and Intake
We begin with a comprehensive intake interview where we gather detailed information about your child's developmental history, academic experiences, and current concerns. This 60-minute session helps us understand your child's unique background and select the most appropriate assessment tools. We discuss your goals for the evaluation, review previous reports or school records, and answer any questions you have about the testing process. This foundational step ensures that our assessment is tailored to address your specific concerns and your child's individual needs.
STEP TWO
Comprehensive Testing Sessions
Testing typically occurs over 2-4 hours, which may be divided across multiple sessions depending on your child's age and attention span. During testing, we create a comfortable, supportive environment where your child can demonstrate their true abilities. We use a variety of standardized assessments to examine different aspects of learning and cognitive processing. Our psychologists are skilled at helping children feel at ease during testing while ensuring accurate and reliable results that will inform important educational decisions.
STEP THREE
Analysis and Report Development
Following testing, we spend 4-6 hours carefully analyzing results and preparing a comprehensive report. This isn't simply a summary of test scores, but a detailed explanation of your child's learning profile, including strengths and areas of need. We synthesize information from testing, background history, and observations to provide a complete picture of how your child learns best. The report includes specific recommendations for school accommodations, intervention strategies, and resources available in Westchester County.
STEP FOUR
Feedback and Planning Session
We conclude with a detailed feedback session where we explain the results in clear, understandable terms and discuss practical next steps. This session typically lasts 60 minutes and includes time for questions and discussion about implementing recommendations. We provide guidance on communicating with your child's school, accessing services, and finding appropriate support resources in the Westchester area. Many families leave this session feeling empowered with concrete strategies to help their child succeed.
Our Approach
At IMPACT Psychological Services, our approach to learning disability assessment is grounded in evidence-based practices and individualized care.
We believe that every child has unique strengths and learning differences that must be understood within the context of their family, school, and community environment. Our comprehensive evaluations go beyond identifying deficits to uncover each child's learning potential and the specific supports they need to succeed academically.
Our methodology combines standardized assessment tools with clinical observation and detailed background information to create a complete picture of your child's learning profile. We examine not just academic skills, but the underlying cognitive processes that support learning, including memory, attention, processing speed, and executive functioning. This thorough approach allows us to identify subtle learning differences that might be missed in briefer evaluations and to differentiate between various factors that can impact academic performance.
Working extensively with families throughout Westchester County, we understand the unique challenges of navigating our area's competitive academic environment. Our assessments are designed to provide practical, actionable recommendations that work within local school systems and take advantage of resources available in our community. We recognize that effective learning disability assessment must bridge the gap between clinical findings and real-world educational interventions.
Our commitment extends beyond the evaluation itself to ongoing support for families and collaboration with educational teams. We view learning disability assessment as the beginning of a journey toward academic success, not an endpoint. This collaborative approach, combined with our deep understanding of Westchester's educational landscape, ensures that our assessments lead to meaningful improvements in your child's academic experience and long-term educational outcomes.
FAQs
IMPACT Psychological Services is a comprehensive mental health practice serving Westchester County from our Mamaroneck location since [founding year]. Founded by licensed psychologists Dr. Talya Cohen and Dr. Tracy Prout, we specialize in evidence-based psychological assessment and therapy for children, adolescents, and families throughout the Hudson Valley region.
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The complete assessment process typically takes 2-3 weeks from initial intake to the feedback session. This includes a 1-hour intake interview, 2-4 hours of testing (which may be split across sessions), time for scoring and analysis, report writing, and a 1-hour feedback session. We work efficiently while ensuring thoroughness, and can often accommodate urgent timelines when needed for school deadlines.
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Yes, our reports are specifically written to meet the documentation requirements of both public and private schools throughout Westchester County. We include all necessary clinical information and recommendations in the format that schools expect for 504 plan and IEP eligibility decisions. Our extensive experience working with local school districts ensures that our reports are comprehensive and actionable.
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Private assessment typically provides a more comprehensive evaluation and detailed recommendations than school-based testing. Our assessments examine a broader range of cognitive and academic areas, use additional specialized tests, and result in more detailed reports. While schools test to determine eligibility for services, our assessments focus on understanding your child's complete learning profile to optimize their educational experience.
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Learning disorder assessment ranges from $2,750-$3,300, which includes intake, testing, scoring, report writing, and feedback. We provide detailed cost estimates during consultation and can discuss payment options. We've partnered with Mentaya to help clients use out-of-network insurance benefits, and we provide documentation for potential insurance reimbursement.
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Absolutely. We specialize in comprehensive assessments that can identify learning disabilities in children with complex profiles, including those who are intellectually gifted. Our thorough approach can uncover learning differences that might be masked by high intelligence, providing clarity for twice-exceptional children who may be underperforming despite their abilities.