Is there some online test to check if my son has a learning disability?

Question

I have home schooled my son for 7 years and he has always had problems reading and writing. His spelling is TERRIBLE! At first I thought it was me (as the teacher) but then I realized my girls read and spell and write just fine. Is there some sort of online test that he could take to find out? Is there any reason to not get him tested, by a professional?

Answer 1

Personally, I feel it's always a good thing to know what you are dealing with.  That way you know how to teach to it.

My son has dysgraphia - it's a writing disability that affects spellings and writing.   He can dictate a 20 minute story that is fantastic but he can't write a paragraph to save his life!  

http://www.ldonline.org/ldbasics/signs

http://www.ldaa-ec.ca/learning-disabilit...

http://www.ldinfo.com/dysgraphia.htm

Answer 2

Iwould have the testing performed by a trained professional. Your pediatrician may have some names.   I have had been through 2 neuropsych profiles for my son.

Answer 3

A good neurologist or developmental psychologist can get the best testing for your son.  

Some other things to look at:

Does your son have eye-hand coordination problems?

Does he have a hard time balancing?

Does he seem to have problem hearing when he is in a crowd?

Does he have a hard time keeping up in conversations?

Did he skip crawing as a baby?

Does he trip a lot?

Think about these things so your doc will have more to go on.  LD's can be difficult to diagnose.