Learning Disability Assessment in Alberta — Understanding Why Learning Feels Difficult
Every child learns differently. While some students pick up reading, writing, or math with ease, others work incredibly hard yet continue to struggle. These challenges can affect confidence, school performance, and even a child’s enjoyment of learning.
At Family Life Psychology & Wellness, we provide comprehensive learning disability assessments for children, teens, and adults throughout Alberta, including Spruce Grove, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, and surrounding communities.
Our registered psychologists help identify whether learning challenges are related to a Specific Learning Disorder—such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia—or whether another factor, such as ADHD, anxiety, or a language or processing difficulty, may be contributing.
A comprehensive assessment doesn’t just identify what’s difficult—it helps uncover your child’s strengths and provides practical recommendations to support success at school, at home, and beyond.
What Is a Learning Disability Assessment?
A learning disability assessment is a comprehensive psychological evaluation that identifies whether a person has a Specific Learning Disorder affecting reading, writing, mathematics, or written expression.
Learning disabilities are not related to intelligence or motivation. In fact, many individuals with learning disabilities are highly intelligent but process certain types of information differently.
The purpose of the assessment is to understand how your child learns, identify why learning may be difficult, and recommend supports that help them reach their full potential.
Unlike a brief screening or classroom observation, a comprehensive assessment examines multiple areas of cognitive functioning and academic performance to determine whether a learning disability is present.
Could My Child Benefit From a Learning Disability Assessment?
Many families seek an assessment after noticing that their child is working much harder than their peers but still falling behind academically.
A learning disability assessment may be appropriate if your child:
- Struggles to learn to read despite consistent effort
- Has ongoing difficulty with spelling or writing
- Finds math concepts unusually challenging
- Reads slowly or avoids reading altogether
- Has difficulty expressing ideas in writing
- Frequently reverses letters or numbers beyond the expected developmental stage
- Becomes frustrated or anxious about school
- Has teachers expressing concerns about academic progress
- Appears bright but isn’t performing at their expected level
Sometimes these challenges are first noticed in the early elementary years, while others become more apparent as schoolwork becomes increasingly complex.
An assessment helps identify the reason behind these difficulties and guides the most effective supports.
What Our Learning Disability Assessment Includes
Every assessment is tailored to the individual’s unique needs, but comprehensive learning disability assessments typically include several important components.
Cognitive abilities
We begin by evaluating how your child thinks, reasons, remembers, and processes information.
This includes areas such as:
- Verbal comprehension
- Visual-spatial reasoning
- Working memory
- Processing speed
- Fluid reasoning
Understanding cognitive strengths and weaknesses provides important context for interpreting academic performance.
Academic achievement testing
We assess academic skills to understand how your child’s performance compares with age and grade expectations.
Areas may include:
- Reading accuracy
- Reading comprehension
- Reading fluency
- Written expression
- Spelling
- Mathematics
- Numerical reasoning
Comparing academic achievement with cognitive ability helps determine whether a Specific Learning Disorder is present.
Processing skills
Learning depends on many different cognitive processes.
When appropriate, we also assess skills such as:
- Phonological processing
- Visual processing
- Auditory processing
- Memory
- Processing speed
- Executive functioning
These areas often provide valuable insight into the reasons learning is difficult.
Parent, teacher, and developmental information
Learning doesn’t happen in isolation.
We gather information from parents, caregivers, teachers, and developmental history to better understand how learning challenges appear across different settings.
This helps ensure recommendations are practical, individualized, and relevant to your child’s daily life.
Understanding Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia
Parents often search for specific learning disabilities before they know exactly what’s affecting their child.
A comprehensive assessment can help identify whether one or more of these learning disorders is present.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning disability that primarily affects reading and language processing.
Children with dyslexia may experience:
- Difficulty learning letter sounds
- Slow or inaccurate reading
- Trouble recognizing familiar words
- Difficulty with spelling
- Fluid reasoning
- Reading that requires significant effort
Despite these challenges, children with dyslexia often have average or above-average intelligence and many unique strengths.
Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia affects mathematical learning and number understanding.
Children may struggle with:
- Learning basic math facts
- Understanding numerical concepts
- Solving math problems
- Remembering calculations
- Estimating quantities
- Working with time or money
These challenges often persist despite consistent instruction and effort.
Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia primarily affects written expression.
Children may experience:
- Poor handwriting
- Difficulty organizing written thoughts
- Slow writing speed
- Problems with spelling
- Processing speed
- Fatigue during writing tasks
- Avoidance of written assignments
An assessment helps determine whether these challenges are related to dysgraphia or another learning difference.
How Assessment Results Help at School
A comprehensive learning disability assessment provides schools with valuable information about how your child learns.
If a learning disability is identified, your report may help support:
- Individualized education planning
- Classroom accommodations
- Reading interventions
- Assistive technology
- Additional learning supports
- Exam accommodations
- Specialized instructional strategies
Our reports provide practical recommendations that teachers and families can use to help students succeed.
What Your Written Report Includes
Following the assessment, you’ll receive a detailed psychological report explaining the results in clear, understandable language.
Your report typically includes:
- Assessment findings
- Cognitive profile
- Academic achievement results
- Diagnostic conclusions
- Learning strengths
- Areas requiring support
- Educational recommendations
- School accommodations
- Strategies for home
- Referrals when appropriate
You’ll also meet with your psychologist for a feedback session to review the results, answer your questions, and discuss next steps.
Our goal is to ensure you leave with not only answers—but also a clear plan moving forward.
Serving Families Across Alberta
Family Life Psychology & Wellness proudly provides learning disability assessments for children, teens, and adults throughout Alberta.
We regularly support families from:
- Spruce Grove
- Edmonton
- Fort McMurray
- Surrounding Alberta communities
Our psychologists have extensive experience preparing reports that help families advocate for educational supports while giving schools practical recommendations that can make a meaningful difference.
