I was trying to help a mother who wanted her teenage daughter tested for dyslexia. The mother was told that the school does not do the testing, and they are unable to pay for testing out-of-pocket. Do you have any guidance to a place that will do this testing for a minimal cost?
Over the years, I have had this question a lot. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability (SLD), which is under the purview of the public schools.
So, if there is a suspected SLD, the student should go through the process of being assessed. One of the first hoops a student has to jump through is RTI -- Response to Intervention -- I explain that challenge.
And here I have a link about what the federal government says about that as well.
I typically refer people to the International Dyslexia Association list of providers for their state. You can find that list here.
It can be difficult to find someone who does the testing for a “minimal cost.” Good, comprehensive assessments are quite time-consuming and include preparation and intake, the time spent with the client administering the tests, scoring the tests, analyzing and interpreting the data, writing the report, and follow-up with the client. The cost tends to reflect all of that effort. And, unfortunately, dyslexia evaluations are not generally covered by insurance.
