At Red Ladder Optimized Learning, our approach is to present information accessibly and in a timely manner from the beginning of an evaluation, through the verbal feedback meeting, to the report. We have found that, to the extent clients and their families understand the purposes and processes of evaluation, and to the extent our findings and recommendations are presented promptly, accessibly, and practically, the commitment of family members to helping a person to optimize his or her learning increases.

Evaluation:

The evaluation process involves collection and integration of information from many sources. We work to understand the specifics of the current problem, clarify when it began and how it developed until the present. Collecting a thorough history is therefore an important part of evaluation. Where indicated, we collect information about pre-natal and birth history, infancy, and early development, as well as health, schooling, and family history. We also want to know about a person's current health status and life stresses.

As part of a psycho-educational evaluation, we conduct interviews with:

• The client being assessed and
• Parents if the client is a minor.

We frequently speak with:

• Others who know the client well
• Current teachers and other school staff
• Other professionals who know the client, including family doctor or paediatrician,ccupational therapist, or tutor to given a few examples.

Where appropriate, we spend time observing a school-aged client in the classroom.

Formal testing is not always needed. However, where it is, the selection of testing measures depends on the nature of problems noted and upon what, if any testing has previously been conducted at school or in another setting. Tests fall into broad categories, including:

• Cognitive tests
• Neuro-psycholgical tests
• Tests of current academic achievement
• Emotional tests
• Adaptive functioning tests and
• Various rating scales.

Feedback:

After collecting and integrating all of the information, we provide verbal feedback of assessment findings to clients, their families, or both. This is an interactive meeting, where plans for a client or his or her parents, and evaluator can be developed collaboratively.

We are committed to providing:

• Next day verbal reporting. Feedback is available to families as soon as the day after the last piece of information is gathered.

Reporting:

Following the feedback meeting, we prepare a written report of our findings, with any appropriate diagnosis or diagnoses, and we provide recommendations for optimizing a client's learning.

Red Ladder Optimized Learning provides practical, comprehensive, understandable reporting. Reports are shared with a client (or with the parents of a minor client) and may be released to classroom teachers, resource teachers, college or university staff, medical doctors, and other professionals at the request, and with the written authorization, of the client or his or her parents.

We are committed to providing:

• Fourteen Day Written Reporting. Presentation of a final written report is provided within fourteen days of the verbal feedback meeting.

info@redladder.ca