Every child can learn to read. A thorough evaluation is the first step toward understanding your child’s unique learning profile and creating a personalized plan for success.

What to Expect During Your Child’s Evaluation

We understand that having your child evaluated can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to make the experience comfortable, encouraging, and informative for both you and your child.

During your visit, our Clinic Director will spend approximately one hour working one-on-one with your child using a variety of research-based reading and spelling assessments. These evaluations help us identify your child’s unique strengths as well as the specific skills that need additional support.

Rather than relying on a single test, we use several well-respected assessment tools to create a complete picture of your child’s reading profile. Depending on your child’s age and needs, assessments may include:

  • Test of Dyslexia (TOD®) – Screens for characteristics commonly associated with dyslexia and measures your child’s risk compared to students of the same age.

  • Gray Oral Reading Test (GORT-5) – Evaluates reading accuracy, fluency, rate, and comprehension while your child reads aloud.

  • Test of Written Spelling (TWS-5) – Measures spelling skills using a nationally standardized assessment.

  • Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE-2) – Measures how quickly and accurately your child can recognize and read words.

  • Gallistel-Ellis Test of Coding Skills – Identifies the specific phonics patterns and spelling concepts your child has mastered and those that still need to be taught.

  • DIBELS® – A brief literacy assessment that measures foundational reading skills such as decoding and oral reading fluency.

Some of these assessments compare your child’s performance to national age-level expectations, while others help us pinpoint exactly which reading and spelling skills have been mastered and which skills should become the focus of instruction.

After the Evaluation

Following the assessment, you will receive a written report explaining your child’s results in clear, parent-friendly language. The report includes recommendations for instruction and can be shared with your child’s school, educational team, or Orton-Gillingham tutor to help guide an individualized intervention plan.

Our goal is not simply to identify a problem—it is to provide a clear roadmap for helping your child become a more confident and successful reader.