When Learning Doesn’t Make Sense—and You Want to Get It Right

People seek learning disability assessments because something doesn’t add up.

A child may be bright and hardworking but still struggle with reading, writing, or math.
An adult may have worked around learning challenges for years without clear answers.
Previous explanations may feel incomplete—or not fully accurate.

At this stage, most people are not deciding whether to pursue assessment.
They are deciding where to have it done—and how carefully it will be approached.

Because learning disability conclusions can shape educational planning, accommodations, self-confidence, and long-term support, this is not a decision most families want to rush—or get wrong.

At Eckert Centre, our Learning Disability assessments are designed to slow the process down, ask better questions, and arrive at conclusions that are thoughtful, accurate, and genuinely useful—not just technically correct.

If you are looking for an assessment that explains why learning looks the way it does—and helps guide wise next steps—how the work is done matters.

Why Learning Disability Assessments Require Careful Clinical Thinking

Learning difficulties are rarely just about reading, writing, or math skills.

A student may struggle academically despite strong effort, good instruction, and average—or above-average—intelligence.
An adult may have adapted for years, working harder than others just to keep up, without ever understanding why learning felt so effortful.

What makes learning disability assessment complex is that academic challenges often overlap with other factors, such as attention differences, emotional stress, anxiety, self-belief, or how safe and supported a person feels while learning.

Because of this overlap, a high-quality learning disability assessment is not about identifying a single weak score. It requires the ability to:

  • Understand why learning breaks down in certain situations

  • Distinguish skill gaps from barriers that interfere with showing ability

  • See how learning patterns interact with confidence, stress, and daily demands

At Eckert Centre, Learning Disability assessments are led by Senior Psychologists who specialize in integrating cognitive, academic, emotional, and contextual information. This level of clinical thinking reduces the risk of oversimplified conclusions and helps ensure the explanation truly fits the person—not just the test results.

When learning has been confusing or discouraging for a long time, how carefully the assessment is done matters.

How We Approach Learning Disability Assessments at Eckert Centre

At Eckert Centre, Learning Disability assessments are guided by a clear model of well-being and a defined way of applying it.

Our work is anchored in the Eckert Centre Well-Being Model™, which helps us understand how learning challenges show up within the full context of a person’s life—not in isolation.

Our Beyond Scores™ approach is how that model is applied during assessment.

Rather than focusing only on whether a person meets criteria, we ask:

  • Why does learning break down in certain situations but not others?

  • What gets in the way of showing ability—even when the skill may be there?

  • How do learning patterns interact with stress, confidence, attention, and daily demands?

This approach allows us to understand learning difficulties in context—across school, work, and everyday life—so conclusions are accurate, fair, and genuinely helpful.

All Learning Disability assessments at Eckert Centre are led by Senior Psychologists and supported by a collaborative assessment team. This ensures that results are not just measured, but carefully interpreted, integrated, and translated into guidance that makes sense beyond the testing room.

For families and adults who have lived with unanswered questions, this level of thinking protects against oversimplified explanations and supports decisions that hold up over time.

Start With A Free Consultation Call With A Psychologist

Common Learning Patterns We Help Clarify

Learning Disabilities do not look the same for everyone.
Many children, teens, and adults who come to Eckert Centre are bright, capable, and trying hard—but something about learning feels consistently harder than it should.

A Learning Disability assessment may be helpful when patterns such as these are present:

Reading challenges
Difficulty reading accurately or fluently, slow reading speed, trouble understanding what was read, or fatigue when reading—even when comprehension is strong when information is heard.

Writing difficulties
Struggles with spelling, written expression, organizing ideas on paper, or keeping up with written output—despite strong verbal thinking or creative ideas.

Math challenges
Difficulty with number sense, calculations, math facts, or word problems, even when effort is high and concepts have been taught repeatedly.

Uneven academic profile
Strong performance in some areas alongside persistent struggles in others, leading to confusion about ability, effort, or motivation.

School-related stress or avoidance
Rising frustration, anxiety, or loss of confidence around schoolwork, homework, or academic expectations—often paired with a sense that “something isn’t clicking.”

For adults, these patterns may show up as ongoing effort without proportionate results, difficulty keeping up with reading or writing demands at work, or a long-standing sense of having to work harder than others to achieve the same outcomes.

A Learning Disability assessment helps clarify whether these patterns are best explained by a Learning Disability, another factor, or a combination of influences—and what kinds of support are most likely to help.

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Our Neurodiversity-Affirming Learning Disability Assessment Process

At Eckert Centre, Learning Disability assessments are designed to be careful, respectful, and genuinely useful—not rushed or formulaic.

We follow a structured process, guided by senior psychologist leadership, that allows patterns to emerge thoughtfully and in context. This helps ensure conclusions are accurate, meaningful, and fair to the person being assessed.

1. Clarifying the Question
We begin by understanding what prompted the assessment and what you are hoping to understand or change. This step matters—because a well-defined question leads to a more meaningful assessment and more relevant recommendations.

2. Gathering a Full Picture
Information is gathered from multiple sources, which may include standardized measures, interviews, questionnaires, and relevant input from school, family, or work contexts. Senior psychologists guide this stage to ensure learning differences are carefully distinguished from other factors that can affect performance.

3. Integrating Results Thoughtfully

Results are interpreted using our Beyond Scores™ approach, guided by the Eckert Centre Well-Being Model™. Rather than looking at scores in isolation, we consider how learning, thinking, emotional steadiness, relationships, and everyday environments interact—so conclusions make sense in real life, not just on paper. This integration helps ensure results are accurate, fair, and genuinely useful for next steps.

4. Translating Insight into Action
Findings are shared clearly and respectfully, with practical, prioritized recommendations that can actually be used—at school, at work, or at home. The goal is not just understanding, but direction.

Throughout the process, we work to ensure individuals and families feel informed, supported, and confident in how conclusions are reached.

Who Learning Disability Assessments Are — and Aren’t — a Good Fit For

A Learning Disability assessment at Eckert Centre may be a good fit if:

  • You want to understand why learning looks the way it does, not just whether a diagnosis applies

  • You value careful clinical thinking over quick answers

  • You are open to an assessment process that looks at strengths and challenges together

  • You want recommendations that translate into real-world support, not generic suggestions

A Learning Disability assessment at Eckert Centre may not be the right fit if:

  • You are looking for the fastest or lowest-cost option

  • You want only a label or confirmation without deeper exploration

  • You prefer a checklist-based or minimal assessment process

We believe ethical assessment includes helping families choose the right level of care—not simply offering testing by default. Our goal is to ensure that when an assessment is done, it is done well, and in a way that truly supports the person being assessed.

What Clients Leave With

A Learning Disability assessment at Eckert Psychology & Education Centre is designed to be a turning point, not just an explanation on paper.

Clients leave with:

  • Clarity
    A clear, compassionate explanation of why learning looks the way it does—so struggles make sense and strengths are named with accuracy.

  • Confidence
    Understanding that difficulties are not due to lack of effort, but to how learning demands, environments, and support needs interact.

  • Direction
    Practical, prioritized recommendations that guide school planning, accommodations, learning support, and next steps—without overwhelm.

  • Continuity
    A roadmap that holds across home, school, and daily life, so decisions feel coherent rather than reactive.

For many families, this understanding brings relief, validation, and a renewed sense of possibility—because the story finally makes sense, and there is a clear way forward.

Learning Disability Assessment (Children & Youth)

$4,810 (Billed at an hourly rate of $260)

Understanding the Value of a Comprehensive Psychoeducational Assessment

A comprehensive psychoeducational assessment at Eckert Psychology & Education Centre is designed for families who want a thorough, accurate understanding of how a child learns, thinks, and functions—and what will genuinely support them moving forward.

This is the level of assessment we are known for.

It involves approximately 20+ hours of senior psychologist–led assessment time, because meaningful clarity cannot be rushed or reduced to a single testing session. The work unfolds across multiple stages to ensure conclusions are well-reasoned, integrated, and clinically sound.

What families are paying for is not just testing—but careful clinical thinking over time, guided by our Beyond Scores™ approach and the Eckert Centre Well-Being Model™.

This assessment includes:

  • Multiple in-depth assessment sessions to understand cognitive abilities, academic skills, and learning patterns

  • Extensive scoring, interpretation, and hypothesis testing between sessions—not after the fact

  • Detailed parent history and clinical interviews so results are understood in context

  • Thoughtful integration of learning, attention, emotional experience, and daily demands, so overlapping concerns (such as ADHD, anxiety, or learning differences) are not missed

  • A comprehensive written report that schools, physicians, and funding agencies can rely on

  • A feedback conference where results are explained clearly, questions are answered, and next steps are discussed with care

The purpose is not simply to determine whether a child meets criteria, but to understand why learning looks the way it does, where support breaks down, and what actually makes a difference.

Families often tell us the value lies in:

  • Finally having a coherent explanation that makes sense across home, school, and daily life

  • Recommendations that are specific, prioritized, and usable—not generic

  • Confidence that important educational and treatment decisions are grounded in sound clinical reasoning

Because assessment conclusions can shape education plans, accommodations, self-understanding, and long-term support, we choose to work carefully and thoroughly.

For many families, the greater cost is not paying for a comprehensive assessment—it is paying less for one that leaves key questions unanswered or leads to years of trial-and-error.

Our goal is to provide assessments that bring clarity, restore coherence, support connection, and allow courage to emerge—for the child and the family.

This is why every family begins with a free consultation — to ensure the right level of assessment and accurate pricing before moving forward.

Please note: Prices are subject to change. Final cost may vary depending on the individual’s presentation and assessment needs.

Schedule Your Learning Disability Assessment

Because Learning Disability assessments vary based on the questions being asked and the depth required, all assessment clients begin with a Free Consultation Call with a psychologist.

This consultation ensures that:

  • We clearly understand what you are hoping to learn

  • The right type and level of assessment is recommended

  • You are given accurate pricing based on your goals—not a generic estimate

  • The assessment is designed thoughtfully from the start

This step protects you from unnecessary testing, unclear outcomes, or unexpected costs.

Start with a Free Consultation Call

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We offer in-person assessments in Calgary and portions of the assessment online across Alberta, making support accessible and manageable.

Our team is here to help you move forward with clarity, confidence, and a clear plan.

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