It is estimated that between 12 and 14 percent of all school-age children
are affected by some sort of learning disability. Therefore, you are not
alone in trying to understand your child's learning difficulties. By un-
derstanding the kinds of assessments (including testing) school profes-
sionals are doing, and what the findings can and cannot tell you, you
will be in a better position to interface with these people to identify the
best kinds of support for your child. What kinds of problems might you
or the teachers note about your child?

A child with listening problems may not be able to follow simple di-
rections or may become distracted in class when instruction is presented
orally. For instance, she might score low on spelling tests because she
cannot hear the words the teacher is asking the children to spell. As a
parent you may be concerned that your child still has difficulty counting
to five even though she has watched Sesame Street every afternoon for
the past two years. A teacher may notice that during recess your child
may not want to participate in circle games because she cannot keep up
with the rest of the group. These behaviors may signal the need for
testing. Various tests are available to diagnose listening problems. When
you speak with your child's teacher, he or she may use the terms "au-
ditory perception" or "receptive language." Auditory perception is the
ability to obtain meaning from what is heard. Receptive language is the
process of receiving and understanding written or spoken language.

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