Services for Families

Sensory (e.g. visual, auditory, kinesthetic) and motor (fine and gross) functions are the basis for performing many other higher-level thinking and problem-solving tasks. These functions regulate information that we perceive from (sensory) and our physical interaction with our environment (motor). If these basic level processes are impaired higher-level processes are often disrupted as well (e.g., impaired motor functioning impacting letter formation as well as written expression or impaired auditory processing disrupting reading development or auditory comprehension).

• Auditory processing
• Visual perception
• Motor Coordination
• Visual-Motor Integration

Neurocognitive facilitators permeate through all other higher-level mental functions and either enhance (when intact) or inhibit (when impaired) other thinking and learning skills. These include one’s ability to regulate their attention (e.g., focus, sustain attention, impulse control), process information efficiently (i.e., quickly and accurately), and manage complex sets of information in working memory.

• Attention
• Information Processing Speed
• Working Memory Capacity

Higher-level neuro-cognitive functions are activated when we process (i.e. create meaning from) information. We activate these functions when we consciously perceive information (including recalling information from memory), integrate multiple pieces of information to form concepts, and organize goal directed behavior. These include our ability to process (i.e., make meaning from) language and visual spatial information as well as store information in memory and apply reasoning skills to solve problems.

• Phonological Processing
• Orthographic Processing
• Verbal Ability
• Visual-Spatial Processing
• Memory
• Reasoning Ability

Executive functioning is a term that encompasses a broad range of cognitive abilities that include, but are not limited to, planning, task initiation, monitoring, organization, working memory, and impulse regulation. As top down processes involved in self-regulation, executive functions are also tied to one’s ability to restrain the impulse to respond when emotionally charged, think flexibly in social interactions, shift mental sets (v. perseverating), and maintain goal directed persistence.

Core cognitive executive functions include the abilities to inhibit impulsive (automatic) reactions in favor of more effortful (thoughtful) responses, the ability to effectively manage multiple pieces of information (i.e., working memory), and the ability to flexibly shift gears (i.e., cognitive flexibility). These than form the foundation for wide range of executive abilities including planning, organization, task initiation, self-monitoring, and goal directed persistence.

• Organization
• Planning
• Task Initiation
• Self-Monitoring
• Flexibility
• Goal Directed Persistence
• Behavioral Inhibition
• Emotional Regulation

Discovery Education Specialists utilize multiple measures (e.g., reviewing records, interviews, direct observations, rating scales, and standardized tests) to assess an individual’s social and emotional functioning, their ability to regulate behaviors, and the underlying cause of behavioral dysregulation (i.e., beyond the behavior itself).

Discovery Education Specialists assess an individual’s development in the areas of reading (e.g., word reading, fluency, comprehension), writing (e.g., handwriting, spelling, fluency, expression), and math (e.g., efficient retrieval of basic math facts, performing math operations, and math problem solving). This includes assessing specific processes and skills involved in dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.