For those who struggle with mental health problems, the world can certainly be a difficult and sometimes even unwelcoming place. After all, it is not easy to have a brain that diverges from the norm, even if you are, overall, a smart and successful person with big dreams. Testing accommodations can help to bridge the gap, so to speak, and the right testing accommodations can include everything from LSAT accommodations to MCAT accommodations.

In order to get such accommodations, you’ll likely need to undergo a thorough cognitive assessment. This cognitive assessment should be conducted by a professional neuropsychologist who will know how to read and interpret your cognitive assessment. Once your cognitive assessment has been completed, it is likely that you will finally be able to get the help that you need to succeed not only in your education, but beyond it as well.

There are many conditions that warrant testing accommodations and can be officially diagnosed with a cognitive assessment. Dyslexia is one of them, a common learning disability among men and women alike, no matter what your background may be. Though two million people of all ages throughout the United States currently carry a dyslexia diagnosis, it is estimated that far greater number of people are actually dyslexic. In fact, up to forty million people here in the United States are likely to struggle with dyslexia to some extent.

Testing accommodations after a cognitive assessment could be hugely beneficial for the typical person who has dyslexia. After all, dyslexia does not impact your overall intelligence in any way, shape, or form – this is a common misconception. On the contrary, it is totally possible to be a genius who has been diagnosed with dyslexia, such as was the case for Albert Einstein as well as many other very intelligent and very talented and capable people throughout the course of history.

Aside from dyslexia, undergoing a cognitive assessment for ADHD is likely to be hugely beneficial in those who are in need of testing accommodations. After all, ADHD is incredibly common as well, and in many cases can be diagnosed early on in a child’s life, with an age of average diagnosis at only seven or so years old. Among the population of children in the United States who currently fall between the ages of four and of seventeen, very nearly six and a half million of them have been diagnosed with ADHD, though the severity of the condition will vary from child to child and from person to person.

Testing accommodations for someone with ADHD can be hugely beneficial, providing the student in question with accommodations such as extended time. For the student with ADHD who struggles to focus and make the best use of said time given for any standardized test, testing accommodations after a cognitive assessment has been undergone can truly be life changing. Simply being given time enough to complete the entire test will be instrumental in harnessing the brain power of many different students who are currently dealing with ADHD or other similar conditions.

Those who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (also known as ASD) can also benefit in a significant way from various testing accommodations after being officially diagnosed with autism through a cognitive assessment or psychoeducational evaluation (if not both). For many children who have been diagnosed with autism, school can be challenging for a number of reasons, as can the taking of standardized tests. The proper testing accommodations can help to eliminate some of the stimuli that might prove to be distracting or even distressing for the typical person or student that has autism, allowing them to feel as safe as they possibly can in their test taking environment.

All in all, test taking accommodations are highly important. From students who have ADHD to students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia or even autism spectrum disorder, the proper test taking accommodations can truly make a world of difference. It can help them to harness their full potential and open up future opportunities for future years.