By Heather Calhoun
UHCLIDIAN STAFF

The UH-Clear Lake Center for Educational Programs offers diagnostic testing for students with learning disabilities. The service is offered to students at reduced rates in the Arbor Building.

The college has been conducting testing for nine years. UH-Clear Lake students who are struggling in school should first go through Health and Disability Services for a referral.

"If students have a learning disability they must have documentation in order to be accommodated," said Sean Murphy, coordinator of Health and Disability Services. "One thing I tell students who think they have a learning disability is to go to the Texas Rehabilitation Commission for testing first because sometimes they will pay for the testing. Sometimes this takes longer, so we also suggest using the Center for Educational Programs because they are faster and do a quality job."

Students who go to the Center for Educational Programs are given rates based on how much they can afford to pay. The top price for students is $400. If students choose to go to a doctor, they can expect to pay anywhere between $800 and $900 for testing.

Sheryl Morales is the diagnostician who administers the tests. Morales tests for learning disabilities such as dyslexia and giftedness. Math and reading tutoring is another service offered at the center.

"The diagnostician looks for things like achievement and what the students know," said Murphy. "They may also look at giving a reading test to rule out any reading disability."

"I first started seeing school children and then began seeing adults as old as 69 years," Morales said. "Many private schools do not offer testing for learning disabilities, so students can also come to me for testing."

The center provides diagnostic testing to everyone in the community. In fact, many Clear Lake area doctors refer their patients to the center.

"We act as an outreach source for not only students, but also the community," Morales said. "We try to be extremely friendly and provide a relaxed atmosphere for everyone who comes in for testing. We spend a lot of time sitting and talking with the client to find any potential learning disability patterns, and we try to individualize testing based on patterns we find."

Students can call the Center for Educational Programs at (281) 283-3530 to set up an appointment.

"When you call the office, we will have a friendly chat to decide if testing is right for you and then we will set up an appointment," Morales said.

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