Aurora Strategies uses nationally recognized, norm-referenced standardized tests to assess our clients’ functioning prior to recommending a strategy for improvement and as a method for measuring progress as a result of strategic intervention.

 The following information may be useful in understanding standardized test scores, and changes in standardized test scores. 

 Key for abbreviations:

 S.S. = Standard Score

Sc.S. = Scaled Score

A.E. = Age Equivalent

%ile = Percentile Rank

G.E. = Grade Equivalent

General Information about Standardized tests scores.

A standard score of 100 is average.  A scaled score of 10 is average.  A percentile rank of 50th is average. 

Changes in standard scores of 15 points or greater are considered statistically significant and a result of the intervention.

Changes in scaled scores of 2 points or greater are considered statistically significant and a result of the intervention.

Changes of 10 points for standard scores or 1 point for scaled scores are notable and may indicate a positive trend.

Scores that fall may reflect an attention component, lack of sleep, endurance, hunger or other physiological issue during testing or may reflect a clinically significant process of measuring the initiation of change but not the conclusion.  We most often observe this occurrence during preliminary (immediately after the program) testing.  Please discuss this situation with your examiner.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Does my child need to be tested 3 times after he finishes one of your programs? 

There are actually 3 opportunities for testing.  You may choose which work best for your situation.

The intensive interventions offered at Aurora Strategies often result in improvement that may be measured immediately upon completion of a program, 30 days after completion of a program, and up to 6 months after completion of a program.  Therefore, some test results such as ones received immediately after or 30 days after a program are preliminary.  The 6 month assessment is considered conclusive of the effects of an intensive program. 

How long will the positive changes last?

Long term studies conducted on clients who have completed the Fast ForWord programs, the Interactive Metronome, and the Lindamood Bell programs have shown that progress was maintained at one year following completion of the program.  You should not worry that your child will lose the gains he/she made.  However, some children benefit from participation in a booster session or the next or advanced levels of some of the programs.

Other programs need to be repeated on a regular basis depending on the specific needs of the individual.  Your therapist or trainer will provide you with specific information on the best methods for customizing the program to meet your needs.   

My child finished the ____________ program, but we didn’t notice any significant changes until a couple of months later.  Why? 

The programs we use are neurologically intensive, brain-building programs.  Everyone’s system is different.  Some experience noticeable changes almost immediately, some experience a delayed result.  For each of the programs, we have checklists to help you identify the many areas that may be affected by the program; if you didn’t receive one from your therapist/trainer, ask for one.  Sometimes we don’t see immediate improvement in the area we expected, but we see dramatic changes in other areas.  Sometimes, as parents, we acclimate quickly to improvement in communication or behavior, and it’s not until a teacher, relative or a friend makes a comment that we realize our child has made significant gains. 

In the middle of the program, my child started to regress?  This concerned me.  Do we need to stop the program?

The programs are designed to improve neurological functioning.  For some people, this means that a short period of “neurological disorganization or dis-coordination” will appear just prior to noticeable improvement in that same area.  For example, one client may notice that he/she is bumping into door frames or knocking things over easily; this period lasts for a couple of days but will be followed by significant improvement in sports performance of timing, reflexes, and coordination.  Another client may exhibit a few “quirky” behaviors of interrupting while others are speaking, asking a lot of questions, or behaving impulsively when he/she doesn’t naturally behave that way; a few days later, communication skills make a noticeable improvement.  We regard those occurrences as clinically relevant, and we do not recommend taking a break from the program.  If the behaviors are strong enough or last for more than 3 days and are interfering with school or home life we can make adjustments to the programs.  

I heard my child should not receive standardized testing more often than every 3 years because he/she may “learn the test”.  How do you know a child is not simply “learning the test” and that is why they show improvement?

Many centers similar to Aurora Strategies are engaged in utilizing standardized tests as a means of accurate measurement of improvement.  Current research has established the use of standardized tests as an acceptable means for determining effectiveness of short-term intensive programs.  Aurora Strategies utilizes that research and carefully selects assessment batteries with subtests A and B, or we will use similar but different tests to measure gains.  Research has identified which assessment batteries and tests are “easy to learn”.  We avoid administering those tests as post-tests. 

We hope this list of Frequently Asked Questions is helpful to you.  If you have additional questions, please feel free to ask any of our staff and they will be more than happy to assist you.