TWM Gives Back: LinkED

LinkED is a nonprofit organization located in the heart of downtown Fort Worth that was originally established in 2001 as The Learning Center of North Texas to provide educational testing and resources for individuals with learning differences.

The Learning Center of North Texas has rebranded to better emphasize its mission to link the ability of all learners with success in learning! In additional to LinkED’s office administration, the staff includes ten certified diagnosticians, two speech pathologists, and a licensed Doctor of Psychology. The services provided by LinkED include diagnostic neuroeducational assessments, educator training and professional development, and adult education and literacy support.

LinkED’s neuroeducational assessments blend the results from the evaluation of full cognitive processes and achievement testing and relate these results to each individual’s strengths, challenges, and neurological development. Additionally, speech and language evaluations are assessed as well as behavioral and psychological testing. LinkED assessments are valuable for detecting learning disabilities, identifying dyslexia, diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder, and distinguishing the characteristics of ADHD. Neuroeducational assessments go well beyond determining if an individual has been “diagnosed” with a learning difference or disability by detailing important information about the client’s learning style, working memory, processing speed, attention and executive function (self-regulation) skills. Rather than relying solely on a stand-alone score, this testing instead looks for a neurological basis for the identified strengths/challenges to determine educational implications and interventions.

LinkED’s educator training specifically focuses upon promoting instructional strategies that reach all learners and encourage academic success for all students, including those with specific learning differences and disabilities. These training sessions reflect the latest brain research and the most innovative instructional practices available! LinkED has had the privilege to train over 3400 educators since its inception and continues to seek out nationally recognized trainers and programs to bring to the Fort Worth educational community.

LinkED’s adult literacy support program is a collaborative effort through grant moneys provided through the Workforce Solutions of Tarrant County. This program helps to identify learning challenges and promote interventions for success in learning for adults attempting to complete testing to obtain a high school equivalency degree. This program has proven time and time again to be life-changing for adult learners who have had difficulty in learning over the years and are finally able to receive the appropriate accommodations that will enable them to complete their high school diploma. As part of this effort, LinkED also serves as a pencil/paper testing site for the HiSET high school equivalency test. LinkED has the ability to provide a testing environment that accommodates the learning needs of these individuals with additional testing time, small group or one-on-one testing, and the aid of test reading support.

Would you like the opportunity to help LinkED fulfill its mission to provide critical and necessary assessments for all learners? If so, your donation of materials and/or funds to purchase materials are gratefully accepted. With the recent increase in the number of autism and early childhood assessments performed by LinkED, the organization is creating an early childhood diagnostic testing room.

LinkED performs Early Childhood & Autism Assessments that utilize the following preschool materials:
• No-spill bubbles
• Expandable balls (Hoberman Sphere)
• Plastic child safety scissors
• Visual/Picture Communication Boards
• Chewable pendants (i.e., Brick Stick)

Additionally, your donation of the following materials would greatly help in stocking the new LinkED early childhood diagnostic testing room:
• Anti-anxiety/ fidget toys,
• children’s books and coloring books
• Retractable pens with multi-colors
• Color pencils and crayons
• Small toy storage shelf with bins, and
• A small wooden table and chairs

In an effort to bring these assessment resources to individuals from all sectors of our Fort Worth community, LinkED provides valuable sliding scale support funding for learners of all ages. Clients or their families are required to complete a simple application process to receive up to 90% funding support for all assessment services. These funds are available to learners of all ages and from all walks of life! LinkED can reach many with this financial funding and enable them to obtain the appropriate support in learning that will promote success in school and beyond! Personal donations are gladly accepted to support the sliding scale fund and help individuals with limited resources receive valuable assessment services!

If you happen to know of families in the Fort Worth community who have a struggling learner and would benefit from the type of diagnostic support that LinkED offers, feel free to refer them to www.link-ed.org. The LinkED website provides comprehensive information regarding LinkED and the services they offer.

Lloyd Day is a veteran educator and currently serves as the Executive Director of LinkED in Fort Worth. His experience as an educator spans over three decades and includes the role of teacher, campus principal, district program coordinator and adjunct college professor. In addition to public school teaching and administration, Day taught several years as an adjunct professor of early literacy and social studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. He’s a former member of the Board of Directors for Key School of Fort Worth and currently serves on the Advisory Board of Kids Brain Tree.