“Tests Do Not Measure Determination”

By Marc Hoffman

The psychologist who initially diagnosed my learning issues told my parents, “Don’t worry about preparing him for college; worry about having him graduate from high school.” My parents were shocked, confused, and overwhelmed.

Essentially, the clinician felt the results of his testing for learning issues were so devastating that many academic options would not be available to me. The doctor was only trying to be honest and to interpret test scores in the way that he had been trained at the time. However, the fact is that diagnostic testing does not measure the most important factor in a child’s learning profile: his or her determination to learn.

In my case, it was a difficult struggle to locate resources that could help me. We worked with tutors, I went to schools with specialized resources, and we found information through word of mouth. While my parents were strong advocates for me and helped in every way they could, they did not have a plan, nor did we have a mentor who was able to develop compensatory strategies to help me address and conquer my issues—someone who could help me see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

After graduating from Williams College and earning a masters in child psychology from Yeshiva University, I dedicated my life to empowering people to overcome their learning issues and to see these issues as strengths rather than weaknesses. The guiding principles of Hoffman Educational Group are strong, knowledgeable and caring guidance – and a professional one-on-one relationship with those with learning difficulties and their families.

At Hoffman Educational Group, we have developed a five-point credo as a means of addressing the needs that must be met to overcome learning difficulties:

• The need for self-advocacy
• The need for the child to understand his learning strengths and weaknesses
• The need to identify the correct learning environment for each learner
• The need to adapt to a given learning environment
• The need to laugh about learning issues

If you are interested in having Marc lead a workshop or appear before your group, contact us for more information.