What to expect, how to talk to your child about it beforehand, and how to help the process give you the clearest possible picture.
The Initial Learning Review (ILR) is the entry point for every Nayla engagement — a structured, professional assessment of how your child learns, where the gaps are, and why they exist. Families sometimes worry it will feel like another test for a child who may already feel tested enough. It isn’t, and a little preparation makes a real difference to how useful the result is.
Children pick up on tension before they understand its source. If your child overhears "diagnostic" or "assessment" without context, they may assume something is wrong with them. Frame it instead as a conversation: "Someone is going to spend some time getting to know how you learn best, so we can find the right support for you." That framing is accurate, and it removes the pressure to perform.
The ILR is conducted virtually, by video call, and takes real concentration from your child. Avoid scheduling it directly after school, a long day, or another assessment. A rested, unhurried child gives a truer picture than a depleted one — and a truer picture is the entire point.
It can be tempting to prep your child beforehand — a quick revision session, a list of "the right answers." Please don’t. The ILR is not evaluating what your child has memorised; it is evaluating cognitive processing, learning style and pace, executive functioning, and their emotional relationship with learning. Coaching distorts exactly the information that makes the diagnostic useful.
You know things about your child that no assessment can surface in an hour: what frustrates them, what they avoid, what they light up for, how they behave differently at home versus school. Before the session, jot down a few honest observations — not just academic ones. These are often what turn a good diagnostic into an accurate one.
Within 5–10 working days, you’ll receive a written report with a root cause hypothesis and clear recommendations — not a score, and not a label. If a recommendation surprises you, that is worth a conversation with your Nayla partner rather than a reason for concern. The ILR exists to open a conversation about your child, not close one.
If you have a Learning Diagnostic or ILR booked, or are considering one, your Nayla partner is available beforehand for any questions about what to expect.