Why it’s worth it

We believe that learning is for everyone, but that everyone learns differently. College can be a valuable experience for many people, academically and socially, but it is important to consider what you’re investing in. It’s good to ask the question: how will this serve me? This is why we discuss values, goals, and interests in making a major decision like pursuing higher education. There are many paths to take to build a fulfilling and successful future; having an honest and complete look at all the variables is a wise first step.

Our world is constantly changing, but so are we! The more we know about ourselves and the world we live in, the more confidently we can face our future.

Success looks different for many of us. We believe we were created to work, and that we find greater fulfillment in work that aligns with our abilities, not against them. If you’re driven to work with your hands but required to sit at a desk, you’re not likely to feel fulfilled nor be very successful.

Our goal for students is to strengthen their confidence and agency by knowing who they are and how their minds work.

We can’t control the world, but we can prepare to meet the challenges and changes of the world with steadiness and strength as we utilize the tools we’re made with.

Research has shown that cognitive abilities stabilize around the age of 14. We want you to gain the most out of your investment so we recommend students be tested when they show interest in taking steps to learn about themselves, and have the maturity to take the process seriously, typically around the age of 15-16.

Actually, no! Research has show that abilities as we define them are stable and develop naturally by the age of 14 or 15. At that point, they remain, essentially unchanged, throughout the rest of life. Skills can be added and studies can be modified, but natural abilities are constant. Clients will take the test once, but have valuable knowledge that will last a lifetime.

Grades and standardized test scores represent a convenient means by which schools measure and qualify students. However, they are more representative of skills and level of learning than of true abilities.

A child who struggles with reading, may have a strong ability to remember anything she hears. A child who doesn’t think linearly, may be really quick to see commonalities in seemingly unrelated objects. The ability to think in 3D is a key trait for an engineer, but is not something we assess on a high school test.

Having our abilities assessed with an objective and science based tool is like having a custom made garment when we’ve been wearing-one-size-fits-most all our lives.

Our assessment also provides valuable insight into our dispositions toward work environments, how we communicate, and our preference for making decisions and seeing results.

Yes! Our abilities assessment combined with student-specific feedback and coaching is of special importance to students who feel they don’t have identifiable special talents. Why? Because the measures we use to determine “what we’re good at” tell us very little about ourselves.

An abilities assessment and interpretation by a trained consultant reveal so much more about a person-how they solve problems, how they learn best, what work environment is right for them, whether they have measurable musical talent, and how they relate to and are perceived by others. Our whole person approach is really positive, and seeks to build people up as they recognize their unique gifting, and gain confidence in their abilities and decision making.

Our primary assessment is the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB). The Highlands Company has not conducted formal research on how conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, language-processing challenges, or other learning differences may affect HAB results. We do recognize that neurodiverse individuals often have unique cognitive processing styles that may influence how they approach certain worksamples on the test.

For example, individuals with language, comprehension, attention, or processing-speed challenges may find some timed tasks more difficult.

That said, many certified Highlands Consultants who work with neurodiverse populations have found the HAB to be highly valuable for identifying strengths, patterns of thought, and areas for development.

We would love to talk with you more to determine if our assessment is the right tool, or whether another assessment may better serve your child’s needs.