Diagnosing and Assessing Dyslexia International Dyslexia Association – Upper Midwest Branch
www.ida-umb.org
Amy Basynat The Reading Center Director of Testing [email protected] www.TheReadingCenter.org
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¤ For 60 years, the Reading Center has been providing critical services for children and adults with dyslexia through: ¤ Orton–Gillingham tutoring ¤ Training in the Orton-Gillingham approach
¤ Best of Basics Summer program and Study Skills Classes ¤ Reading Readiness
¤ Free educational outreach Accredited in Training and Clinic by:
Agenda
¤ Definition of Dyslexia
¤ Signs and Symptoms
¤ Evaluation
¤ Now what?
Polling Question #1
Definition of Dyslexia
¤ Unexpected difference between ability and performance
¤ After receiving good instruction
¤ Not explained by physical or emotional problems
Polling Question #2
Family History important clue
¤ If someone in your extended family has reading difficulty, your child’s risk increases.
¤ Dyslexia tends to run in families.
Signs and symptoms ¤ Earliest years ¤ Late talking compared to peers
¤ Seems to not understand verbal instructions
¤ Trouble learning names of things or finding the right word
Preschool and Kindergarten Signs
¤ Difficulty rhyming words
¤ Trouble learning alphabet, colors, or recognizing their own name
¤ No interest in reading or writing
¤ Mispronounces words
Elementary Years Signs q Attitude changes in school q Trouble learning sounds of letters q Difficulty with sight words q Trouble learning days of week,
months of the year q Poor speller q Handwriting difficulty q Continuing problems with reversals
Common reading errors ¤ Mixing up sounds in words
¤ Substituting words with similar sounds
¤ Skipping words
¤ Missing or mixing up many small words
¤ Not understanding what they read
Middle and High School Years
¤ Homework takes lots more time than peers
¤ Avoids reading, no enjoyment
¤ Able to express ideas better when speaking than writing
¤ Poor speller
¤ Trouble organizing or keeping up with school work
Evaluation
¤ When
¤ Why
¤ Who
¤ What
Polling Question #3
When to test ¤ If you see a pattern of symptoms
¤ Sooner is better than later
¤ Parents notice problems first - trust your instincts
¤ Evidence shows most students will not “grow out” of reading difficulty
http://reading.uoregon.edu/beginning_reading/scope2.php
Why test ¤ Identify the specific strengths and
weaknesses of your child
¤ Help child have a better understanding of why they are having trouble
More reasons to test
¤ Impartial assessment of child’s current skill levels
¤ Determine the best instructional strategies and course of action
¤ Document learning disability for accommodations if necessary
Outcomes from testing
¤ Diagnosis and/or clear understanding of problem for parent and child
¤ Baseline to measure growth in the future
¤ Recommendations for treatment
¤ Documentation for accommodations in high stakes testing like ACT, SAT
Who does the testing?
¤ Schools in Minnesota will not test for dyslexia. State of MN does not use this term for determining special education services.
¤ Parent should not be surprised at the need to seek outside testing for dyslexia.
¤ Highly specialized testing to determine dyslexia.
¤ Generally insurance will only cover testing done at a medical facility.
How to find qualified professionals
¤ Ask primary doctor or teacher for references
¤ Always ask what special training the professional has had in diagnosing dyslexia ¤ Neuropsychologist ¤ Educational psychologist ¤ Learning specialist ¤ Licensed psychologist with emphasis in
learning disabilities
What testing generally includes ¤ Background information
¤ Cognitive ability measures - ability to use information- thinking and reasoning
¤ Oral language/auditory processing skills
¤ Single word reading
¤ Reading comprehension
Testing cont.
¤ Spelling
¤ Writing sample
¤ Phonological awareness
¤ Vocabulary
¤ Math skills assessment
Testing takes time ¤ Generally takes 3 or more hours
¤ May be done in one or more sittings
¤ Tests will need to be scored and analyzed before conclusions can be made by professional
¤ Conference with parents and student to discuss findings
Written Report ¤ Summary of interviews and history
¤ Summary of tests
¤ Recommendations
What happens now?
q Results may be helpful to school dialogue
¤ Look into recommended programs or plans of action
Testing informs the student ¤ May help child understand their
strengths and needs as a learner
¤ Identifying the problem makes it easier to cope and to work on solving it
In Summary
¤ If your child is having problems, don’t wait
¤ Get a qualified professional to do testing.
¤ Use the recommendations to plan the best educational strategy for the child.
Resources
¤ International Dyslexia Assoc. www.interdys.org
¤ National Center for Learning Disabilities www.ncld.org
¤ LD Online www.ldonline.org
¤ Children of the Code www.childrenofthecode.org
¤ UMBIDA www.ida-umb.org Lists diagnostic resources in MN
¤ The Reading Center www.TheReadingCenter.org
Questions & Answers
¤ Type your question in the question box
¤ Moderator will read your question to the presenter
Thank you for participating International Dyslexia Association – Upper Midwest Branch
www.ida-umb.org
Amy Basynat The Reading Center Director of Testing [email protected] www.TheReadingCenter.org
Housekeeping Tasks
¤ Please take the evaluation survey so that we can improve
¤ Presentation will be posted to our website tomorrow
Ending the Webinar ¤ Remind participants that an e-mail confirming their
attendance and CEU will be sent out the following day automatically.
¤ Remind them to take the evaluation survey
¤ Give them another copy of the hyperlinks that you shared in your presentation.
¤ Invite them to sign up on our email list
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