Print this page
Under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Mathilde
- Home
- About ECOC
- Turtlewings Partnership
- Learning Difficulties
- Education
- Resource Centre
- News & Events
- Newsletters
- Contact Us
- Links
Resource Centre: LibraryAssessing Dyslexia Gunilla Löfgren Nisser, M.Sc, Introduction The most common expression of dyslexia is a difficulty with reading and spelling. It is also well-known that dyslexia may cause mirror-writing of letters and numbers. These may be the most prevalent manifestations but there are other signs which warrant a learning deficit’s being labeled dyslexia. Knowledge about the origin of dyslexia is now slowly surfacing from the large amount of research into the brain and its activities. There is an emerging consensus that working memory deficit in a cluster of brain functions is cause of dyslexia. Dyslexia affects various parts of the brain that control language. It may lead to dysfunction in some or all of the following: visual memory, auditory memory, sequence memory, word retrieval, speech and motor areas. Therefore it is not enough to assess reading, writing and phonological awareness. Additional dysfunctions must be included in the definition of dyslexia. Until recently, the following definition of dyslexia was widely used: ‘Dyslexia is a neurologically based, often familial, disorder which interferes with the acquisition and processing of language. Varying in degree of severity, it is manifested by difficulties in receptive and expressive language, including phonological processing, in reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, and sometimes arithmetic. Dyslexia is not a result of lack of motivation, sensory impairment, inadequate instructional or environmental opportunities, or other limiting conditions, but may occur together with these conditions. Although dyslexia is lifelong, individuals with dyslexia frequently respond successfully to timely and appropriate intervention.’ (Orton Dyslexia Society, 1994) It is of vital importance that dyslexia is detected and treated early. Dyslexia does not disappear and one does not grow out of it. A diagnosis is necessary and should not be regarded as a negative classification. If a child falls behind in learning to read and spell, it is advisable that the reason be investigated as soon as possible. We can identify, even at pre-school age, children who have language deficits of the kind that might cause reading and writing problems once they start school. If these children were to receive the correct help they need, i.e., multi-sensory training and special language development, they could make a better start. This would prevent their school years from becoming a nightmare and their adult life a constant struggle. Method The areas to investigate are the visual, auditory, motor, memory and sequencing capabilities.
The desired outcome of a battery of tests is to make it possible to assess which brain functions are interfering with the acquisition of reading, writing and learning in general. An evaluation tool must necessarily contain many tests, and preferably more than one measure for each sensory area which needs to be examined. The test battery included here is an attempt to do that. It is not a finite solution but a suggestion as to which areas to examine. A prerequisite to perform an evaluation of this kind is that the examiner be thoroughly familiar with the means by which these sensory areas can be evaluated. Hence the battery is a tool to which each evaluator may bring his or her own test material. If tests are not readily available in every language, they can be constructed to suit any language. Some non-verbal tests can be used as they are:
In addition to the cognitive tests, the assessment should include a psychological evaluation, i.e. a WiSC (Wechsler’s Intelligence Scale for Children) or WAIS (Wechsler’s Adult Intelligence Scale) test or the equivalent. It is equally important to take a careful history of genetics, the mother’s pregnancy, birth, illnesses, motor and language development, and reading and writing skills development. The history is collected in a separate questionnaire completed by the parent or guardian. In order to make a practical assessment tool, a protocol should be constructed with the names of the tests, test results and comments listed on the first page. This provides a clear overview of the problem areas. The protocol should contain the entire test battery with each test on a separate page and with the examiner’s notations and corrections to refer to if needed. Thus equipped with as much information as possible of the person’s background and present functioning, the examiner can begin the task of assessing whether the test results combine to portray a person with dyslexia or not. After careful examination of the material, the dysfunctional areas will stand out. If the main problem is visual discrimination, spelling and decoding will be the main deficits. If there are both visual and auditory deficits, they will manifest themselves in the inability to repeat multisyllabic words, in reading, spelling, and often in sentence repetition as well. As a rule, motor and sequencing deficits are present when we are dealing with dyslexia. These problems become apparent in multiplication and rapid naming tasks, as well as in the early stages of motor and reading development. When the material has been examined, and the data of the dysfunctions have been compiled, a diagnostic prescriptive teaching programme should be constructed. This programme needs to be re-evaluated at regular intervals to ensure that there is progress. Learning support Early detection and treatment is of utmost importance in order to avoid unnecessary damage to the ego. Dyslexia tends to weaken people’s self-confidence because of daily encounter with failure. Before being diagnosed, dyslexic people have usually had to cope with a difficult and disappointing learning situation for many years. In order to rebuild confidence and restore self-image it is, therefore, absolutely essential to avoid failure during retraining. Intervention should only be undertaken by a qualified professional. Protocol for dyslexia assessment Date: Speed n.a Word repetition: Copyright © Gunilla Löfgren Nisser |