How do you test for dyslexia?
By Touch Type Read and Spell
How do professionals test for dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a language based specific learning difference that can affect reading, writing and spelling skills. There are different approaches to testing, including online screening forms – such as the Lexercise or Beating Dyslexia tests – but these measures are only meant to provide guidance as to whether or not a more in-depth assessment is needed. Sometimes a teaching assessment will suffice, but a comprehensive evaluation of dyslexia is typically undertaken by a speech and language/pathologist, educational psychologist or trained expert and is diagnostic in nature to provide a clearer picture of how the dyslexia affects an individual’s ability to learn.
Most evaluations test phonemic awareness, ability to rapidly name objects and letters, decoding skills, fluency in reading, comprehension skills, and writing and spelling ability. Testing can sometimes extend to oral language skills, intelligence and checks for visual and hearing impairment, both of which can have a severe impact on language development. In certain cases a child may be referred for more testing, particularly if additional learning difficulties such as dysgraphia or ADHD are suspected.
Parents can ask to meet with a school’s Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) or speak with their child’s teacher to request an assessment. School administered evaluations will often include observations from teachers and cover language development, vocabulary, reading, writing, spelling, memory, problem-solving, processing speed, organizational skills and learning style. Outside independent evaluations can also be done but may be quite expensive.
Nonetheless, it’s important that formal testing be undertaken so a child or adult can qualify for support. Adults who suspect they are dyslexic may be able to request a professional assessment through their workplace or contact a dyslexia association for guidance on finding a private testing center. Learn more about adults with undiagnosed learning difficulties and where to find support for adult dyslexia in these posts.
When dyslexia is not caught early on it can cause a child to struggle in the classroom, fall behind his or her peers and experience feelings of frustration and low self-worth, which can lead to a lack of confidence and low self-esteem. However, with diagnostic testing, educators can provide the right coping strategies and ensure appropriate accommodations that enable every learner to achieve his or her full potential. Learn more about strategies for dyslexic learners and choosing the right classroom accommodations.
Can dyslexia be diagnosed?
A major difference between dyslexia and a medical condition is that a doctor can diagnose the latter, but the former must be evaluated by a qualified language professional. That’s because dyslexia is not a disease and there is no one size fits all description of it. In fact, the standards for identifying dyslexia vary from country to country – and so does the way society refers to and classifies it.
For example, in the US dyslexia is branded a learning disability whereas in the UK and EU it is more common to hear it called a learning difficulty or a specific learning difference. The difference between these terms is subtle but significant as learning disability implies the child is handicapped in some way, learning difficulty suggests there is a learning challenge (which can be overcome), and learning difference underscores that the child learns in a different way from the majority of the population.
Having dyslexia does not need to be viewed as a negative; dyslexia is simply the brain processing language in a non-neurotypical way. Dyslexics are not less intelligent than the rest of the population, on the contrary, many are highly skilled and intelligent children and adults who excel at problem solving and creative thinking – some are even considered gifted. That’s why it may be useful to think about diagnostic testing as showing you more than just your weaknesses – it can also highlight your strengths.
Learn more about the strengths associated with dyslexia and motivational quotes from famous individuals who have overcome the challenges posed by their dyslexia.
What does dyslexia look like?
No two individuals with dyslexia will experience the same set or severity of symptoms. Nonetheless, a child with phonological dyslexia is typically a bright and intelligent young learner who struggles with reading and writing because of difficulty breaking words down into their component sounds. This in turn affects decoding and encoding skills. Reading out loud can be poor, as can be recognition of familiar vocabulary. Dyslexic learners take longer to get through a text, may need to read something several times, and can have trouble understanding what they’ve read.
Spelling skills are often inconsistent with a child spelling a word correctly one day and incorrectly the next. There can be particular difficulty in getting the right set of letters in the right order. In handwriting a child with dyslexia is more likely to reverse letters and there may be a disparity between the size of their spoken and written vocabulary.
The key difference between a child who does not have dyslexia and one who does is that for the dyslexic learner putting in more effort and time will not necessarily lead to greater results if they have not acquired the appropriate coping strategies. Learn more
