Dyslexia Assessment Best Practice FAQs
1. How early can a student be diagnosed with dyslexia?
Early warning signs for dyslexia can appear as early as Pre-K, Kindergarten, or Grade 1. It’s difficult to make a definitive dyslexia diagnosis this early because the student may not have had much formal reading instruction. Still, clinicians and educators can usually identify students “at risk” for reading failure when factors such as family history and early linguistic risk factors are considered.
Many times, dyslexia is not identified until a child is in second grade and has not learned to read as expected. Yet, early intervention is most effective when provided to children from Pre-K to Grade 1 prior to reading failure. Ozernov‐Palchik and Gaab (2016) call this the “dyslexia paradox.”
2. What should evaluators keep in mind when assessing for dyslexia in middle and high school students?
A comprehensive dyslexia assessment is important. The Tests of Dyslexia–Comprehensive (TOD™-C) provides direct assessment of reading, spelling, and related skills and abilities. The TOD rating scales allow clinicians and educators to gather current and historical perspectives of the examinee’s reading/spelling performance from the examinee, parents, and teachers.
Some students with dyslexia are not identified until middle or high school. This is often the case with students who are twice-exceptional, extremely hard-working, or who have had extensive explicit literacy instruction. A “bigger-picture” evaluation can be especially important when dyslexia wasn’t identified early.
3. What warning signs could point to dyslexia in middle or high school students?
There are several warning signs to look for in middle or high school students with dyslexia.
For example, a student may
- have trouble keeping up with the volume of reading and written work,
- express frustration over the amount of time and energy it takes to read,
- read slowly,
- need to read material more than once because of limited fluency,
- have trouble using structural analysis to break apart unfamiliar words into syllables,
- have poor spelling and may spell the same word different ways,
- avoid reading and writing assignments,
- avoid completing homework, or
- have trouble learning a foreign language.
4. Who can diagnose dyslexia?
No single job title defines a person who can diagnose dyslexia. Originally, it was considered a medical diagnosis. Today, it is viewed as an educational diagnosis.
Dyslexia is recognized as a specific learning disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It is also included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (5th ed., text rev.) as a specific learning disorder in reading.
Within a school setting, dyslexia evaluations are often undertaken by school-based teams. Those professionals who are well versed in the characteristics of dyslexia and understand standardized assessments are best suited for making the diagnosis. Teams may include
- reading specialists,
- school psychologists,
- educational diagnosticians,
- speech–language pathologists, and/or
- learning disability specialists.
Within a private setting, this diagnosis would most commonly be made by a clinical psychologist, educational psychologist, or neuropsychologist in private practice.
5. What’s the role of a speech–language pathologist in diagnosing and supporting students with dyslexia?
A speech–language pathologist (SLP) can be helpful in assessing linguistic processing abilities as well as oral language skills. In addition, the SLP can plan and implement appropriate interventions for identified needs in those areas. Some SLPs also have strong backgrounds in reading and writing and can provide appropriate interventions in those areas as well.
6. What’s the role of the occupational therapist in supporting students with dyslexia?
High comorbidity exists between dyslexia and dysgraphia, and so occupational therapists (OTs) are often involved in supporting students with dyslexia. An OT could support the student using a multimodal and systematic approach to learning.
If the student has difficulty with handwriting, the OT could provide therapy that helps develop fine-motor skills. If the student has sensory integration difficulties, the OT may provide therapy to address those difficulties as well.
7. What are the best screeners to use to identify dyslexia risk?
A good dyslexia screener should
- be easy and quick to administer,
- provide reliable and valid data,
- measure key ability and skill areas based on research, and
- be offered by a reputable company.
It’s also a good idea to use a screener that can be given to groups or one available in a digital format, which makes administering the test and managing data so much simpler. The TOD-Screener (TOD-S) includes these important features. It also offers further assessment options with the TOD-Early (TOD-E) and the TOD-C.
8. What are the most effective accommodations to provide to students with dyslexia?
Accommodations are designed to give equal access and opportunities for learning to students with dyslexia. They aren’t intended to alter content or performance standards. Students with dyslexia often need accommodations for reading and spelling assignments.
The most commonly requested accommodation is for extended time. Other effective accommodations include the use of audio books, oral exams, a scribe, partner reading, or a word processor. Dyslexia Interventions and Recommendations: A Companion Guide includes a section on accommodations.
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) has developed a framework for accommodations, which is available at https://dyslexiaida.org/accommodations-for-students-with-dyslexia/.
9. What are the best practices for assessing English learners?
As a first step, consider the English learner’s (EL’s) instructional history and proficiency in their first language. This information will help you better understand the meaning of (poor) academic progress within the second language.
Before administering any test presented in English, it is important to determine the student’s English proficiency. An examiner who assesses EL students should be experienced with testing ELs and familiar with the challenges of acquiring a second language. Difficulty with reading may be owing to a lack of English language proficiency, rather than a learning disability.
If the student’s English proficiency is limited, test results will not be valid. The scores will reflect the lack of English proficiency rather than difficulty with the skills or abilities being measured. If an EL student is struggling with reading, best practice suggests implementing early reading intervention, no matter what is causing the difficulty (e.g., lack of English proficiency or dyslexia). It’s also important to monitor progress periodically (Wilkinson et al., 2006). Additional characteristics of common and best evaluation practices are described by Mather and Wendling (2012).
10. What are the best practices for assessing adults who may have dyslexia?
First, select an assessment that is normed for adults and includes content at an appropriate difficulty level.
Second, collect relevant background information about the adult’s education, work history, family history, and so forth. Have the adult complete a self-report rating scale designed to gather dyslexia-related information, like the one that is included with the TOD-C. The examiner should also have experience in evaluating adults with dyslexia.
Many adults with dyslexia still exhibit slow reading rates and difficulties with spelling, and they may also have issues with attention, anxiety, and self-esteem.
References:
Mather, N., & Wendling, B. J. (2012). Essentials of dyslexia assessment and intervention. John Wiley & Sons.
Ozernov‐Palchik, O., & Gaab, N. (2016). Tackling the “dyslexia paradox”: Reading brain and behavior for early markers of developmental dyslexia. WIREs Cognitive Science, 7, 156–176. http://doi.org:10.1002/wcs.1383
Wilkinson, C., Ortiz, A., Robertson, P., & Kushner, M. (2006). English language learners with reading-related LD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39, 129–141.