diagnosing and assessing dyslexiaumw.dyslexiaida.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2016/05/... ·...

Diagnosing and Assessing Dyslexia International Dyslexia Association – Upper Midwest Branch

www.ida-umb.org

Amy Basynat The Reading Center Director of Testing abasynat@TheReadingCenter.org 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 abasynat@TheReadingCenter.org 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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