Individuals with dyslexia often struggle to gain reading fluency. However, the condition does not imply reduced cognitive ability or an inability to succeed in school. On the contrary, students with dyslexia can, and often do, excel in classes with the proper support and interventions.
For these reasons, it is critical to identify dyslexia and other roadblocks to reading early and enroll students in necessary interventions. Universal screenings in schools are an effective tool for identifying students needing support.
How Dyslexia Affects Reading Assessments
Reading assessments are, as their name implies, designed to gauge reading fluency. However, individuals with dyslexia may struggle on these assessments due to an inability to decode written words, despite knowledge of those words. Dyslexia often results in reading at a slower pace as individuals struggle to decode written words.
Commonly, these struggles are interpreted as a lack of reading skills instead of a learning disorder. Take great care when screening for dyslexia and co-occurring conditions when assessing reading abilities.
Things That Can Complicate a Dyslexia Evaluation
Unfortunately, dyslexia screening is not always straightforward. Several factors can interfere with results or indicate a positive diagnosis when none exists. These include:
· Multilingual students or English language learners —- Delays in word recognition or comprehension among these students may be due to barriers with the English language and not to a learning disability.
· Overlapping symptoms — Many students present with symptoms from multiple disorders, such as ADHD, anxiety, or depression, in addition to dyslexia. Recording a comprehensive family and medical history can reduce the risk of confusing these symptoms and help you achieve a correct diagnosis.
· Using a sole measure to obtain a diagnosis — The results format single test can provide skewed results. A multidisciplinary approach and repeated testing to gauge progress can help create a more accurate picture of a learning disability.
Learn more about how WPS can help you to overcome barriers that complicate reading assessments.
Best Practices for Assessments To Identify Students With Dyslexia
WPS offers professional development training to prepare educators to meet industry best practices, such as:
· Ensuring data is protected according to relevant security policies
· Identifying and reducing personal biases that could affect testing and results
· Selecting relevant, up-to-date, and evidence-based assessments
· Applying universal safety precautions during testing
Tips for Screening for Common Co-Conditions
Children with dyslexia may also be living with other conditions. These must be accommodated for when screening to ensure reliable and accurate results. These can include disorders such as:
· Developmental coordination disorder
· Learning disabilities
· Autism spectrum disorder
· Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Screening for co-occurring conditions can help produce more accurate results while allowing children better access to needed services and interventions. It is important to follow established guidelines by addressing implicit biases and using evidence-based assessments and interventions when conducting evaluations.
WPS designed the Tests of Dyslexia (TOD™) assessment to be a comprehensive screening for dyslexia without requiring multiple tests. Join our mailing list to learn more about how WPS is streamlining the process of identifying dyslexia and getting students into targeted interventions.
