Why screen for dyslexia?
- Dyslexia is a neurobiological disorder. Research has shown that brain plasticity decreases through childhood. It takes four times as long to intervene in fourth grade as it does in late kindergarten (NICHD) because of brain development and because of the increase in content for students to learn as they grow older. Children at risk for reading failure can be reliably identified even before kindergarten. “Deficits in phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, verbal working memory and letter knowledge have been shown to be robust precursors of dyslexia in children as young as age three” (Gaab, 2017). Extensive evidence exists that supports the fact that early intervention is critical. Struggling readers who do not receive early intervention tend to fall further behind their peers (Stanovich, 1986).
- Psychological and clinical implications of poor reading development can be prevented or minimized if screening and intervention are provided as early as possible. Screenings are designed to give an indication of possible dyslexic difficulties. They are not a diagnosis. Where any screening test indicates a moderate or high probability of dyslexic difficulties, the best course of action is to follow up with a full diagnostic assessment/evaluation. This would determine the precise nature of dyslexia and related difficulties.
What does Altitude offer?
- As a Certified Dyslexia Interventionist and Masters level teacher certified in the Orton-Gillingham approach, I am qualified to administer screenings for dyslexia. I do not diagnose learning disorders. The screening I administer is designed to give parents/guardians as much information as possible about their child's current phonological processing ability.
- The dyslexia screening is administered during one 40-60 minute session. Data analysis and a comprehensive data report will be completed and shared with you. You will be able to share this report with teachers to show your child's current literacy needs and the specific areas where your child needs the most support. Some families also use this report to help determine if they would like to follow up with a full psychoeducational or neuropsychological evaluation with a qualified provider.
- I will administer the following screeners/tests during our appointment:
- CTOPP-2 (Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing- Second Edition)
- The CTOPP-2 is a norm-referenced test that measures phonological processing abilities related to reading. Phonological Awareness, Phonological Memory, and Rapid Symbolic Naming are assessed.
- Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills 8th Edition (DIBELS ®)
- DIBELS ® is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures that can be used to regularly detect risk and monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills. The measures are consistent with many of the Common Core State Standards in Reading, especially those for Foundational Skills.
- CTOPP-2 (Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing- Second Edition)
Dyslexia Screening Available