Post 5- Dyslexia Screening or Assessment? Which one is enough?
What is the difference and is this really necessary?
Dyslexia Assessment :
is a battery of testing which analyses and assesses the brain’s cognitive processes in detail.
The outcome : You are provided a pack of information , usually about 20 pages long, specifying , in great detail, all that your child can and can’t do. Somewhere in the midst of it all are the bold lines that you skim for stating matter of factly that your child meets the criteria for a diagnosis of Dyslexia with specific difficulties in …..
What happens with it? Mostly, it is handed in good faith to a school, who don’t quite know what to do with all the medical lingo, so they sit with it, waiting for a chance to put in an RTLB referral (A referral to the publicly funded specialist educator).
Cost : It may cost a lot, but when going through organisations such as SPELD, you pay an annual registration fee reducing the evaluation fee, but you need to wait. Lists are long.
Dyslexia Screening :
is quite similar. A batter of testing which analysis and assesses the learning knowledge and capability of your child, without too much picking at the brain. It covers your most crucial skills needed to read and write effectively - Phonological Awareness, Auditory Skills, Auditory Memory, Observational data , Writing assessments, Coding and Decoding skills. The outcome is that you are provided a summary of your child’s abilities and barriers, gaps and suggested next steps.
When Dyslexia is suspected, this is stated, in bold too and is usually called a Specific Learning Disability. Other concerns noted which might be contributing to your child’s troubles, are outlined too. For instance, if your child displays other Auditory Processing difficulties, , it will be noted in suggested next steps.
Benefits of a screening are that it is teacher friendly, not medical. It provides suggestions in human speak and when actioned through IncludeME, we can also provide recommendations in the form of a learner profile with your child’s photo on it so that the information is shared with all who teach them.
So, is a diagnosis necessary? Legally - No.
All schools are legally prescribed to provide equal capacity to access learning and express understanding, with or without a diagnosis. Does a diagnosis help? Sadly, in some schools, it is still key that opens the door, but it shouldn’t be. A screening is enough, we can help you with this side of things too. When a specialist, such as a specialist educator, recommends specific supports, such as an IEP or an assistive tech application, the school HAS to provide it. That is what the MOE say.
Where can you get a screening done?
Free - You can ask your child’s school to add your child’s name to the list. Some schools are planning to do screening for dyslexia toward the end of 2021, into 2022.
Private - You click on Contact US and we will give you a call to set it up. Before you do, have a look at the Dyslexia Screening service we offer HERE, just to make sure it is what you are wanting for your child.
