Going Deeper with Dyslexia Identification Ruth Ann Beagle, M. Ed., CALT Emily Rivera, M. Ed., CALT Good evening ladies and gentlemen of the board, I am pleased to present our report on Summer Professional Development.

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Learning Targets Brief overview of Dyslexia Components of assessment Profile analysis Things to consider Q & A

Learning Targets Brief overview of Dyslexia Components of assessment Profile analysis Things to consider Q & A

Overview of Dyslexia Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. Adopted by the IDA Board of Directors, Nov. 12, 2002. This Definition is also used by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

“Dyslexia is… neurological in origin.” Predisposition for dyslexia Often inherited Persists across the life-span Going back to the definition: “Dyslexia is… neurological in origin.” Children are born with dyslexia because their brains are wired differently. Dyslexia cannot be cured and it will not go away. Using appropriate instruction, students are taught to be successful by training their brain to retrieve the phonological processing skills differently than non-dyslexic children. For students with dyslexia, it is important to identify their strengths and help them to realize that they can be successful – even if it’s in areas other than academic pursuits. They usually have a talent in an area such as music, art, mathematics, athletics etc. Their strengths may be in those areas and it is important to build and develop those strengths or talents to help them feel successful.

Learning Targets Brief overview of Dyslexia Components of assessment Profile analysis Things to consider Q & A

“…characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.” Accurate, rapid word recognition  fluency WRMT III Accuracy & fluency  comprehension GORT 5 Spelling TWS 5 Clarify that “up to 1 in 5” is a liberal estimate; some research begins at around 5-7%. A student needs to be able to recognize words accurately and rapidly in order to be a fluent reader. Comprehension is enhanced when a student can read accurately and fluently. There is a varying degree of difficulty for students with dyslexia. They many only have difficulties in writing or spelling. Some are more severe than others.

“These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language” Elision, blending words, phoneme isolation CTOPP 2 Rapid Naming Letter Knowledge WRMT III DRA 2 Phonological Memory The difficulties are often unexplained. The difficulties are unexpected for their age and cognitive ability. They are not in relation their other academic strengths.

Classroom instruction “…that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction.” Cognitive abilities KBIT 2 CoGAT/ITBS WRMT III (listening comp.) Parent/Teacher input Math reasoning abilities Classroom instruction RtI data (if available) DRA 2—consider tasks in PA

“Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension…” Oral reading comprehension GORT 5 Teacher input Passage comprehension WRMT III

Learning Targets Brief overview of Dyslexia Components of assessment Profile analysis Things to consider Q & A

Profile Analysis #1 “Peeta” 7 years, 10 months, 2nd grade Teacher referral Fell below level in DRA starting in 1st grade K EOY level 4, 1st EOY level 14, 2nd BOY level 12 Weakness in spelling Hearing & Recording Sounds EOY K 32 (of 37) EOY 1st DRA task 27 (16 = “some”) ADHD diagnosis, inconsistent medication High CoGAT and ITBS scores Strong vocabulary and math reasoning skills “unexpected” for student to have such difficulties

Profile Analysis #1 Characteristics? Underlying Causes? Secondary Consequences? Unexpected?

Profile Analysis #1 Characteristics?

YES! Profile Analysis #1 Characteristics? Decoding (WRMT III) Spelling (TWS 5, writing samples, student history) Accuracy & fluency (GORT 5)

Profile Analysis #1 Underlying Causes?

YES! Profile Analysis #1 Underlying Causes? Phonological Awareness (CTOPP 2) Phonological memory (CTOPP 2)

Profile Analysis #1 Secondary Consequences?

YES! Profile Analysis #1 Secondary Consequences? Oral Reading Comprehension (GORT 5) Passage Comprehension (WRMT III) DRA 2 Parent/Teacher input

Profile Analysis #1 Unexpected?

YES! Profile Analysis #1 Unexpected? KBIT 2 Teacher/Parent input CoGAT and ITBS scores

Profile Analysis #1 And the verdict is……

Profile Analysis #2 “Kolton” 8 years, 7 months; 2nd grade EOY TPRI deficient Receives Tier 2 intervention Emphasized phonological awareness, letter sound knowledge, decoding, and sight word recognition ADHD diagnosis; medicinal intervention with successful results

Profile Analysis #2 Characteristics? Underlying Causes? Secondary Consequences? Unexpected?

Profile Analysis #2 Characteristics?

Profile Analysis #2

Profile Analysis #2

Profile Analysis #2

Profile Analysis #2

Profile Analysis #2 Underlying Causes?

Profile Analysis #2 Secondary Consequences?

Profile Analysis #2 Unexpected?

Profile Analysis #2 And the verdict is……

Profile Analysis #2 Lessons from Kolton What do you do when a student has the characteristics of dyslexia, but phonological awareness scores are average? Analyze the student’s phonological awareness further! Consider individual subtests—Phonological awareness is only as strong as the weakest skill! If key subsets are low, there is a deficit even if the composite score is average. Look at historical measures of phonological awareness. If there was a weakness, consider how much intervention has taken place to bring up those scores.

Profile Analysis #2 Lessons from Kolton From the Dyslexia Handbook (2014, pg. 22): “Because previous effective instruction in phonological/phonemic awareness may remediate phonological awareness skills in isolation, average phonological awareness scores alone do not rule out dyslexia. Ongoing phonological processing deficits can be exhibited in word reading and/or written spelling.”

Profile Analysis #2 Lessons from Kolton Analyze types of spelling errors, looking for evidence of some phonological errors (when spoken sound is not represented by a phonologically acceptable letter in spelling, i.e. “kist” for “kissed” is phonologically OK, but “kit” reflects the omission of the sound /s/) Administer an alternate phonological awareness measure such as a supplemental subtest from the CTOPP or the Phonological Awareness Test 2 (PAT 2)

Profile Analysis #2 Lessons from Kolton It is not enough to consider your test results alone. You must also consider: Historical skill measurements Historical instruction and interventions Observations from parents and teachers regarding the same skills measured in the assessment

Intermission

Profile Analysis #3 “Katniss” 11 years, 0 months; 5th grade Transferred from a different district mid-year; received accommodations under Section 504 for “reading difficulty”; no cognitive assessment from prior school Low in all areas, no personal strengths evident No growth in DRA during year at current school despite intervention

Profile Analysis #3 Characteristics? Underlying Causes? Secondary Consequences? Unexpected?

Profile Analysis #3 Characteristics?

YES!* Profile Analysis #3 Characteristics? Word reading (WRMT III) Rate and fluency (GORT 5) *…but what’s intact???

Profile Analysis #3 Underlying Causes?

YES!* Profile Analysis #3 Underlying Causes? Phonological awareness (CTOPP) Rapid naming (CTOPP) *…but, with weak PA, how are this student’s decoding and spelling skills in the average range? (see page 2 of profile)

Profile Analysis #3 Secondary Consequences?

YES! Profile Analysis #3 Secondary Consequences? Oral reading comprehension (GORT 5) Passage Comprehension (WRMT III)

Profile Analysis #3 Unexpected?

NO! Profile Analysis #3 Unexpected? Teacher Input Cognitive abilities (KBIT) Listening comprehension (WRMT III)

Profile Analysis #3 And the verdict is……

Learning Targets Brief overview of Dyslexia Components of assessment Profile analysis Things to consider Q & A

Things to Consider Consider the skill, not the score

Things to Consider Consider the skill, not the score Phonological Awareness is only as strong as its weakest subtest—be sure to plot these separately!

Things to Consider Consider the skill, not the score Phonological Awareness is only as strong as its weakest subtest—be sure to plot these separately! The role cognitive ability plays in identification

Things to Consider Consider the skill, not the score Phonological Awareness is only as strong as its weakest subtest—be sure to plot these separately! The role cognitive ability plays in identification Analyze student’s spelling errors for phonological weaknesses and/or errors

Things to Consider Consider the skill, not the score Phonological Awareness is only as strong as its weakest subtest—be sure to plot these separately! The role cognitive ability plays in identification Analyze student’s spelling errors for phonological weaknesses and/or errors The effect targeted intervention can have on skills

Things to Consider Consider the skill, not the score Phonological Awareness is only as strong as its weakest subtest—be sure to plot these separately! The role cognitive ability plays in identification Analyze student’s spelling errors for phonological weaknesses and/or errors The effect targeted intervention can have on skills Profile should reflect data over time, not just one day’s worth

Learning Targets Brief overview of Dyslexia Components of assessment Profile analysis Things to consider Q & A

#1 Take Away What one thing can you take away from today that will directly impact your identification process on your campus?

Credits Texas Dyslexia Handbook, 2014 The Very Basics: School-Based Identification of Dyslexia in Texas, presented by Gladys Kolenovsky, Administrative Director at The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders Beyond the Basics: School-Based Identification of Dyslexia in Texas, presented by Gladys Kolenovsky, Administrative Director at The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders Multisensory Instruction of Basic Language Skills, 3rd. Edition by Judith R. Birch, 2011

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