DYSLEXIA ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL 2019-1-LV01-KA201-060355
FOREWORD Dyslexia affects between 15-20% of the population, making it the most commonly diagnosed learning disability. Although dyslexia has a strong impact on many students, it remains one of the least understood disabilities. Not many people know that dyslexia is brain-based. Brain imaging studies1 show clear differences between the brains of people with and without dyslexia. These differences occur in the areas of the brain responsible for key reading skills. In people with dyslexia, the areas of the brain responsible for reading may work differently from people who do not have this difficulty. The key features of dyslexia are that people with this disability have problems with phonological processing, spelling and/or rapid naming. They lack reading fluency, as evidenced by slow, inaccurate or slurred oral reading. Phonological processing difficulty means the inability to effectively decode letters into compound sounds to form words. A fundamental phonological processing problem can block access to other more advanced aspects of reading, such as word identification and comprehension. Difficulties with spelling stem from an inability to write efficiently from memory the letters that make up words. In this case, an increase in the time it takes to spell words, as well as spelling mistakes may be noticeable. Difficulty in rapid naming may be evident when it is increasingly difficult to quickly retrieve speech sounds and the correct letter order patterns needed to read and write efficiently. Facts about dyslexia a) Dyslexia affects the areas of the brain associated with detecting and processing speech sounds and their corresponding letters. These connections between letters and sounds are fundamental to reading. Reading development is impaired when those areas of the brain do not function effectively to make these connections. b) Dyslexia can be inherited. It has environmental and genetic contributions. If a child has a family member with some form of dyslexia, the chances of them being affected by the disorder increase exponentially. c) Dyslexia is invisible. Identification of this disorder requires evaluation and assessment. It is difficult to identify students with dyslexia on the surface. Often, lack of effort and avoidance of the reading task may actually hide fatigue due to difficulties in processing information differently from their peers. d) Dyslexia has varying levels of severity. Difficulties due to dyslexia can range on a scale from mild to very severe. Mildly affected students may compensate for their inability to 1
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20417459/
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