Assessment of Learners with Dyslexic-Type Difficulties

Sylvia Phillips, Kathleen Kelly

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781526451415
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Didattica
• Subtopic: Difficoltà di apprendimento

Reinforcing best practice techniques, the second edition of this specialist guide for the assessment of learners with dyslexic-type difficulties includes:

- a new chapter on The Implications of Co-existing Specific Learning Difficulties

- updates to legislation including the SEND Code of Practice

- updates to specific diagnostic tests

- examples of interpreting test profiles

- photocopiable resources available to download from the website

This comprehensive guide enables teachers to understand a range of approaches to the assessment of children with dyslexic-type difficulties. It is an essential companion for those training to be specialist teachers of learners with dyslexia and a useful resource for all SENCOs, and teachers new or experienced.

Part I Dyslexic-Type Difficulties And Assessment: Setting The Context

The first four chapters of the book provide an overview of the need to identify and assess the learning difficulties associated with dyslexia. Attention is drawn to the fact that many learners present similar characteristics and will benefit from detailed assessment of their strengths and weaknesses in order to teach and support them more appropriately so that they may be successful in school. The first chapter provides a brief overview of the nature of dyslexia together with theories of causation. This is used as the basis for proposing the areas of assessment. The second chapter considers co-existing specific learning difficulties presenting some associated characteristics of strengths and weaknesses. The third chapter summarises some of the main purposes and types of assessment, considers models of learning difficulties including neurodiversity, and proposes a framework for the assessment process. This forms the basis for the rest of the book and applies to a process that may depend wholly on informal or formal assessment – or, more usually, involve a combination of both. Finally, the fourth chapter summarises the main aspects of legislation and policy that affect the assessment of children and young people experiencing difficulties in learning.

Chapter 1 Dyslexic-Type Difficulties: Implications For Assessment

Chapter Overview

This chapter will enable the reader to:

• understand the relationship between general and specific learning difficulties/dyslexia;
• consider theories and research which inform the identification and assessment of literacy and numeracy difficulties in order to develop appropriate intervention.

The provisional Key Stage 2 results in 2017 (DfE) showed 71% of children performed at the expected standard in reading, 75% in mathematics and 77% in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Although in all cases there was an increase from the previous year a considerable number of children are not meeting the standards. These include pupils with specific learning difficulty (dyslexia) and those who experience general learning difficulties. We have used ‘dyslexic-type difficulties’ as an umbrella term to describe the many common characteristics they present. However, it is important to consider individual cognitive profiles in order to determine appropriate intervention and support. This chapter focuses on considering and justifying which characteristics and skills should and can be assessed by teachers. The emphasis is on literacy because of the increasing need to ‘read to learn’ as a child progresses through school.

Any pupil who is experiencing difficulties in learning (i.e. not making the same progress as most of his/her peers) should not only be closely monitored but their needs should be identified and assessed so that intervention can be put in place before those difficulties become entrenched. It is essential also that assessment identifies not only strengths but also potential barriers to learning. This is true for both literacy and mathematics, as Chinn (2017) points out. Difficulties in mathematics and numeracy are only briefly mentioned here but expanded on in two dedicated chapters in Parts III and IV of this book.

Characteristics of Difficulties in Literacy and Numeracy

Difficulties in literacy

Literacy difficulties are typically characterised by poor decoding skills resulting in slow and often inaccurate reading which may lead to poor reading comprehension. There is much overlap between the difficulties in decoding often noted in learners with dyslexia (for example poor letter-sound knowledge, omission of letters or syllables when reading, losing place in reading, difficulty in skimming and scanning texts for information) and those experienced by other learners with literacy difficulties. It is a fact that many children present similar characteristics and difficulties but their underlying needs may be very different and therefore require different forms of intervention.

Rose (2006) in his review of literacy teaching in England advised the adoption of the Simple View of Reading (SVoR) model (Gough and Tunmer, 1986) as a framework for the development of literacy. This model is discussed further in Chapter 7. It emphasises that ‘Reading’ implies reading for meaning, i.e. reading comprehension, which is the product of two dimensions: decoding skills and language/listening comprehension. This is useful in offering an explanation of some of the differences among learners with reading difficulties, accounting for ‘good’ or skilled readers (with good decoding skills and language comprehension) and suggesting three broad groups of ‘poor’ readers:

• those with poor decoding skills but good language comprehension who can understand a text if it is read to them (most learners with dyslexia are in this group);
• those who can decode, i.e. read the text aloud, but without understanding (sometimes this is found in learners with English as an Additional Language (EAL), especially in the early stages of English language acquisition; it can sometimes be observed in children with autistic spectrum conditions and those with severe learning difficulties; it may be observed also in some learners who have weaknesses in both dimensions but whose decoding skills have improved by targeted teaching although their comprehension remains poor);
• those who have both poor decoding skills and poor language comprehension (they often have other learning difficulties).

It is important to recognise that the model suggests that each dimension represents a range from good to poor and therefore there will be a variety of individual differences. However, it provides a clear framework for assessing two aspects of reading difficulties, as discussed in Chapter 7. It points also to a need to assess listening/language comprehension as well as reading comprehension.

Difficulties in numeracy

If we apply a similar framework to the development of numeracy skills, we can examine possible strengths and difficulties in mathematics. Mathematical ability could be seen as a product of:

• computational skills (number fact knowledge, speed of working, sequential skills); and
• conceptual understanding (ability to reason, see relationships and generalise).

This suggests:

• some learners may have relatively good conceptual understanding but weaknesses in computational skills due to difficulty in learning and retrieving number facts, slow processing speed or confusion with directionality (learners with dyslexia may exhibit this profile). If they have a flexible approach to mathematics, they may be able to develop strategies to support weak number fact knowledge;
• some may have poor conceptual understanding but may master the four basic rules even if they are unsure of their application;
• some others may have poor conceptual understanding (this includes children with dyscalculia and those with general learning difficulties) and may also struggle with computation.

For further details of the characteristics of learners with dyscalculia and other mathematics-related difficulties see Chapter 12.

Who are the learners who experience difficulties?

Those most ‘at risk’ (in England) are children who start school with:

• limited exposure to the English language – this includes many children where English is not spoken in the home (and for whom English is an Additional Language), but it also includes a high proportion of children whose first language is English but who have had a limited range of experiences and opportunities to learn to use a wide range of English expressions, often resulting in poor oral language skills and, in particular...