Dyslexia Evaluation - International Dyslexia Association

Do I Have Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is very common and up to 20% of people have symptoms of dyslexia. Dyslexia is often referred to as a “hidden disability.” It is not a disease and it cannot be diagnosed in the same way that a medical condition is determined. There is no blood test or medical scan that determines dyslexia and a diagnosis is the determination of a qualified professional. Though commonly considered a childhood disorder, dyslexia can be screened/diagnosed in adults as well.

SCREENING vs. DIAGNOSTIC Assessment

The purpose of screening for dyslexia risk is very different from the purpose of diagnosing dyslexia, but both have value. Regardless of whether you do a screening or a formal diagnostic, the first step toward helping with reading difficulty is to identify areas of struggle.

SCREENING is generally a short, informal test that is used to determine whether further intervention may be needed. Screening for the risk of dyslexia may be undertaken at an early age before school entry. As of 2018-2019 school, the Oregon Department of Education dyslexia legislation (OAR 581-022-2445) requires schools to screen for the risk factors of dyslexia in kindergarten.

DIAGNOSTIC assessment, diagnosis or identification of dyslexia requires a more comprehensive, time-consuming, and (often) expensive evaluation and should only be done and interpreted through the judgment of an experienced and appropriately qualified professional. Also, note that parents will often do both a school evaluation and a private evaluation.

➡ SCREENING RESOURCES for DYSLEXIA

Free Resources for Parents | Self-Assessment

There are a number of free screening tools available to help you determine whether a child has risk factors for dyslexia. If you suspect a child has dyslexia and may need further evaluation, speak with the teacher, special education administrator, and school counselor at the child’s school, consult with a psychologist, or reach out to your state’s International Dyslexia Association branch for assistance.

The International Dyslexia Association has free online screeners for all ages.
Lexercise also offers a free dyslexia screener for general audiences. This program is accredited by IDA.

The following are additional resources that are available, but not accredited by IDA.

Oregon Department of Education List of Approved Dyslexia Screeners
The company Dynaread offers a free online dyslexia test recommended for students ages 7-12. The results can be downloaded as a PDF.
Nessy offers a free online Dyslexia Questionnaire that can help identify a student at risk of dyslexia. A more formal screening test such as Dyslexia Quest application can be used as a follow-up.
Online Reading Tutor’s free apps for Apple devices and Android devices assess a child’s ability to decode (sound out) nonsense words, a key marker of dyslexia.
An easy-to-use questionnaire from LearningAlly.org can help you determine whether language and reading difficulties you’ve observed may be characteristics of dyslexia.

Universal Screening: K–2 Reading

➡ DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT | EVALUATION

A number of professionals have the training and experience to evaluate individuals for dyslexia. They include psychologists (school psychologists, educational psychologists, neuropsychologists), developmental-behavioral pediatricians, child neurologists, reading specialists, and especially in very young children, speech pathologists.

An evaluation will help determine your strengths and weaknesses and determine if dyslexia is involved. The first step should be a good comprehensive assessment of both spoken and written language skills. See Importance of Evaluation by IDA. The person you choose to do this evaluation needs to have expertise in the area of dyslexia. They should test the following areas (per the Testing and Evaluation by IDA)

Background information	Vocabulary knowledge	Review of school records	Decoding
Oral language skills	Spelling	Reading comprehension	Automaticity / Fluency skills
Word recognition	Phonological processing	Intelligence*	Finding a Professional

*Current regulations no longer require that Intelligence be evaluated. This change in the regulations came about because many studies have shown that intelligence is not the best predictor of how easily a student will develop written language (reading and spelling) skills.

You should receive a very thorough report. Once you have this report, you can go back to the school to discuss a review of services and insist it is placed in the student’s educational record. If the testing is done correctly, it is very difficult to repudiate these evaluations.

Per IDA: A comprehensive evaluation typically includes receptive (listening) and expressive language skills, phonological skills including phonemic awareness, and also a student’s ability to rapidly name letters and numbers. A student’s ability to read lists of words in isolation, as well as words in context, should also be assessed. If a profile emerges that is characteristic of readers with dyslexia, an individualized intervention plan should be developed, which should include appropriate accommodations, such as extended time. The testing can be conducted by trained schools or outside specialists. (See the Dyslexia Assessment Fact Sheet for more information.)

…Until Everyone Can Read!

…Until Everyone Can Read!

Do I Have Dyslexia?

SCREENING vs. DIAGNOSTIC Assessment

➡ SCREENING RESOURCES for DYSLEXIA