PPT 8

Question 1

Reading Disorders

Answer 1

Dyslexia - Impaired basic literacy skills (inaccurate single word reading, poor fluency and spelling)

Poor comprehenders - normal single word readers but impaired reading comprehension (broader language processing problems)

Question 2

Dyslexia

Answer 2

Found across languages including logographic languages (e.g., Chinese)

More severe in alphabetic languages that have inconsistent mapping of letters to sounds (English) than those that have consistent mapping (Spanish, Italian)

Predictors: phoneme awareness, rapid serial naming, vocabulary, verbal short term memory

Question 3

Diagnosis Discrepancy Model

Answer 3

Ability vs. Achievement

Question 4

Tests

Answer 4

Battery of tests are necessary so that comparisons can be made between tests that generally are not as affected by dyslexia to those that are tapping common weaknesses in dyslexia (reading accuracy, fluency, spelling) and associated cognitive difficulties (phonological awareness, rapid naming, nonverbal precessing speed, verbal short term memory, vocabulary)

However, there is no characteristic deficit or profile that can be used to rule in or rule out diagnosis. Be alert to the patterns that are inherent to dyslexia

Question 5

Achievement Tests

Question 6

Woodcock-Johnson IV

Answer 6

Tests of:

Cognitive Abilities
Achievement
Oral Language

Question 7

Woodcock-Johnson IV Test of Cognitive Ability

Answer 7

Measure of aptitude or IQ

Question 8

Woodcock-Johnson IV Achievement vs. Oral Language Tests

Answer 8

Achievement focuses on written skills

Oral Language focuses on oral skills

Question 9

Woodcock-Johnson IV Oral Language Tests

Answer 9

Assesses important oral language abilities

Question 10

Woodcock-Johnson IV Achievement Test

Answer 10

Italicized

11 Standard Battery Subtests
9 Extended Battery Subtests

Question 11

Terminology

Answer 11

AE/GE

SS - Standard score (mean=100, SD=15)

Rest are Italicized

Question 12

Focal Reading Tests

Answer 12

Gray Oral Reading Test (GORT-5)

Nelson Denny Reading Test

Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP-2)

Florida Nonsense Passages

Question 13

Diagnosis PSW

Answer 13

Dependent on convergent data from HOT

Key Sx: difficulties learning to read & spell generally apparent from beginning of formal literacy instructions

Virtually all with dyslexia have difficulty:
- Reading aloud
- Learning phonics

Question 14

History

Answer 14

Three aspects of history particularly informative:
1. Family history
2. School history
3. Reading and language history

Question 15

Observations

Answer 15

Often report not liking reading or embarrassed or reluctant to read aloud

Pay attention to what is most difficult:
- More difficulty on timed tests than untimed test of word, nonword, and paragraph level reading (sensitive to dyslexia)

**Analysis of specific reading and spelling errors

Question 16

Error Analysis

Answer 16

1. Disfluency
2. Errors on functional words (little words)
3. Visual errors
4. Lexicalizations
5. Spelling errors
6. Reversal errors
7. Unusually quiet because of word finding problems

Question 17

1. Dysfluency

Answer 17

Slow and halting in oral reading (especially with younger readers; old readers may have over learned vocabulary)

Question 18

2. Errors on functional words (little words)

Answer 18

Misread “a,” “the,” and prepositions because working hard to decode and relying on context so miss the little words (can be puzzling to parents)

Question 19

3. Visual errors

Answer 19

Whole-world guesses based on visual similarity to target words (e.g., tired for tried). Using visual similarity rather than phonological coding

Question 20

4. Lexicalizations

Answer 20

Reading a nonword as a visual similar real word (e.g., clip for clup)

Because weak phonetics skills, they use similarity in word recognition

Question 21

5. Spelling errors

Answer 21

Dysphonetic errors, especially consonants added, omitted or substituted (e.g., exetive for executive)

Question 22

6. Reversal errors

Answer 22

But the occurrence in dyslexia is low and those without dyslexia make reversal errors

Also, so not diagnostic

But in age 9 and over reversals have diagnostic significance

Most commonly b and d confusion

Question 23

Heterotypic Continuity

Answer 23

Early years manifests as differences in speech perception and babbling

Then vocabulary and syntax

Later phonemic awareness

Beginnings of Dyslexia occur very early, perhaps prenatally

But early signs do not have enough sensitivity and specificity to diagnose individuals prior to formal literacy instruction

Tasks emphasizing speed become increasingly important diagnostically as literacy development progresses

Question 24

Etiology

Answer 24

Dyslexia is the intersection of an evolved behavior (language) and a cultural invention (literacy)

Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to dyslexia

Question 25

Environment

Answer 25

Training parents in home literacy activities promotes child vocabulary and early reading skills, but it is unknown if these gains are maintained beyond beginning stages of literacy

Question 26

Screening and Assessing

Answer 26

Screen for emotional issues (often comorbid due to the struggles endured with dyslexia)

Assess for exclusionary conditions (e.g., sensory deficits)

Assess for comorbid conditions (e.g., ADHD, math)

Question 27

Treatment for Dyslexia (Younger people)

Answer 27

The earlier the better! - Identification, prevention, and treatment

Early years:
1. One-on-one intervention or small groups

2. Intensive, explicit phoneme awareness instruction (*most important) - you can’t teach around it. May also include training in segmental language skills
3. Also, supported reading with increasingly difficult text, writing exercises, comprehension strategies

Explicit instruction is important because those with dyslexia may not pick up what normal readers can infer

Later elementary, normally transitioning “from learning to read to reading to learn”

Question 28

Treatment for Dyslexia (Older people)

Answer 28

Older people with dyslexia may need help with reading comprehension and study skills

Spelling problems appear less remediable than reading
- Better to use compensatory devices such as spell-check

Understanding the difficulty having dyslexia is critical for parents, teachers
- Otherwise labeled lazy or stupid & may believe it
- Helpful if parents provide success experiences in areas of strengths

Question 29

Outcome

Answer 29

Generally, people with dyslexia CAN learn to read well, but learn more slowly

Question 30

Accomodations

Answer 30

Extra time on tests (time and a half)

Marking but not downgrading spelling errors (use spell check)

Excused from foreign language requirements

Oral exams for severe dyslexia

Question 31

Transitions

Answer 31

Transitions from HS to college and college to employment should be planned and not taken for granted

Help build study skills and ease into college

LD increases risk for psychosocial difficulties
- Low self esteem
- Counseling can be important (especially for adults with LD)

Question 32

Memory

Answer 32

Multiple Memory Systems
- Explicit (>Declarative memory)

• Implicit (>Procedural memory)

Infants learn extremely quickly-but mainly implicit learning

Question 33

Cornerstone

Answer 33

Memory is the cornerstone of cognitive function

Memory is intertwined with all aspects of normal cognition

Memento (bold and italics)

Attention and concentration are prerequisite to memory

Question 34

Measures of Memory

Answer 34

• Wechsler Memory Scale-IV
• Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test
• California Verbal Learning Test
• Selective Reminding Test
• Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Design
• Benton Visual Retention Test
• Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL)
  Etc., etc.

Question 35

Memory Problems

Answer 35

Anterograde amnesia (unable to make new memories)

Retrograde amnesia (unable to recall past memories)