How to Test for Dyslexia

People with dyslexia face a number of difficulties. Usually, they will struggle with reading and comprehension activities, thus hindering their ability to understand texts. There are several different levels of dyslexia that express how much influence the condition will have on one's reading ability, ranging from mild to more severe and profound types. In this article, we look at the ways in which dyslexia can be tested for, and later, diagnosed.

If you do have a strong suspicion that your child has dyslexia, it's recommended that you follow the common testing procedure. Providing you know what the problem is - be it dyslexia or another form of learning difficulty the young person is experiencing- you can begin taking the correct measures to reduce its impact. Without this knowledge, your child will continue to struggle and is unlikely to flourish at school.

Although most public schools use eligibility tests to see whether children have special educational needs, diagnostic testing for dyslexia is rarely used. One of the problems this creates is that dyslexia rarely shows up as a learning disability - it is not normally this severe - and so young people suffering with it often go ignored.

The best professional to turn for a dyslexia test is not an educational psychologist, but a Dyslexia Testing Specialist. The first step in this process is for the expert to meet with the parents of the child to discuss their complete history: on a genetic and educational scale. From here, they may obtain samples of the student's work to see if there are any clear demonstrations of dyslexic traits.

If, at the end of this short meeting, the specialist thinks there is still a chance of the condition being present, they are likely to progress onto the next stage of the dyslexia test.

Here, they will use a combination of 10 or more testing methods to fully analyze the child's capabilities; dyslexia manifests itself in a unique manner within each sufferer, and so all of these possibilities must be accounted for.

These testing approaches include ones for memory, phonics and reading fluency. Dysgraphia is also accounted for within a dyslexia test, and is the scientific term for copying information - usually from the board. This is relevant because many dyslexics struggle with their handwriting and letter formation, even when it's depicted for them.

Reading is perhaps the biggest stumbling block for students with dyslexia, and so must be examined through tests. It isn't true that those with dyslexia cannot read at all. In fact, they may be able to keep up with their peers until they reach their 8th birthdays, the only difference being that they adopt different strategies to help them read than is usual. It is when developing advanced reading skills that such techniques become ineffective.

These, amongst many others, are some of the most common indications of a student with dyslexia that are widely-used in diagnostic testing. They're all so different, and this accounts for why such methods should be carried out by a trained professional - rather than at home or in school. By being tested and diagnosed, children with dyslexia are given the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives in which their problems cause minimal distress.