Educational Dyslexia Assessment

The Educational Dyslexia Assessment is designed to efficiently determine and categorize individual dyslexia in children.  The results enable adults supporting the child to develop an individualized, fully tailored training program in order to thoroughly support the child and their learning needs.

The assessment lasts about 60 minutes and is carried out with the AFS computer test. The acronym AFS refers to the three areas that are tested: Attention, Functions (the senses) and Symptoms. The AFS-test was developed by the Dyslexia Research Center . A long-term study has confirmed the test efficiency and the AFS Methodology.

Who benefits from the Educational Dyslexia Screening Process?

Children who struggle with acquiring and using written language would benefit from a dyslexia assessment. Examples of “red flags” for dyslexia in school-aged children include:

  • Difficulty with reading and spelling.
  • Not retaining words consistently.
  • Not understanding what is being read.
  • Problems converting sounds into symbols
  • Difficulty concentrating and getting easily distracted,
  • History of reading difficulty in the family.
  • Jumbling letters and figures.
  • Leaving letters out of words or putting them in the wrong order.
  • Lack of progress in reading, writing and spelling, when compared to peers.
  • Confusing right and left.
  • Trouble with handwriting.
  • When reading out loud, often misreading, omitting or inserting words.
  • Difficulty learning a foreign language.
  • Issues with sequencing words or ideas.

It is important to note that not all children who exhibit these red flags are eligible for the Educational Dyslexia Assessment Process, which is why an Initial Intake with an expert is also necessary to determine eligibility.

The focus of the Assessment is to understand each child as an individual and to identify strengths and weaknesses. The goal is to produce results that will help to provide the right kind of support the child requires.

Early recognition of dyslexia is very important to prevent negative side effects, such as behavioral problems related to constant demands and lack of understanding (also called secondary dyslexia) and to ensure a minimum waste of time in the learning process.

 

What is assessed during an Educational Dyslexia Assessment?

  • Attention span and age-appropriate functional skills, such as sensory performance (visual and auditory perception and spatial orientation) that is needed for writing, reading or mathematic calculation.
  • A detailed individual error analysis will be executed using handwriting and reading samples. If there are no observations/materials available, a reading and writing test must also be performed. This helps to identify errors that occur due to a different perception from children with dyslexia.

This information will point to gaps in skills that are causing problems, and will also help to establish the degree of difficulty, as well as the exact areas in which the child requires support.

The following three factors are tested during the assessment:

  • The child’s attention decreases temporarily when confronted with writing, reading or symbols.
  • The child’s perception of sensory areas which are needed for reading and writing is skewed.
  • The child produces very strange errors when writing, reading or performing mathematic calculations.

If the assessment shows all three factors to be affected, the child is considered to have dyslexia.

What is not covered by an educational dyslexia screening?

  • Any medical or psychological problems
  • Statements about a child’s intelligence
  • Statements about developmental delays
  • Statements about psychosomatic or psychopathological problems
  • Representations about fine- or gross motor problems
  • Representations about speech or language problems
  • Representations about physical hearing or vision problems
  • Representations about the environment, that surrounds the child

Though this assessment does not cover medical, psychological or developmental issues, if suspicions arise in one or more of these areas, a consultation with another specialist will be recommended.

How are the results presented?

After the assessment a report including recommendations will be provided in a meeting with parents or caregivers

What is the first step?

When you contact us, our Intake Specialist will discuss your needs and concerns with you over the phone. She will then consult with our team of specialists to match you with the most suitable professional to support you and your child. You will then meet with the specialist(s) for an intake meeting, during which they will work with you to determine the most appropriate next steps for your child. The intake meeting usually involves a parent interview, an observation of your child, or a screening activity with your child.