Dyslexia Testing or Screening

If your child has been struggling in school and you strongly suspect dyslexia (see links below), you need to find out for sure so that your child can get the right kind of help and documentation for accommodations.  Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done.  Do not lose heart, though, because it is completely worth it.

Every school, state, and situation is different, but I can give you some general information to help you navigate the process.

First, let's clarify a couple of terms.

• The term testing can only be used if the evaluation is being done by a licensed psychologist.  A testing report should be accepted at any school, public or private.
• The term screening is used if the evaluation is being done by a trained screener.  Private schools will usually accept screening reports, but public schools will not.  

Every state has different regulations when it comes to dyslexia.  Here is a link to a list of current (as of April 2018) dyslexia laws by state.  The differences from state to state are surprising and disappointing.  Some states have nothing.  Public schools in these states will not test for dyslexia and might not even be allowed to say the word "dyslexia."  However, some states have mandatory screening in the younger grades.  In that case, the at-risk students will likely be found early and given the right intervention.  

Assuming that you are not in a situation where the school discovered and confirmed dyslexia already, if your child is struggling in public school, you can request an evaluation, and they are required to take action.  Depending on where you live, the school may or may not call it dyslexia, and the child may or may not qualify for special education services.  Public schools have a lot of red tape, and sometimes their hands are tied by it.  If your gut is telling you something is wrong, do not give up.  

If you are not satisfied with the school's report, or your child goes to a school that does not offer evaluations for learning issues, you can seek private testing from a licensed professional, most likely a neuropsychologist or an educational psychologist.  Look for one that knows about dyslexia.  Pediatricians do not do this kind of testing, but they might be able to refer you to one in your area.  Sometimes health insurance covers psycho-educational testing.  I have seen all levels of coverage from 0 to 100%, so it is worth looking into.  Give the psychologist's office a call and ask for the code and then contact your insurance company to find out if they cover it.  Also, I have heard of circumstances where public schools will pay for outside testing.  As I mentioned earlier, things really vary from state to state.  

Another option is dyslexia screening.  This would be done by a therapist or specialist in a school or tutoring center, or even a private tutor who has the proper training.  Public schools will not accept an outside screening report, but most private schools will.  Check with your school to see what type of documentation they require for accommodations.  Private screening is not covered by health insurance.  If health insurance covers testing, go that route.  If it does not, and you intend on keeping your child in private school, screening may be the less expensive option.

Signs of Dyslexia Posts (Part1) (Part 2)

Click here to watch a video of this post.

Basic Steps for Getting Dyslexia Help

Your child is struggling and you suspect dyslexia, but you don't know where to even start.  These 3 basic steps should get you on the right track.

1.  Get testing or screening.

• If your child goes to school, this documentation will be required for any special help or accommodations.  Find out what the procedure is for this at your school, as it can vary greatly from school to school.  Your child's school may or may not have someone who does this. 
• Depending on what state you live in, the school may not be able to name dyslexia, and your child may or may not qualify for special education services. 
• You may have to seek private psychoeducational testing, which should be accepted at all schools. 
• Private schools may accept a report from a dyslexia screener, but public schools will not. 
• Testing or screening is optional for homeschoolers, but parents may want to get confirmation of dyslexia so that they will know what kind of help their child needs. 

2.  Get the right kind of help. 

• Research has shown evidence that students who have dyslexia respond to a certain kind of reading and spelling instruction.  This is presently known as "structured literacy," but whatever program is used, you should look for words like explicit, multisensory, sequential, cumulative, systematic, individualized, diagnostic, and Orton-Gillingham based. 
• Public School:  You may or may not get the right kind of instruction in the public school from a reading specialist or special education teacher.  It really depends on what program they have been given to use and if they have been properly trained to use it. 
• Private Tutor:  Make sure the tutor you hire is knowledgeable about dyslexia and has training in structured literacy, as described in the first bullet point.
• Parent-as-Tutor/Homeschool:  There are programs designed for parents to tutor their own children, and they include the training the parent will need.  Some parents find it difficult to work with their own child, but it is an option worth considering. 

3.  Seek accommodations.

• Public School:  Follow procedure for your school.  If your child qualified for special education services, a team will probably put together an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), and this will include accommodations. If your child did not qualify for special education services, but you have documentation of need, your child should still be able to get accommodations, and a 504 Plan should be written.  This is basically an agreement of the accommodations.
• Private School: Though it may not be called by the same name, private schools can (and should) write 504 Plans. 
• Homeschool:  Learn about the accommodations that dyslexic students generally use and use them!

I will go into greater depth in future posts/videos, but this gives you an overview of the process.  It can all be very overwhelming, but knowledge is power!  Become an expert!  Educate yourself on the procedures at your child's school as well as everything about dyslexia.  The more you know, the better you will be able to advocate for your child. 

To watch a YouTube video of this post, click here.

Signs of Dyslexia: Part 2, High School and Adults

This is the second of a two-part series about the signs of dyslexia.  The first went into the signs in preschool and elementary, and this one is about signs in high school and adulthood.  Dyslexia affects different people in different ways, and different ways at different ages.  Dyslexia also ranges in severity from mild to profound. 


Dyslexia is hereditary.  If you see signs in yourself, watch for signs in your children.  The earlier a child can get help, the better, but it is never too late to get help.  Even if a child has grown past the time of getting reading and spelling help, testing is still worth doing because accommodations alone can be extremely helpful, even in college. 


Signs in high school students:

• Signs listed for preschool and elementary
• Low grades in many classes
• Poor reading comprehension
• Poor vocabulary
• Big difference between verbal and written skills
• Difficulty learning a foreign language
• Difficulty reading music

Signs in adults:

• Had the above experience in school
• Still confuses left and right
• Reads slowly, and may have to read a page several times to understand it
• Avoids reading aloud
• Often misspells words
• Avoids written communication, such as text or email, may proofread it many times before sending
• Still mixes up letters or numbers occasionally
• Signs are worse when tired

Do you see any of these signs in someone you know?  Or maybe even you? 


To watch the video for this post, click here. 

To watch the video for Signs of Dyslexia: Part 1, Preschool and Elementary, click here.

To read the blog post for Signs of Dyslexia: Part 1, Preschool and Adults, click here.

Signs of Dyslexia: Part 1, Preschool and Elementary

Before I started my YouTube channel, I asked my Facebook friends what they would like to know about dyslexia.  The most commonly asked question was "What are the symptoms/signs/warning signs of dyslexia?"  So, I knew it had to be one of my first videos. 

When I gathered all the signs together, there were so many that I decided to make it a two-part series.  The first video is about signs in preschool and elementary school, and the second video will be about signs in high school students and adults.  Even if your child is young, you will want to learn about the signs in adults because dyslexia is hereditary.  If you are on the fence about your child, but you know that you or your spouse shows adult signs of dyslexia, there is a good chance that your child also has it. 

Dyslexia affects different people in different ways, and different ways at different ages.  Dyslexia also ranges in severity from mild to profound.  If your child has a number of these signs, you may want to seek testing. 

Signs in Preschool (You may not notice these things at the time, but looking back, you realize they were early signs.):

• Difficulty learning letter names and sounds
• Mixing up parts of words ("aminal" for "animal" or "pusketti" for "spaghetti", etc.)
• Late establishing a dominant hand
• Can't rhyme
• Trouble memorizing things, such as address and phone number

Signs in Elementary School:

• Slow, inaccurate reading
• Ignores small words (in, at, to)
• Mixes up words (for/from, what/that, where/there)
• Starts a word correctly and guesses on the rest
• Mixes up letters (b/d, b/p, p/q, n/u, m/n, e/i, etc.) after first grade
• Terrible spelling (may do OK on a spelling test, but look at something the child wrote without help)
• Hard time retrieving words they want to use
• Dysgraphia (difficulty with writing-may be messy, odd/tight pencil grip, pressing hard on the paper, odd letter formations, trouble getting thoughts down on paper)
• Difficulty reading and spelling high frequency words
• Difficulty copying (near- or far-point)
• Difficulty with math (multiplication facts, telling time, word problems, steps for solving problems, greater than/less than)
• Mixes up left and right
• Messy bedroom, bookbag, and desk
• Homework battles
• Dreads school, may even feel sick
• Child calls him/herself stupid

Everyone does these things from time to time, but if you kept shaking your head in agreement because this was describing your child, your student, or maybe even you, it could be dyslexia. 

To watch the video, click here.

For signs of dyslexia in high school and adults, click here.

7 Myths About Dyslexia

Despite the fact that there is plenty of information readily available online, there are many myths floating around out there.  Let's separate myth from fact! 




Myth #1:  Dyslexia is rare. 

• Nope!  Depending on which statistics you look at, between 1 in 5 and 1 in 10 people have dyslexia.  That is 10-20% of the population!  If you are a teacher, you have dyslexic students in your class.  Everyone knows someone who is dyslexic.  Also, it is equally common between boys and girls, but for some reason, boys are more likely to be referred for testing. 

Myth #2:  Dyslexic people see things backwards.

• Nope!  It is not a vision problem.  They do reverse letters (and sometimes numbers) , but that is because of how their brain processes them.  Since it is not a vision problem, colored lenses or overlays will not help dyslexia alone. 

Myth #3:  You can grow out of dyslexia.

• Nope!  You are born with it, and you do not grow out of it.  You do develop ways of coping with it. 

Myth #4:  Reading more will help.

• Nope!  Teachers often encourage poor readers to read more, but practicing at guessing will only produce more guessing.  After a student has received the right kind of reading instruction, then practicing WILL help. 

Myth #5:  If a child can pass a spelling test, or are doing well in school, they can't be dyslexic.

• Nope!  How long did that child have to study to pass the spelling test?  Can they spell those words the next week?  Some children (and parents) are extremely driven and spend many hours studying spelling.  They will do well or die trying.  Try taking a writing sample without help from an adult and check the spelling. 

Myth #6:  Dyslexia is just laziness or lack of effort or lack of intelligence. 

• Nope!  The truth is that most people with dyslexia have average or above average intelligence.  The truth is that they have been trying so hard for so long and still failing that they appear to have given up or not to care. 

Myth #7:  You have to wait until age 8 to screen or test for dyslexia.

• Nope!  You can test as early as 5.5 years old. 

Had you heard any of these myths?  Did any of these surprise you?




Click here to watch the video.