Interpreting test results in regard to dyslexia

[LizzyBee]

I've been debating posting this information here because I got it from a yahoo group, but it was so enlightening to me that I decided to go ahead and post. Maybe it will help someone else. The information was posted by someone who is attended Susan Barton's seminar to become a dyslexia specialist. If you want to see and participate in the conversation, join the Heart of Reading yahoo group; it's a great group that has been very helpful to me in the past couple of years.

 

Anyway, here's the information.

 

In determining how severe a child's dyslexia is, the 3 most important scores are phonological awareness, word retrieval/rapid naming, and memory. All 3 of these are measured by the CTOPP test. Rapid naming in particular is usually severely impacted in kids who have the most severe/profound dyslexia.

 

My dd's progress in the past six months has been amazing. She still has a long way to go - she's not cured, she's not on grade level. But she's not quite 10 and she's reading short chapter books such as Boxcar Children and Magic Tree House. She even likes reading!

 

After looking at her scores, I can understand her progress better. Her phonological awareness was at the 8th percentile on the CTOPP 2.5 years ago. Based on her APD evalulation 6 months ago, her phonological awareness is in the normal range (but there's no percentile listed on the report, so I don't know whether it's low average, high average, or just average). Her auditory memory was at the 1st percentile and visual memory at the 50th percentile on the CTOPP, and working memory was at the 13th percentile on the WISC-IV, and at the 3rd percentile on her SLP's evaluation 2 years ago. I don't know how she'd test on working memory and auditory memory now, but I know without a doubt that it's better than it was. She is very good at memorizing Bible verses and short poems. Her rapid naming score on the CTOPP was at the 65th percentile, so this element of the dyslexia puzzle is not an issue for her.

 

Some things I read about classifying dyslexia according to how far "behind" a child is caused me to conclude that dd would be classified as a severe dyslexic. But since she doesn't have a rapid naming deficit, I think she would probably be more appropriately classified as moderately dyslexic.

 

At the NC dyslexia conference, one of the speakers mentioned that up to 7 chromosomes are involved in dyslexia, and the more chromosomes that are involved, the longer it takes to remediate. In the above referenced yahoo discussion, the poster said that chromosome 15 is the one that is involved in rapid naming. If the rapid naming deficit is caused by a chromosomal defect, it will be difficult if not impossible to remediate. If there are other causes, it may be less difficult to remediate.

 

I wish Susan offered some training closer to me!!!!!!!!! I would love to go to her workshops and begin the process of becoming a certified dyslexia specialist.

Edited June 28, 2011 by LizzyBee

[merry gardens]

Thanks for posting. I don't go over to Heart of Reading very often because I have a hard time navigating that site. (I don't know if it's just my settings or what, but I can't read the thread posts and all the f/u discussion in just one click.)

 

I went and looked at my son's TAPS scores from 3 years ago. It gives phonological and memory scores and comprehension, but I don't see a score for rapid naming on his test results.

 

It's nice to read about your daughter's progress. It sounds like she's really coming along nicely with her reading. :)

[cathmom]

I think it was one of the Rapid Naming subtests where my dd made so many mistakes it couldn't be scored. :tongue_smilie:

[peacefully]

.

[jewell]

Might I ask where you had him tested? University? Private practioner? I know ds has dyslexia but hate to spend over 500 for a test to confirm it for standardized testing! If I had that kind of money, I'd rather buy materials to help him!

[Renee in NC]

I don't have "official" test results that break it down like that for mine, but I know that my 8.5yo has 1st percentile working memory and "disorder of phonological processing". I bet that his Rapid Naming would be extremely low as well.

 

:001_unsure:

[*~Tina~*]

Might I ask where you had him tested? University? Private practioner? I know ds has dyslexia but hate to spend over 500 for a test to confirm it for standardized testing! If I had that kind of money, I'd rather buy materials to help him!

 

I understand what you're saying. I've given that thought myself over the years when talking to parents with limited funds, however, as someone who does reading assessments I can tell you that the information obtained during testing (if you have someone who understands dyslexia and knows how to interpret the tests they give!) can be quite helpful in pinpointing specific weaknesses and strengths so that you can better target instruction.

[myboyluvsdinos]

I belong to the Heart of Reading group, too. I agree, it's great!

 

My ds, who is 11 and just finished level 8 of Barton, is severely dyslexic. However, in preschool he did a rapid naming of colors test. Not sure if this is the same test, but it sounds like it must do the same thing. Out of 200 kids, he had the best score. However, he definitely has expressive language problems -- word retrieval and also how to organize his speech.

 

He now tests above the 90% percentile on reading on the IOWA, however I had a certified Barton tester test him last summer, and he was well into the severe dyslexic range. His spelling is still really rough, and his writing is a major problem.

 

Also, his working memory and processing speed are low, as well. I think each child is going to have a unique collection of strengths and weaknesses. My instinct is that just because they are doing decently in one area (rapid naming for my guy), doesn't rule out that they are not still severe -- it may just show up more in other areas. Obviously I haven't heard this anywhere -- it's just based on my experiences.

 

I'm so glad to have found this board, too, to share these things. Thanks!

 

Carolyn

[cathmom]

I understand what you're saying. I've given that thought myself over the years when talking to parents with limited funds, however, as someone who does reading assessments I can tell you that the information obtained during testing (if you have someone who understands dyslexia and knows how to interpret the tests they give!) can be quite helpful in pinpointing specific weaknesses and strengths so that you can better target instruction.

 

I agree - I knew that my dd had dyslexia from age 6 on, but didn't have her tested until age 12. I ****wish**** I had done it earlier!!! The info was invaluable, and we got tutoring afterwards that really helped her. In my naivete, I thought dyslexia just meant it was hard to learn to read, and once she could read it wouldn't bother her anymore. :tongue_smilie:

[cathmom]

Also, his working memory and processing speed are low, as well. I think each child is going to have a unique collection of strengths and weaknesses. My instinct is that just because they are doing decently in one area (rapid naming for my guy), doesn't rule out that they are not still severe -- it may just show up more in other areas. Obviously I haven't heard this anywhere -- it's just based on my experiences.

 

I'm so glad to have found this board, too, to share these things. Thanks!

 

Carolyn

 

I agree - my dd has very strong auditory skills - she can imitate any accent and remembers what she hears. One of her subtests was repeating nonsense words, and I think she got them all right. Reading nonsense words, however, she only got 3 of 27 right. Her auditory skills make it so that she isn't severely hampered by her dyslexia.

 

I have another dc whom I am about to have tested. He is almost 8 and I think he has mild dyslexia. However, he has a LOT of trouble repeating things back, constantly getting syllables mixed up in longer words. So within one family each dc can have different strengths and weaknesses.

Edited June 28, 2011 by cathmom
correcting numbers

[cathmom]

I think it was one of the Rapid Naming subtests where my dd made so many mistakes it couldn't be scored. :tongue_smilie:

 

Just looked it up - it was Rapid Letter Naming. She did fine on colors and numbers though.

[LizzyBee]

I belong to the Heart of Reading group, too. I agree, it's great!

 

My ds, who is 11 and just finished level 8 of Barton, is severely dyslexic. However, in preschool he did a rapid naming of colors test. Not sure if this is the same test, but it sounds like it must do the same thing. Out of 200 kids, he had the best score. However, he definitely has expressive language problems -- word retrieval and also how to organize his speech.

 

He now tests above the 90% percentile on reading on the IOWA, however I had a certified Barton tester test him last summer, and he was well into the severe dyslexic range. His spelling is still really rough, and his writing is a major problem.

 

Also, his working memory and processing speed are low, as well. I think each child is going to have a unique collection of strengths and weaknesses. My instinct is that just because they are doing decently in one area (rapid naming for my guy), doesn't rule out that they are not still severe -- it may just show up more in other areas. Obviously I haven't heard this anywhere -- it's just based on my experiences.

 

I'm so glad to have found this board, too, to share these things. Thanks!

 

Carolyn

 

Very good point. A severe rapid naming deficit in conjunction with phonological and memory deficits may point to the probability of severe dyslexia that may never be fully remediated, but I should be careful not to draw too many inferences from that. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. :tongue_smilie:

 

I'd love to send my dd's test scores to Susan and ask her for some feedback. My dd is doing great.... and yet, listening to her read out loud, oh my, she still needs so much work. I've seen comments on HOR that an intensive program like Barton is crucial for severe dyslexics, while kids with mild/moderate dyslexia may be able to get by with a less intense OG program. Well, we've been doing Barton for 2 years, and we're not even halfway through level 4. It's still very hard work for my dd. Does that mean her dyslexia is severe? Knowing exactly where to classify her doesn't change anything about our daily routine, but I'm one of those people that wants to know how to think about her LDs accurately. Maybe that's my Type A personality showing. :D

[LizzyBee]

Just looked it up - it was Rapid Letter Naming. She did fine on colors and numbers though.

 

I should pull my dd's report out again and see if she got separate scores for colors, numbers, and letters. I don't remember her having trouble learning colors, but she was late learning numbers and letters.

[LizzyBee]

I'm going to have to look through my files again for ds's scores. I only vaguely recall that his working memory tests were low and that his phonological awareness scores were quite high. I have no idea whether he had a rapid naming test, but I can say that he would have done badly on it. One of his quirks is that he has enormous difficulty finding the word that he wants to say, even though his vocabulary scores are also very high. This is so interesting to me, because dyslexia was ruled out when ds was evaluated (and he is a strong reader and speller, so clearly not dyslexic), but he has two of the three deficits that you are listing here.

 

LizzyBee, I always love reading what you have to say about dyslexia. I don't know what certification it is that you are talking about, but you are a dyslexia specialist in my book. :) Thanks so much for posting. I learn so much from you. I'm going to trot off to HOR to see if I can find the original post.

 

Thanks, yllek! But you're giving me too much credit. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know!

[jewell]

I understand what you are saying. I have a dd who is graduating this year w. NVLD, dysnomia, cognitive disorder, word finding issues. So I know tests can be, at times, helpful. I think I've pinpointed some of his issues due to All About Spelling and my previous experiences.

Sadly, we moved and the wonderful Center for disability and development at the U of IA is no longer available to me....Any hints on how to "shop" for a tester who will give good interpretation as well as specific recommendations without taking me to the cleaner? Or would it be cheaper to get certified myself? (just kidding)

Monique

[LizzyBee]

I understand what you are saying. I have a dd who is graduating this year w. NVLD, dysnomia, cognitive disorder, word finding issues. So I know tests can be, at times, helpful. I think I've pinpointed some of his issues due to All About Spelling and my previous experiences.

Sadly, we moved and the wonderful Center for disability and development at the U of IA is no longer available to me....Any hints on how to "shop" for a tester who will give good interpretation as well as specific recommendations without taking me to the cleaner? Or would it be cheaper to get certified myself? (just kidding)

Monique

 

I had my daughters tested at the Psychoeducational Clinic at our local university. We had a very good experience there. Our EdPsych used to work at the All Kinds of Minds clinic. If you have a university nearby, you might check to see if they have a clinic that does educational testing. Otherwise, your best bet is to ask around locally to see if you can find an EdPsych or NeuroPsych who is well regarded. Do you have a local homeschool loop where you could post an inquiry?

[myboyluvsdinos]

This is slightly off topic...

 

But I find it interesting how people classify their dc's dyslexia. I so often read boards/emails about a child who is reading several grades below their grade, and their parents say they have mild dyslexia. I'm really not sure where they get that -- maybe they've had testing and were told it was mild? (I'm not talking about this thread or board -- just general stuff I've read on the web.)

 

Maybe it doesn't really matter what they are classified as, as long as we have figured out that particular child's weak areas and have found a way to remediate them?

 

I keep wondering about my youngest ds, who was also diagnosed with dyslexia. He was diagnosed by a certified Barton tester, who found him more in the mild - moderate range at age 6. He's now 7, and sometimes it's really hard to even see the dyslexia. But other days, it's more apparent. I guess it really doesn't matter though. We have programs that are working for him, and he's learning and succeeding, so that's all I can ask for!

 

My older ds is definitely severe (according to the testing, which occurred three years after we started Barton). But again, if I keep plugging away with finding the right interventions, guess it doesn't really matter. My current struggles are figuring out how to get his writing up to par (his reading is quite good, now, although spelling is still a problem). I am now using Landmark School's teacher's manuals for that task, as IEW was a bit too challenging for him.

 

Sorry, think I'm now rambling...:)

Edited June 29, 2011 by myboyluvsdinos

[merry gardens]

I agree - I knew that my dd had dyslexia from age 6 on, but didn't have her tested until age 12. I ****wish**** I had done it earlier!!! The info was invaluable, and we got tutoring afterwards that really helped her. In my naivete, I thought dyslexia just meant it was hard to learn to read, and once she could read it wouldn't bother her anymore. :tongue_smilie:

I wish that I had known earlier the right questions to ask and how to find someone who could give me the right answers. When I first put the word "dyslexia" onto what was probably going on with my son, I didn't know what questions to ask or who to ask.

 

The school district was unhelpful when I had taken my son for a speech exam back when he was four or five, so I didn't even bother with them when reading problems showed up. The second slp that we eventually saw when he was 7 specialized in autism, not dyslexia. The pediatric audiologist only tested tones, and didn't even address the phonemic awareness problems that had caused the slp to refer us to the audiologist in the first place. The "dyslexia specialist" I called told me he could test him but said my son was still young and didn't recommend it. Just as well---it probably saved me a few thousand dollars by not having that person test my son. The method that person used for teaching dyslexic people to read doesn't pay much attention to the auditory processing portion, and I doubt that he would have tested the things we're discussing here.