Child Psychology and Psychiatry

Figure 22.1
Steps in the early identification and assessment of literacy disorders: a staged process.
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Literacy disorders
Table 22.2
Components of a comprehensive diagnostic assessment for reading
disorders.
Construct
Test
Reading
Single word reading
Nonword reading (decoding)
Reading fluency (single words and continuous text)
Prose reading accuracy
Reading comprehension (literal and inferential)
Spelling
Single word spelling
Spelling in free writing
Writing
Written narrative (structure and organization)
Writing speed
Quality analysis of handwriting
Mathematics
Mental arithmetic
Mathematical reasoning
Written arithmetic
Phonological skills
Phonological awareness
Rapid naming
Verbal working memory
Verbal short-term memory span
Nonword repetition
Language skills
Sentence repetition
Grammar and morphology
will be equally impaired in a given child (see
Table 22.2). For the child with suspected dyslexia,
the nature of the child’s underlying difficulty
can be assessed using measures of phonological
awareness, short-term verbal memory, rapid
naming and decoding (nonword reading). For the
child with reading comprehension difficulties, it
is important to evaluate their oral language skills
and text comprehension strategies. Finally, in view
of the common co-occurrence of developmental
disorders, the assessment needs to determine
which particular additional difficulties the child
might have that will impact on their behaviour
and school adjustment. Given time constraints,
useful information can be sought from parents
and teachers using standardized questionnaires
that assess, for instance, attention or language
difficulties.