DYSLEXIA TESTING & EVALUATION - COLORADO SPRINGS & DENVER

Dyslexia is a learning disorder characterized by problems with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor decoding, and poor spelling abilities. As a psychologist, I use the DSM-5 to reference criteria for learning disorders.  The DSM-5-TR refers to disordered problems with reading as a Specific Learning Disorder, with impairment in reading.  This Dyslexia assessment encompasses the criteria of dyslexia but also includes problems with word reading accuracy, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. I prefer this more comprehensive definition of a learning disorder in reading because it accounts for other factors that can contribute to reading problems, and in my opinion, helps to identify more children with reading problems. 

How do you know if your child has a Specific Learning Disorder in Reading? The first line of evidence generally occurs when you notice your child struggles with reading and spelling at home or at school.  Despite adequate opportunities to learn and practice these skills, your child struggles with reading. Once you notice your child struggles with reading, you can communicate with their school to explore the possibility of a response to the intervention plan. This is a strategy that offers various levels of instruction and research-based interventions that occur in the classroom.  Often, a child can be diagnosed with a reading disorder based on their performance within the response to the intervention context. 

However, formal assessment for Dyslexia testing and assessments can also diagnose specific learning disorders.  In my opinion, the advantage of our formal Dyslexia evaluations in Denver and Colorado Springs is that they can more adeptly identify the cognitive factors that contribute to a specific learning disability in reading, and a diagnosis can be obtained without having to wait for your child to pass through all of the stages of response to intervention. In addition, formal assessment not only identifies the factors that contribute to difficulties with reading, but it can also offer research-based interventions to address difficulties with these different factors.

There are different ways to perform a Dyslexia evaluation or Specific Learning Disorder in Reading.  The Individuals with Disabilities Act identifies three methods: discrepancy between cognitive ability and academic performance, the response to intervention classroom strategy, and other research-based methods such as the strengths and weakness model. Based on one’s professional opinion, compelling arguments can be made for many different models of Dyslexia assessment models. Thus, I am always slightly wary of the expert who claims to have the “right way” to assess for a specific learning disorder and discredits other research-based approaches. The bottom line is that the field of assessment for specific learning disorders is still emerging and trying to find a common ground for professionals that diagnose specific learning disabilities, and we don’t have the perfect Dyslexia assessment model yet. However, a lot of research has been conducted and has identified different areas of cognitive and academic ability that are associated with math performance.  Thus, if we are looking for the same underlying deficits, our different assessment models can still lead us to the same goal. At the end of the day, our job is to do the best Dyslexia assessments in Denver and Colorado Springs that we can perform-given the current research at our disposal and evidence-based assessment tools in order to help your child succeed in the academic arena.