Could the Boder Test of Reading Spelling Patterns Help Determine If My Child Has Dyslexia?

Do you have a child who is in first grade who receives special education services but is already struggling with reading? Have you been told by special education personnel that you are worrying too soon, and that your child does not have dyslexia? Many school districts have a very narrow view of dyslexia which is harming many children all over the USA! This article will discuss definition of Dyslexia as well as a tool called the Boder Test of Reading Spelling Patterns; that may be used as part of an evaluation, to determine if your child has dyslexia.

The International Dyslezia Association defines dyslexia as: A specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent work recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities, and the provision of effective classroom instruction.

Many school districts do not define dyslexia this way, and many children go undiagnosed, which harms children. Why is this harmful? Because children are not able to get the special education services they need for their dyslexia, if they are not diagnosed properly.

A tool developed in the 1980's called the Boder Test of Reading Spelling Patterns was designed to specifically aid in the diagnosis of dyslexia. The test is recommended to be included as part of a comprehensive (psychological) educational evaluation.

The test was developed to differentiate between the four subtypes of reading problems; one unspecific reading disability and to classify the three types of dyslexia. The three types of dyslexia are called: dysphonetic dyslexia, dyseidetic dyslexia and mixed dypsonetic/dyseidetic. Dysphonetic dyslexia means auditory dyslexia and Dyseidetic means visual dyslexia, and mixed dypsonetic/dyseidetic means both. Another article stated that this test is also used to provide guidelines for the remediation of all subtypes of dyslexia. This would be extremely helpful to parents and special education personnel.

As part of a comprehensive psychological evaluation the Boder test is helpful in determining if a child has dyslexia. A standardized achievement test like the Weschler Individual Achievement Test including the reading comprehension subtest, requires that the child engage in higher level comprehension, which could also show difficulties in reading. Also testing in the areas of: Speech/Language (receptive and expressive), visual and auditory perception, sensory integration, visual spatial, visual motor integration, occupational therapy, phonological awareness, phonological memory, rapid naming, work finding ability, nonsense word ability, reading comprehension, spelling and written expression will be needed.

All of this information can be used by the IEP team to help determine if your child has dyslexia, and determine type of remediation given. Research has shown that children with dyslexia need a multisensory reading and spelling program that uses a synthetic code emphasis approach. A few names of these types of programs are: Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, and Lindamood Bell, though you may find more by using a search engine such as Google.

Recommend this test to your school district as well as testing in the areas recommended above. You will well be on your way to helping your child learn to read and enriching the rest of their life. Good Luck!

JoAnn Collins is the mother of two adults with disabilities, and has helped families navigate the special education system, as an advocate, for over 15 years. She is a presenter and author of the book "Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their Own Game." The book has a lot of resources and information to help parents fight for an appropriate education for their child. For a free E newsletter entitled "The Special Education Spotlight" send an E mail to: JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com. For more information on the book, testimonials about the book, and a link to more articles go to: http://www.disabilitydeception.com.

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Four Simple Tests to Protect Your Preschooler From Future Reading Failure

Birth to early childhood is a critical time in a child's life to learn literacy skills. Parent's can easily find ways to build their child's literacy skills. It's a matter of being mindful and incorporating easy to do activities into your child's daily routine.

According to the National Early Literacy Panel from the Florida State University, University of Colorado and Rutgers University, the building blocks of literacy begin in infancy and when combined with supportive parental involvement children will have better - developed language and literacy skills than children in homes where these activities are less frequent.

Even though research studies often show a link between parental intervention and the development of literacy skills in children, reports suggest their effectiveness varies widely. To help parents understand their role as First Teacher better, they need to be equipped with both the skills and strategies to encourage their child's language and literacy development.

In order to confer a benefit to your children, in terms of their literacy development, there are a number of physiological factors to be considered first. Dr. Mary Meeker and Dr Guilford of Structure of Intellect Systems, say " Since full scale right to read programs were launched some thirty years ago, the US has had extensive research into the efficacy of various reading programs and approaches...and the proportion of functional literacy has not improved substantially."

Early childhood reading activities can prevent your child from becoming a non-reader. But before introducing reading activities into your preschooler's daily life early diagnosis of four causes of failure to learn to read should be examined. Here is a checklist of things to look for before beginning a reading program:

1) Vision: Obviously your child must have good near point vision. It seems simple enough but many adolescents who have not learned to read are indeed incapable of seeing the symbols on the page. If your preschooler's near point vision is not developing properly, no reading program will succeed.

2) Hearing: Many methods of reading training are phonetically based. Your child must listen to the sounds of the letters and words in order to learn them. They should be screened for auditory or hearing discrimination before you begin a reading program.

3) If your child shows lack of integration in all five senses the resulting confusion is often enough to affect their reading proficiency. A sensory integration testing will identify any balance, visual, or auditory developmental problems.

4) Inner Ear: In rare cases, one form of dyslexia has been traced to inner ear problems. If our child is developing a form of dyslexia that does not respond to immediate treatment they should be screened for further diagnosis.

Before you expose your preschooler to literacy training make sure to give them a smart start. They must have good near point vision skills, their hearing must be up to speed, they must have proper balance and if they are displaying any of the signs of early dyslexia that are not responding to remediation have them tested further. These developmental tests are available though your medical insurance or private health care. They are invaluable as you prepare your preschooler for reading.

Good Reading!

Joan Gibson is a Structure of Intellect practitioner and a Leadership Trainer. She has worked with clients from 4 to 64 years of age. Reading is a foundational skill and she has developed an effective program to promote reading success in all ages.

[http://www.joangibson.ca]

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