Screening Tools/Assessments
A dyslexia diagnosis requires a full psycho-educational assessment which that can only be administered by a licensed, qualified psychologist.
In a formal diagnosis (done by a psychologist), an individual undergoes a series of tests that measure cognitive functioning, language ability, academic achievement, as well as an individual’s learning style.
While we do not require a dyslexia diagnosis to begin intervention at The Literacy Clinic, a full psycho-educational assessment can help us to better understand a person’s area of deficiency and provide insight for the most effective plan of action. If your child has been fully assessed by a licensed psychologist for a learning disability, we ask that you bring a copy of the assessment to the initial parent meeting. The more information we have, the better able we are to formulate a remediation program that will best meet the needs of the student.
In addition, please bring with you any of the following:
- Most recent reading level
- Writing samples
- Spelling tests
- Vision or hearing assessments (if applicable)
- Information regarding the type of reading and spelling instruction your child has had
Dyslexia Screening Tests
Screening tests and/or reading assessments can be administered by The Literacy Clinic, but it is important to keep in mind that dyslexia screenings determine characteristics only, and are NOT a formal diagnosis of a learning disability. It is important to keep in mind that only a licensed psychologist can formally diagnose dyslexia. Screenings serve only as a starting point to help us identify possible "traits" associated with dyslexia and/or to recognize any area(s) of difficulty. A follow-up assessment with a licensed, qualified psychologist is stongly recommended for an official diagnosis of an individual's struggles with reading and writing.
Reading Assessments
*Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) or GB Plus Benchmarking Tool Cost: $275
These assessments are conducted one-on-one and have been designed to measure a student’s instructional and independent reading level in either English or French.
The BAS assessment system encompasses a vast scope of literacy elements. Depending upon the age and ability of the student being tested, the BAS assessment process may include any of the following sub-tests to explore the following:
- Upper and lower case letters: name/sound recognition and association
- Orthographic awareness: visual word memory/sight word retention
- Decoding and encoding: real and pseudo-words
- Phonological awareness: initial/final sounds
- Phonological awareness: blending words
- Phonological awareness: segmenting words
- Phonological awareness: rhyming words
- Multisyllabic word recognition
- Rapid naming of letters/sounds/words
- Consonant blends
- Vowel clusters
- Prefixes/suffixes
- Compound words
- Synonyms, antonyms, and homophones
- Concept words in isolation and in sentences
- Contextual vocabulary