Read through the following summary of a diagnostic report and then discuss the following questions, filling in the SpLD Assessment Map where relevant:

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1 Read through the following summary of a diagnostic report and then discuss the following questions, filling in the SpLD Assessment Map where relevant: When completing the boxes, try to create a concise summary using clear userfriendly language. Identify the key elements relating to the student s literacy, underlying ability and cognitive processing, and fill in the relevant boxes on the SpLD Assessment Map. Remember to consider what additional questions you might ask the student about his learning/life experiences. For the final boxes based on DSA support package, try to select examples of tuition, support and equipment etc which would typically assist a student with this profile. 19 year old, male student - Michael 1 st year computer science This student was referred by his tutors for assessment because he was struggling with some aspects of his course. He presented as very withdrawn and highly anxious. Shortly after his diagnostic assessment, and prior to the meeting to discuss his report, he had failed a multiple choice test: this had had a devastating effect on his confidence and self-esteem. He had not been familiar with this format for examinations and he had found it impossible to extract the required implicit meaning in the question wording because he could see so many potential variations within each one. However, he has been achieving good marks for his coursework. Summary of Test Findings Michael s test results indicate that he is dyslexic and dyspraxic. Michael is an able and hard working student with a range of sound intellectual abilities. He has strength in visual analogical reasoning, vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. Michael is also highly motivated in subjects which he finds absorbing, such as his degree subject. Michael has a well documented history of difficulty with co-ordination since childhood and he was below average on tests for dyspraxia, such as co-ordination, visuo-motor processing speed and graphic speed. He was also assessed as dyslexic as a child and the assessment shows persistent difficulties in phonological awareness and to a lesser extent in phonological processing speed. Another important aspect is difficulty in attention and concentration and this is tied up with his high levels of sensitivity in relation to sensory stimuli. He is easily distracted, which significantly affects his ability to maintain concentration. (Michael scored 25 for the childhood section and 89 in total on the Adult DCD/Dyspraxia Checklist) As well as his handwriting which is difficult to read, Michael s hand goes into spasms after writing for relatively short periods and his spelling is below average. His handwriting rates are at a level that might be expected for a short period of time, but it is difficult to read and it is likely that the pain in his hand will prohibit him from taking detailed notes in lectures. Barbara Kelly & Bob Burwall, June

2 Main Recommendations relating to assessments: Michael should be allowed special arrangements in all examinations -25% extra time and the use of a computer and overlay. Michael has strengths in: Vocabulary knowledge Visual Analogical reasoning Silent reading speed Reading comprehension Michael has weaknesses in: Phonological awareness and processing speed Motor co-ordination and visuo-motor processing speed Attention and Concentration Table of results Name of Test Standard Score 95% confidence interval ATTAINMENT READING Word Reading ARC: Reading Comprehension Reading Speed SPELLING Spelling WRITING (words per minute) DASH 17+ Copying Tasks: Copy Best Copy Fast Alphabet: Graphic Speed Free Writing Speed: 25 wpm UNDERLYING ABILITY Verbal Analogies Vocabulary Verbal (Crystalized) Composite Score Barbara Kelly & Bob Burwall, June

3 Matrices Diamonds Visual (Fluid) Composite Score General Cognitive Ability N/A N/A Specific notes in the assessment report, from the WRIT (Wide Ranging Intelligence Test) assessment shown above, commented on the significant differences between the two visual subtest scores: because of this only a verbal score was provided and a general ability score was not calculated. Michael s exhaustion and anxiety about the format the tests might take had meant he had not slept well the night before. It is possible therefore that these scores may be an underrepresentation of his abilities. In additional Michael s Meares/Irlen Visual Stress added to his discomfort on some of the Matrices tests, although he obtained a good score. The Diamonds subtest was more frustrating, as although he felt he could see what the shape should be, he found it hard to control his fingers so that he could manipulate the chips in the correct order and sequence to achieve this. COGNITIVE PROCESSING Name of Test Score 95% Confidence interval Memory processes TOMAL 2 Digits Forward Letters Forward Digits Backward Letters Backward Manual Imitation Composite: Memory and Concentration Speed of Information Processing Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) oral 75 5 Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) Written Phonological Processing CTOPP 2 Tests* Elision Blending Words Phoneme Isolation 60 < Composite: Phonological Awareness Standard Score Barbara Kelly & Bob Burwall, June

4 Rapid Digit Naming Rapid Letter Naming Composite: Rapid Naming Standard Score Other: Visual-Motor Integration Beery VMI-6 Visuo-Motor Integration Visual Perception Motor Co-ordination *NOTE: all standardised scores have a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15. Only differences that are significant at a level of 0.05 or 0.01 are reported as these suggest that the difference is unlikely to be due to chance. Summary of Results Well Below Lower Average Higher Above Well Below Average Average Average Average Above Scores Standard Deviation Verbal Ability (WRIT) Matrices (WRIT) Diamonds (WRIT) Single Word Reading WIAT II Spelling WIAT II Phonological Awareness (CTOPP) Rapid Naming Of Digits and Letters (CTOPP) Visuo-Motor processing speed Symbol Digit Modalities Written Visuo-Motor processing speed Symbol Digit Modalities Oral Tomal 2 Attention and Concentration Index ARC Reading Comprehension Dash 17+ Copy Best Dash 17+ Copy Fast Dash 17+ Alphabet Dash 17+ Graphic Speed Beery VMI Beery Visual Perception Beery Motor Coordination Barbara Kelly & Bob Burwall, June

5 Technical appendix The Standard score has been chosen as the unit of measurement. It relates an individual to his or her contemporaries in a standard way that always means the same thing at any age. Average Standard Scores fall between 90 and 110 and represent the middle 50% of the population at the particular age. 100 is the mid-point of the average range. Whilst it is acknowledged that different tests authors use different descriptors for different bands of standard scores, for the purposes of this report the following descriptive labels will be used to describe performance. Score Label 131 or more Well above average Above average High average Average Low average Below average 69 or less Well below average A Standard Deviation (SD) is the average deviation (difference) from the mean regardless of direction. 15 points is generally considered to be one standard deviation when the norm is 100. More than one standard deviation above the norm shows a significant strength and more than one standard deviation below the norm shows a significant weakness. A Statistically significant score occurs when there is an unusually large difference between two scores. Levels of significance: The significance level.05 means there are only five chances in a hundred that the result could have happened by coincidence. The significance level.01 means that there is only 1 in a hundred chance that the result could have happened by coincidence. Confidence Limits: All formal tests contain some degree of error or chance. The 95% confidence interval gives a range of scores within which we can be 95% confident that the true individual s score will fall. s: rank indicates the individual s position relative to others of the same age in the group tested. An individual s percentile rank on a norm-referenced (standardised) test tells us what proportion of individuals in the standardisation group scored at the same level or lower. For example, an individual with a percentile rank of 75 did as well as or better than 75 percent of the individuals in the standardisation group. Barbara Kelly & Bob Burwall, June