Identification and Assessment of Literacy and Dyslexia Difficulties

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1 Identification and Assessment of Literacy and Dyslexia Difficulties The Vision That all schools will be able to meet the needs of pupils with dyslexic difficulties through a process of: Recognition of difficulty Appropriate intervention Dyslexia friendly classrooms Maintaining positive communication with parents All pupils experiencing literacy difficulties should receive support. It should not be necessary to have a diagnosis of dyslexia before support is accessed. What is Dyslexia? Rose (2009) defines dyslexia in the following way: Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed. Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual difficulties It is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and there are no clear cut-off points. Co-occurring difficulties may be seen in aspects of language, motor coordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation, but these are not, by themselves, markers of dyslexia. A good indication of the severity and persistence of dyslexic difficulties can be gained by examining how the individual responds or has responded to well founded intervention. The British Dyslexia Association added the following: In addition to these characteristics, the BDA acknowledges the visual and auditory processing difficulties that some individuals with dyslexia can experience, and points out that dyslexic readers can show a combination of abilities and difficulties that affect the learning process. Some also have strengths in other areas, such as design, problem solving, creative skills, interactive skills and oral skills. All schools will be secure in: Providing quality first teaching of reading and spelling Effective monitoring of progress Early Identification of pupils who do not make adequate progress Being aware of the underlying difficulties that can affect the development of literacy. Knowing what and when to communicate to parents Knowing how to implement a range of appropriate interventions and monitoring their effect. Knowing when and how to access additional support.

2 It is the responsibility of ALL teachers to support children with dyslexic difficulties. Training should address the needs of all staff working in educational settings. In order to support schools the Local Authority will: Offer training to schools on the range of difficulties associated with dyslexia and effective intervention. All supporting materials will also be available online. Provide written guidance for schools on identification and intervention for pupils with suspected dyslexic difficulties Offer additional support when schools can demonstrate that they have followed the guidance and pupil progress continues to give cause for concern Provide information for parents on support for dyslexic students.

3 The Guidance Dyslexia is a high incidence learning difficulty. It is thought that 1 person in 10 is dyslexic and 1 in 3 severely so. All dyslexics are different and it is the individual profile of strengths and weaknesses that needs to be addressed. There is no single test for dyslexia. It is the working definition (Rose) and the collection of relevant data over a period of time that can lead professionals to identify those students with dyslexic difficulties. It is expected that the needs of almost all dyslexic students can be met in mainstream schools. Students with dyslexia should be supported through: Specific teaching targeting areas of difficulty identified through monitoring, observation and assessment. Dyslexia friendly practice Being taught strategies to help them to overcome their difficulties (touch typing, mind-mapping and the different methods of learning spelling are some examples) Three Levels of Identification and Assessment of Literacy and Dyslexic Difficulties (Adapted from the Rose Report) This information will also be provided as a checklist so that schools can record actions taken. Level One In the EYFS all children will be experiencing phonological training and teaching in phoneme-grapheme correspondence and simple blending and segmentation. The teaching of phonics will continue into Key Stage 2. Quality First Teaching Ensure phonological skills (as, for example, Phase One Letters and Sounds) are being taught alongside phonics. Ensure teaching of phoneme-grapheme correspondence is multisensory, sequential and cumulative and that there are plenty of opportunities for practice. Ensure blending and segmentation are explicitly taught Ensure that tricky words are explicitly taught Ensure that progress is carefully monitored. Records should be kept of I. Phoneme-grapheme correspondence II. Blending and segmentation skills III. Knowledge of high frequency words

4 The Development of Phonological Awareness Skills and Checklist is available on Suffolk Learning Use the information to inform planning of appropriately differentiated activities. Some children may not be making expected progress. Check: Hearing Eyesight Developmental history (by talking to parents) including Speech and Language issues Readiness to learn Look for any difficulties with memory, motor skills and vocabulary Then: Use the information to plan teaching activities and small group support. (Wave 2 Intervention). It is important to start from what the children already know and to use the checklists to set small targets or learning objectives. Interventions may include work on memory, listening skills, or fine motor skills in addition to targeted work on literacy. Provide plenty of opportunities for practice Monitor progress Ensure that parents are aware of the nature of the support and the reason for it. Listen to the views of parents and pupils and involve them in the decision making process. For more information the leaflet Dyslexia: An Introductory Guide for Parent is available on Suffolk Learning. Level Two It is expected that steps taken at Level 1 will help most children with literacy difficulties. Some children will continue to give cause for concern in spite of additional Wave 2 support. Other children may be identified at any stage in their schooling through assessment, teacher observation or parental concerns. In this case it will be necessary to collect further information to inform future provision. Collect data from school based assessment such as reading and spelling tests, phonics screening and progress through the National Curriculum. Use this to inform appropriate in-class differentiation Determine areas of strength. It is important to establish whether the child has difficulties across the curriculum or whether they are specifically related to particular aspects of the curriculum. Collate data relating to response to Wave 2 intervention and continuing areas of difficulty.

5 Assess skills. Examples could include reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension, phonological awareness, auditory and visual memory and miscue analysis of spelling. Consider other issues: underlying ability, behaviour, motor skills, medical needs If the evidence indicates that the child is experiencing literacy difficulties: Create an action plan with parents and pupil. Use a recognised Wave 3 intervention or targeted individual teaching. Seek to address any underlying difficulties Set SMART targets Ensure that Dyslexia Friendly Practice is in place in the classroom Be aware of any difficulties with self-esteem and behaviour and seek to address them. Monitor Progress and the impact of interventions and strategies used. Level 3 This level should only be necessary for a very small number of pupils. At this stage the child continues to make limited progress and literacy difficulties are a barrier to learning. The school can demonstrate that Guidance at Levels One and Two has been followed and concerns continue There is evidence of interventions and their impact The school could then, with parental agreement: Refer to the County Bases for SpLD Consider whether it would be appropriate to place the child on the SEN Register Advice from professionals from the Bases should be followed, impact monitored and used to inform future provision and support. Using the term dyslexia It should not be necessary to have a diagnosis to access support. A diagnosis is not required for exam access arrangements. If difficulties are identified they should be addressed and progress monitored. This would be best practice (Rose Report, 2009) 3 Tier Approach Level 1 The class teacher(s) identify literacy difficulties. If parents ask, teachers can say that it is a possibility that a difficulty has been identified and that appropriate intervention is in place. Progress is being monitored and the SENCo is aware.

6 Level 2 If concerns continue, further assessments will have been made and used to plan further intervention. At this point, the SENCo may consider whether or not the child has dyslexic difficulties and discuss this with parents. Level 3 Additional testing by the school and the involvement of the Specialist Teacher (Dyslexia Base) can lead to a detailed description of dyslexic difficulties and a plan to support the young person. Use of Dyslexia Screeners There are a number of commercially available screening tools. These generally indicate a level of risk of dyslexia being present. The screeners vary greatly in the amount of diagnostic information they provide. No test is 100% accurate, but if there is an indication of dyslexia, the school should be clear about how they will share results and how they will follow up the screening