A targeted assessment answers specific questions about Dyslexia.

For example:

• Does my child have dyslexia?

• Does my child meet diagnostic criteria for a Learning Disability?

• Is my child on the autism spectrum?

• Does my child require testing accommodations on the SAT or other high-stakes exam?

A targeted evaluation will draw from relevant data that may include direct assessment, observation, interviews, rating scales, and review of prior records. An evaluation report will be provided outlining results and recommendations. The assessment will be reviewed with the family during a parent consultation.

Areas Assessed

The following areas should be assessed in an educational evaluation of dyslexia:

• Phonological Awareness – an individual’s awareness of and access to the sound structure of his/her oral language

• Phonological or Language-Based Memory – ability to recall sounds, syllables, words

• Rapid Automatic Naming – speed of naming objects, colors, digits, or letters

• Receptive Vocabulary – understanding of words heard

• Phonics Skills – understanding of the symbol (letter) to the sound(s) relationship, either individually or in combination with other letters

• Decoding –ability to use symbol-sound associations to identify (read – pronounce) words

  • Real Words

  • Nonsense Words

• Oral Reading Fluency – ability to read accurately, at a story-telling pace – to facilitate / support comprehension

  • Single Words

  • Sentences and Paragraphs

• Spelling

• Writing

  • Sentence Level

  • Paragraph Level