Dyslexia

Examinations and Tests

Doctors do not diagnose dyslexia with a single test. Rather, your doctor looks at your child's medical history, reviews your observations and those of teachers, and asks your child questions. Reading tests and other types of assessments may also be done to help your doctor find out more about your child's skills. For example, tests may include those that focus on your child's personality traits, learning style, language and problem-solving skills, and intelligence quotient (IQ).

Dyslexia is diagnosed only after it is clear that your child does not have another problem that could cause him or her to struggle with reading, such as a condition that affects cognitive development.

Dyslexia is only diagnosed when:

• There is evidence of a severe reading problem.
• The problem is not due to low intelligence, a visual or hearing deficit or other physical conditions, or a lack of educational opportunity.

Your child's health professional will assess your child's general health and cognitive development. The health professional and your child's educators will assess academic skills and abilities. A complete medical, behavioural, educational, and social history will be taken to rule out other conditions (such as a brain injury) that can also interfere with the ability to read or memorize words.

The most critical tests are those that are timed. A few tests that can help health and educational professionals diagnose dyslexia include:

• The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), an intelligence test that is mostly verbal and does not require reading or spelling.
• The Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised, which measures cognitive or thinking ability.
• The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), which measures intelligence and reading skills.

Depending on the severity of your child's dyslexia, you may want to have a teacher's aide or tutor available to help your child with school work. To qualify for special education assistance, your child will be tested in the following seven academic areas: oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, basic reading skills, reading comprehension, mathematical calculation, and mathematical reasoning. These tests help establish a child's language and mathematical abilities.

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Author:	Amy Fackler, MA Debby Golonka, MPH Carrie Henley	Last Updated: October 16, 2006
Medical Review:	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
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