Exam Preparation Notes

Non-Word Study

• Assesses sound-symbol correspondence.
• Involves playing a recording of a non-word and having the student spell it.
• Uses nonsense words to eliminate prior knowledge influence.
• Students must use active letter-sound correspondence knowledge.
• Crucial for assessing potential dyslexia.
• Informs whether a student uses letter-sound correspondences effectively.

Written Expression: Word Score

• Assesses written expression skills at the sound/word and sentence/discourse levels.
• Involves sentence combining tasks.
• Test-takers rewrite a choppy story to make it less choppy.
• Word score specifically pertains to spelling accuracy.
• Calculates the proportion of correctly spelled words.

Importance of Non-Word Spelling and Written Expression Word Score

• Non-word spelling assesses skills without context.
• Written expression with word score assesses spelling with context, familiar words, and patterns.
• Provides a comprehensive view of spelling abilities.
• Written expression includes copying, thus testing accuracy of visual-motor skills in addition to spelling.
• Context is key; the words in written expression passages are simple and familiar.
• Non-word spelling taps into the process of letter-sound correspondences without context.
• Written expression assesses knowledge of familiar word spelling.

Performance Patterns and Dyslexia

• Students may perform well on written expression word score due to memorized sight words and visual cues.
• They may perform poorly on non-word spelling, indicating challenges with phonological skills.
• This pattern suggests potential dyslexia in early elementary grades.
• Students with dyslexia often have challenges with letter-sound correspondences and phonological skills.
• Research indicates that dyslexic students perform more poorly on these subskills compared to typically skilled students.

Vocabulary Awareness

• Vocabulary knowledge is word knowledge.
• Vocabulary knowledge is an aspect of reading and writing.
• Knowing more words aids in spelling and comprehension.
• The Britain expression score can give a sense of a student's vocabulary knowledge.

Subtest Scale Scores

• Average range for subtest scaled scores: 7-13.
• 7: One standard deviation below the mean.
• 13: One standard deviation above the mean.

Interpreting Scores

• Example pattern: Below average phonological skills and non-word spelling, average vocabulary.
• This pattern may indicate dyslexia.
• The test is designed to differentiate these skills. It was designed by experts on dyslexia and language disorders.

Integrating Referral Information

• Compare test scores with referral information.
• Check if the pattern aligns with teacher or parent observations.
• Example: Struggles with less frequent words (non-word spelling) but does well with high-frequency words (written expression).

Broader Language Impairment (DLD)

• Assess whether a broader language disorder, such as DLD, is present.
• Dyslexia and DLD can overlap or co-occur.

Language Skills to Test for DLD

• Receptive language skills (comprehension).
• Story retelling (though memory component must be considered).
• Listening comprehension (complex syntax, inferences, metalinguistic knowledge).
• Assessments: Language sample and curriculum-based assessment.

Assessing Receptive Language

• Curriculum-based assessment:
  • Observe class presentations or directions given by the teacher.
  • Assess comprehension of texts used in the classroom.
  • Informally observe responses to directions and engagement in tasks.
• Language sample:
  • Story retelling (narrative).
  • Conversational language (social and pragmatic skills).
  • Assess sequencing and ability to engage in conversations.

Conversational Language

• Evaluate how clients engage in conversations spontaneously.
• Assess whether responses are appropriate.
• Receptive language skills may be a factor if there are difficulties.

Holistic Assessment Process

• Consider every aspect of the interaction with the client.
• Include class observations and checklists from teachers or parents.
• Use multiple information sources.

BDA Strategies (Before, During, and After Reading)

• Before:
  • Show the cover and ask for predictions based on the title.
  • Conduct a "picture walk" to make predictions.
  • Scan the passage and highlight unfamiliar vocabulary.
  • Identify questions (K-W-L: What do you know, what do you want to know, what did you learn).
• During:
  • Stop periodically for comprehension checks.
  • Summarize what was read.
• After:
  • Discuss predictions and answer questions.

Activating Background Knowledge

• Link the topic to personal experiences.
• Discuss sensory experiences related to the topic.
• Ask comparison questions.
• Helps students contextualize new information.

Making Connections

• Connect text to self, other experiences, and the wider world.
• Facilitates learning by integrating new information with existing knowledge.

Post-Reading Conversations

• Discuss sentiments and whether they were new, surprising, or different.
• Engage in conversations to explore different perspectives.

Supporting Comprehension

• Preview vocabulary.
• Practice comprehension monitoring.
• Identify structural language (syntax).
• Work on perspective-taking (pragmatics).

Vocabulary Instruction

• Preview vocabulary.
• Scanning and identifying vocabulary words.

Comprehension Monitoring

• Identify parts where comprehension is lacking.
• Address questions of elements not understood.

Syntax

• Identify structures like passive sentences or relative clauses.
• Help students understand the function and meaning of these structures.

Macrostructure

• Understand the overall structure of the text.

Pragmatics

• Practice perspective-taking.

Principles of School Intervention (Review)

• Curriculum-based.
• Metalinguistic.
• Addressing forms and modalities (hear it, read it, say it, write it).
• Collaboration.

Tier Two Vocabulary

• Challenging, abstract words used across different domains.
• Not specific to one subject matter.

Figurative Language Example

• "I crawl through the day" as an example of figurative language.
• It conveys a mental or emotional sense of moving slowly.
• Anchor figurative language to the literal meaning.

Vocabulary instruction video

• Video about vocabulary instruction in one of the folders

Rationale Behind Answers

• The why is more important.
• Understanding the different parts of a language sample.