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.