Running head: ASSESSMENT AND IDENTIFICATION 1

Assessment and Identification:

An Article Review

Alexandria Romine

University of North Alabama

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Assessment and Identification:

An Article Review

In the article, “Dyslexia in the Schools: Assessment and Identification,” Jennifer H.

Lindstrom (2018) discusses the assessment and identification process with regards to dyslexia

and its place in the school system. The verbiage, identification, and assessment process can be

confusing for some educators, and through this article, the author presents a brief yet

comprehensive overview of the assessment and identification procedures as it relates to dyslexia.

Lindstrom (2018) first discusses the relationship between a student having a diagnosis of

dyslexia and their eligibility for special education services. Although dyslexia meets the criteria

under the category of specific learning disability, or SLD, the disability must have a “significant

educational impact” (Lindstrom, 2018, p. 190) in order for the student to be eligible to receive

special education services. A student is not eligible to receive services just because they have a

dyslexia diagnosis. Some states have enacted legislation specifically related to dyslexia and

requirements for screening for dyslexia and professional development training for educators.

There are a number of methods allowed under the federal law to determine if a student is

eligible to receive special education services. However, before a student is referred to undergo an

extensive evaluation, many schools will attempt to provide additional instructional opportunities

and supports for the student (Lindstrom, 2018, p. 191). If an educator continues to have concerns

related to a child’s academic abilities, the educator may refer to the support team for students for

assistance. Schools may also utilize a multitier model of supports, such as RTI, in order to

provide early interventions for students in hopes that those additional, intensive supports provide

them with the ability make adequate academic progress. If the RTI model is implemented, and
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the student is still not making adequate progress towards their academic goals, then they may

move on to a comprehensive evaluation (Lindstrom, 2018, p. 191).

In her article, Lindstrom (2018) discusses a five-step process to determine a student’s

eligibility for special education. In the first two steps, the objective is to gather evidence which

demonstrates a student’s under-achievement in reading and its related skills (Lindstrom, 2018, p.

192). Some specific skillsets which should be assessed and those skills in which students with

dyslexia most frequently have deficits include letter-sound knowledge, word decoding, reading

fluency, spelling, and reading comprehension (Lindstrom, 2018, p. 193). For the third step of this

process, “the eligibility team must determine that a deficit is not primarily due to factors included

in the exclusionary criteria” (Lindstrom, 2018, p. 195). The fourth step calls for the consideration

of the team to assess cognitive processing, to ensure that the difficulties are not caused by

another factor, such as ADHD, emotional disturbance, or an intellectual disability. For the fifth

and final step, the eligibility team must provide ample and sufficient evidence that the student’s

reading disability has such a significant, adverse effect that warrants the need for special

education services and specially designed instruction (Lindstrom, 2018, p. 192).

Reading is a fundamental skill. If a student has difficulties in learning to read, this can

affect their performance in other academic subject areas. Because of this, it is imperative that

educators and school personnel fully understand the identification, assessment, and evaluation

process, as well as the characteristics a student may exhibit if they are having difficulties in

reading. By understanding and knowing those signs, characteristics, and processes, educators

may be able to identify those difficulties early, which may lead to earlier interventions, and

reducing the impact or even preventing some more serious reading difficulties and deficits.

Ultimately, if dyslexia can be diagnosed and identified in a student earlier, then the student can
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access the needed supports to succeed in learning to read earlier and better understand why they

are having difficulty in reading (Lindstrom, 2018, p. 199).

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References

Lindstrom, J. H. (2018). Dyslexia in the schools: Assessment and identification.

TEACHING Exceptional Children, 51(3), 189–200. https://doi-

org.ezproxy.una.edu/10.1177/0040059918763712