Q&A: ED TESTING AND DYSLEXIA

Presented by

Michael Hart, Ph.D.

Tuesday, February 25, 2013

2

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

INTRODUCTION

Be not afraid! This is not rocket science You will become an expert on your

child’s profile; you do not have to become an expert on everybody’s profile

What is legally important to advocate within your schools?

What is clinically important in order to plan remediation for your child?

3

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

AGENDA

What do we know about cognitive processing and dyslexia?

WISC IV IQ Test Overview What do those subtests measure anyway? Common patterns in scores across and within

indices Dyslexia, working memory and processing speed Q’s on the fly

How to think about discrepancies between IQ and achievement tests

Interpreting eligibility for Spec Ed Services In light of RTI, IDEA and the discrepancy model

4

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

COMMON COGNITIVE PROCESSING WEAKNESSES IN DYSLEXIC PEOPLE

Most dyslexic students present with deficits in one, many, or all of these areas.

Phonological processing Long-term retrieval (specifically rapid

automatic naming or RAN) Verbal working memory Processing speed in general Executive functioning and attentional

abilities

5

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

HOW THE WISC IV IS STRUCTURED

SimilaritiesVocabulary

ComprehensionInformation

Word Reasoning

Block DesignPicture ConceptsMatrix Reasoning

Picture Completion

Digit SpanLetter-Number

SequencingArithmetic

Coding Symbol Search

Cancellation

FSIQ

Verbal Comprehension Index Perceptual Reasoning Index

Working Memory Index Processing Speed Index

6

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

WHAT DO THE INDICES MEASURE?

Verbal Comprehension Reasoning, concept formation, what you learn

from your environment

Perceptual Reasoning Spatial processing, visual-motor integration

Working Memory Ability to temporarily retain information and

perform some operation with the information

Processing Speed Quickly scan or sequence visually BUT…Coding

7

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

WISC IV VERBAL COMPREHENSION SUBTESTS

Similarities measures verbal reasoning and concept formation.  It also involves auditory comprehension, memory, distinction between nonessential and essential features, and verbal expression.  This test requires the child to identify the similarity between two ostensibly dissimilar items (words presented orally to the child)

Vocabulary measures the child’s word knowledge and verbal concept formation.  For the picture items, the child is required to name the pictures in the stimulus book.  For the verbal items, the child is required to give definitions for words the examiner reads aloud.

Comprehension measures the child’s verbal reasoning and conceptualization, verbal comprehension, and verbal expression.  This test requires the child to answer questions based on his or her understanding of general principles and social situations.

8

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

WISC IV PERCEPTUAL REASONING SUBTESTS

Block Design measures the child’s ability to analyze and synthesize abstract visual stimuli.  This test requires the child to view a constructed model or a picture in the stimulus book, and use red-and-white blocks to re-create the design within a specified time limit.

Picture Concepts measures abstract, categorical reasoning ability.  The child is presented with two or three rows of pictures and chooses one picture from each row to form a group with a common characteristic.

Matrix Reasoning measures fluid intelligence and provides a reliable estimate of general nonverbal intelligence.  This test requires the child to view an incomplete matrix and select the missing portion from 5 response options.

9

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

WISC IV WORKING MEMORY SUBTESTS

Digit Span measures auditory short-term memory, sequencing skills, attention, and concentration.  The Digit Span Forward task requires the child to repeat numbers in the same order as read aloud by the examiner.  Digit Span Backward requires the child to repeat the numbers in the reverse order of that presented by the examiner.

Letter-Number Sequencing measures sequencing, mental manipulation, attention, short-term auditory memory, visual-spatial imaging, and processing speed.  It requires the child to read a sequence of letters and numbers and recall the numbers in ascending order and the letters in alphabetical order.

10

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

PROCESSING SPEED INDEX

Coding measures the child’s short-term memory, learning ability, visual perception, visual-motor coordination, visual scanning ability, cognitive flexibility, attention, and motivation.  It requires the child to copy symbols that are paired with simple geometric shapes or numbers.

Symbol Search measures processing speed, short-term visual memory, visual-motor coordination, cognitive flexibility, visual discrimination, and concentration.  This test requires the child to scan a search group and indicate whether the target symbol(s) matches any of the symbols in the search group within a specified time limit.

11

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

HOW TO THINK ABOUT DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN IQ AND

ACHIEVEMENT TESTS

Considerable variability in subtest scores impacts validity of discrepancy model…on both the cognitive assessment and academic achievement side.

All data must be used from the evaluation to come to a conclusion about cognitive processing weaknesses.

The clear and emerging importance of understandable cognitive processing (esp. phonological processing) in determining FAPE.

12

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

INTERPRETING ELIGIBILITY FOR SPECIAL ED SERVICES

History Lesson

The Federal IDEA’s disability terms and definitions GUIDE how States define disability and eligibility Oblique, diaphanous

Changes to IDEA in 2006

Movement away from cognitive processing criteria to attainment of grade-level standards LDA Feb 2010 White Paper

www.ldaamerica.org

13

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

ASSESSING “SLD” BY TESTING FOR UNDERACHIEVEMENT IN ONE OR MORE AREAS

Oral expression Listening comprehension Written expression Basic reading skills Reading fluency skills Reading comprehension Mathematics calculation Mathematics problem solving

14

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

INTERPRETING ELIGIBILITY FOR SPECIAL ED SERVICES (CON’T)

NOW…Evaluation includes Response to Intervention as a Procedure

Ex: TN 6th – 8th graders deadline July 1, 2015

States must NOT REQUIRE the use of discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement

States must PERMIT child’s response to RTI States MAY permit the use of other research-

based procedures…i.e., cognitive processing testing

15

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

THE IRONY: WHAT DISCREPANCY?

If you don’t know what you’re testing for, it’s obviously not there.

16

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

TENNESSEE LAW RE: ELIGIBILITY

The Discrepancy Method of Identification concludes there is a severe discrepancy between educational performance and predicted achievement that is based on the best measure of cognitive ability

Defined by at least 1.5 Standard Deviations (considering Standard Error of the Estimate) when utilizing regression-based discrepancy analyses described in Tennessee's guidelines for evaluation of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD Assessment Resource Packet)

17

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

IMPRESSIVE RESOURCE PACKET

Specific Learning Disabilities Evaluation: Procedural Addendum B Discrepancy and Processing Deficits

http://www.state.tn.us/education/speced/doc/71309SLDEval.pdf

See page 9

18

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES EVALUATION: PROCEDURAL ADDENDUM B DISCREPANCY AND PROCESSING DEFICITS

“Occasionally there will not be a significant discrepancy between the best measure of

cognitive ability and academic achievement (as defined in the SLD standards), although there will be reliable and valid evidence of a

significant cognitive processing disorder (evidenced by a discrepancy among subtest

standard scores across the battery, thus preventing the measurable discrepancy

between ability and achievement). “

19

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

CHALLENGES

What is legally important as you engage the public school system to obtain services? Can you agree on a proper score for cognitive ability? Were the right tests done to begin with? How do you best calculate 1.5 SD discrepancy? If

not…

What is clinically important for you as you plan remediation for your child? Educational Technology

How are you going to protect your child’s heart and soul?

20

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

21

Copyrig

ht D

rMich

aelH

art.co

m A

ll rights

rese

rved.

Thank You!Contact me at:

doctormichaelhart@gmail.com

www.doctormichaelhart.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Michael-Hart/369431536476530?ref=hl

https://twitter.com/drmichaelhart