Free CALT Formal and Informal Assessment for Dyslexia Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation for suspected dyslexia?
- To determine a student's general intelligence (IQ) score.
- To identify a specific pattern of linguistic strengths and weaknesses characteristic of dyslexia. (Correct answer)
- To provide a medical diagnosis for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
- To recommend a specific school placement without further analysis.
Correct answer: To identify a specific pattern of linguistic strengths and weaknesses characteristic of dyslexia.
A comprehensive evaluation is not just for a label, but to understand a student's specific cognitive and academic profile. It aims to identify a pattern of strengths, such as strong reasoning or vocabulary, alongside weaknesses in areas like phonological processing and word recognition, which is characteristic of dyslexia.
Question 2: The Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP-2) is a key tool in a dyslexia evaluation because it measures which core set of skills?
- Reading comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling.
- Visual-motor integration, handwriting speed, and spatial awareness.
- Phonological awareness, phonological memory, and rapid automatized naming. (Correct answer)
- Mathematical reasoning, calculation fluency, and problem-solving.
Correct answer: Phonological awareness, phonological memory, and rapid automatized naming.
The CTOPP-2 is specifically designed to assess the phonological abilities that are critical for reading. Its core subtests measure a student's ability to hear and manipulate sounds (phonological awareness), hold sounds in memory (phonological memory), and quickly name familiar items (rapid naming), all of which are often areas of weakness in dyslexia.
Question 3: How does a norm-referenced assessment differ from a criterion-referenced assessment?
- Norm-referenced tests are informal, while criterion-referenced tests are formal.
- Norm-referenced tests compare a student to a peer group, while criterion-referenced tests measure mastery of specific skills. (Correct answer)
- Norm-referenced tests are only used for reading, while criterion-referenced tests are only for math.
- There is no significant difference; the terms are used interchangeably.
Correct answer: Norm-referenced tests compare a student to a peer group, while criterion-referenced tests measure mastery of specific skills.
Norm-referenced tests, like the WISC-V or GORT-5, compare a student's performance to that of a large, representative sample of same-age peers, resulting in scores like percentiles. Criterion-referenced tests, such as a spelling inventory of CVCe words, measure a student's performance against a fixed set of criteria or learning standards to determine what they know and can do.
Question 4: An academic language therapist uses informal assessments, such as observing a student read a list of nonsense words, primarily to:
- Provide a formal diagnosis of a specific learning disability.
- Determine eligibility for special education services.
- Replace the need for formal, standardized testing.
- Guide daily instructional decisions and monitor progress on specific skills. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Guide daily instructional decisions and monitor progress on specific skills.
Informal assessments are crucial for the diagnostic and prescriptive nature of therapy. Observing a student's performance on a specific, targeted task allows the therapist to analyze error patterns in real-time and adjust the next steps in instruction to meet the student's immediate needs.
Question 5: Which assessment profile is most indicative of the classic presentation of dyslexia?
- Low scores across all cognitive and academic domains.
- Average verbal comprehension and reasoning with significantly low phonological processing and word reading scores. (Correct answer)
- High scores in reading fluency and comprehension with low scores in math calculation.
- Average scores in all academic areas but below-average scores in fine motor skills and handwriting.
Correct answer: Average verbal comprehension and reasoning with significantly low phonological processing and word reading scores.
The hallmark of dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in reading. This is often reflected in an assessment profile showing average to above-average cognitive abilities (like verbal comprehension) but significantly lower scores in phonological processing, word-level reading, and spelling.
Question 6: A therapist wants to assess a student's orthographic mapping ability. Which task would be most effective?
- Asking the student to retell a story they just heard.
- Administering a timed nonsense word reading fluency test. (Correct answer)
- Having the student complete a reading comprehension worksheet.
- Giving a test of receptive vocabulary.
Correct answer: Administering a timed nonsense word reading fluency test.
Orthographic mapping is the mental process of bonding letters and letter sequences to spoken sounds. Reading nonsense words (e.g., 'vib', 'detch') is a direct way to assess this because the student cannot rely on sight memory and must use their knowledge of letter-sound correspondences to decode the unfamiliar word.
Free CALT Formal and Informal Assessment for Dyslexia Questions and Answers 1
What is the primary purpose of a comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation for suspected dyslexia?