Dyslexia is an elusive diagnosis. It is not the same as a learning disability and therefore the traditional "discrepancy model" of testing is not a valid approach for diagnosing it. There is not one test that will diagnose it. We must look at a cluster of symptoms and an individual's strengths are as important in diagnosing dyslexia as their weaknesses are. Our screening begins with a checklist that correlates with the symptoms of dyslexia. This helps us to determine if we need to proceed. We then utilize the "best practices" that have been formulated based on the longitudinal study conducted by the National Institutes of Health. The markers for determining a diagnosis of dyslexia include: memory, auditory processing, phonics, decoding, fluency, comprehension, spelling, writing sample, etc. In addition, the markers for dysgraphia (difficulty with handwriting) include: small motor skills, speed of handwriting, and quality of duplication. Finally, the markers of dyscalculia (difficulty with arithmetic and/or mathematics) include poor arithmetic skills (memory, patterning, evaluation skills, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percents, etc.) and/or poor math skills (spatial abilities, logic, reasoning, abstract processing, algebra, geometry, calculus, trigonometry, etc.) Once a diagnosis is made, a plan is formulated. See "Dyslexia Brain Mastery Program."
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