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Assessment
Details
Every
person that attends the Farnborough Dyslexia & Learning Centre has an
initial assessment to determine their needs and to ascertain the starting
position on our programme. Follow-on assessments are carried out every 25
lessons to ensure the correct progress is being achieved. Follow-on assessments
are not as detailed as the initial assessment.
SNAP
Our main
assessment methodology is based on the Special Needs Assessment Profile (SNAP)
purchased from the educational supplier Hodder Murray. Below is given the advantages
of the SNAP technique, details of its administration and the fifteen areas of
special needs that are profiled:
·
SNAP
is comprehensive, structured and systematic: it maps each person's own mix of
problems onto an overall matrix of learning, social and personal difficulties.
·
SNAP
gives a computer-aided diagnostic profile across fifteen specific learning
difficulties and conditions – from ADD to visual processing and working memory
difficulties.
·
SNAP
helps you to identify clusters of problems and the core features of a person's
difficulties.
·
SNAP
points the way to the most appropriate teaching and/or specialist provision.
·
SNAP
will help you to strengthen home and support (teacher, work etc) via
personalised self-help and information sheets.
·
SNAP
can also help you evaluate the effectiveness of any support provided.
An
assessment using the SNAP programme involves four distinct steps:
·
Step
1 - a structured questionnaire is sent out for completion by parents and
schools to give an initial 'outline map' of the person’s difficulties.
·
Step
2 - responses from step 1 are collated using the SNAP computer program,
pinpointing any follow-up assessments needed in Step 3. This is the core part
of the assessment.
·
Step
3 - follow-up tests in the form of diagnostic ‘probes’ are often required to
yield a more detailed understanding of the person's difficulties.
·
Step
4 - from the results obtained from steps 1 to 3, a profile is produced as well
as specific guidance on support (personalised information sheets for parents
and schools/work as appropriate).
The
eighteen specific learning difficulties and conditions profiled by SNAP are:
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD); Developmental Coordination
Disorder /Dyspraxias; Dyscalculia; Dysgraphia; Essential fatty acid deficiency;
Hyperactivity; Hyperlexia; Processing speed difficulties; Auditory processing
difficulties; Literacy difficulties/dyslexias; Non-verbal learning
difficulties; Phonological difficulties; Social awareness & communicative
difficulties; Specific speech, language & communication difficulties;
Visual processing difficulties; Working memory difficulties; lack of
educational self esteem; lack of social self esteem.
Standard and Full Assessments
In
addition to the information gathered from a SNAP assessment, the Standard and
Full Assessment technique will concentrate on diagnosing dyslexia problems in a
one-to-one consultation. This will highlight difficulties with:
· alphabet and letter use and knowledge
(names and sounds)
· sound blending
· sound discrimination
· visual discrimination
· visual and/or auditory short term memory
· using and devising problem solving
strategies
· cross laterality
· susceptibility to visual contrast
The
methods used are modern, well recognised and accepted by Educationalists. They
include tests from the
· Aston Index (including Schonell Graded
word reading and Goodenough Draw-a-man)
· Helen Arkell Spelling
· Youngs Parallel Spelling
·
· Coloured Filter or Intuitive Overlay
Test, devised by the Institute of Optometry at The City University in London
which is based on the Meares-Irlen coloured filter test
Each
assessment is tailored to the ability age of the person being tested.
A
chart is produced showing the achievement against expected performance for word
reading, sentence reading and spelling.
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Last update 8th July 2005