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Assessments for Specific Learning Difficulties

Specific learning disorders are neurodevelopmental disorders that are usually diagnosed in early school-aged children, although some cases may not be recognized until adulthood. They are characterized by a persistent impairment in at least one of three major areas: reading, written expression, and/or mathematics.

There are two main types of learning difficulties, namely dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. 

Dyslexia: People with dyslexia usually have difficulty in acquiring and processing language because of the lack or proficiency in reading, spelling and writing.

Dysgraphia:  People with dysgraphia have difficulty in spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting so that it is a real challenge for them to express their thoughts on to paper.

Dyscalculia: People with dyscalculia experience difficulties in learning number related concepts, or using the symbols and functions to perform mathematics calculations.

 

(APA, 2021)

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Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-V)

To be diagnosed with a specific learning disorder, a person must meet four criteria.

  1. Have difficulties in at least one of the following areas for at least six months despite targeted help:

    • Difficulty reading (e.g., inaccurate, slow and only with much effort).

    • Difficulty understanding the meaning of what is read.

    • Difficulty with spelling.

    • Difficulty with written expression (e.g., problems with grammar, punctuation or organization).

    • Difficulty understanding number concepts, number facts or calculation.

    • Difficulty with mathematical reasoning (e.g., applying math concepts or solving math problems).

  2. Have academic skills that are substantially below what is expected for the child’s age and cause problems in school, work or everyday activities.

  3. The difficulties start during school-age even if some people don’t experience significant problems until adulthood (when academic, work and day-to-day demands are greater).

  4. Learning difficulties are not due to other conditions, such as intellectual disability, vision or hearing problems, a neurological condition (e.g., pediatric stroke), adverse conditions such as economic or environmental disadvantage, lack of instruction, or difficulties speaking/understanding the language.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013)

Major approaches of identifying children with learning disabilities

IQ-achievement discrepancy approach:

  • Children with reading outcomes fall below what are expected from their IQ.

Response to intervention approach:

  • The student's academic achievement is below expectations for the instructional setting

  • Despite providing appropriate education instruction and interventions, the student's rate of learning still falls behind when compared with his/her peers.

Pattern of strengths and weaknesses approach

  • Unexpected academic under achievement with a corresponding weakness in one or more specific cognitive abilities that are through to be related to those academic domains

(Phipps & Beaujean, 2016)

Screening and Assessment in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, most of the SpLD cases are related to Chinese reading and writing, and quite a lot of screening tools have been developed for early identification and diagnosis. As no standardized test for Mathematics Learning Difficulties has been developed in Hong Kong, it is not easy to diagnosed if a student has difficulty with Mathematics.

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Examples of the Screening Test for SpLD adopted in Hong Kong

  • The Hong Kong Reading Ability Screening Test for Preschool Children (RAST-K)

  • The Hong Kong Reading Ability Teacher Observation Checklist for Preschool Children, TOC-K

  • The Hong Kong Learning Behaviour Checklist for Preschool Children (Parent Version)

  • The Hong Kong Dyslexia Early Screening Scale (HKDESS)

  • Observation Checklist for Primary 1 Pupils

  • The Hong Kong Behaviour Checklist of Specific Learning Difficulties in Reading and Writing for Primary School Students (Second Edition) Manual (BCL-P(II))

  • The Hong Kong Behaviour Checklist of Specific Learning Difficulties in Reading and Writing for Junior Secondary School Students (BCL-JS)

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Examples of Diagnostic Test for SpLD in Chinese Reading And Writing

  • ​Learning Achievement Measurement Kit (LAMK 3.0)

  • The Hong Kong Chinese Literacy Assessment for Junior Primary School Students (Second Edition) (CLA-P (II))

  • The Hong Kong Test of Specific Learning Difficulties in Reading and Writing for Primary School Students (Third Edition) [HKT-P(III)]

  • The Hong Kong Test of Specific Learning Difficulties in Reading and Writing for Junior Secondary School Students (Second Edition) (HKT-JS-II)

  • Assessment tool of the Chinese Reading and Writing Assessment for Secondary School Students (CRWAAS)

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Examples of Diagnostic Test for English Learning

  • Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement (WJ IV ACH)

  • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (IV) (WIAT-IV)

  • The Hong Kong English Reading Ability Test for Primary-One Pupils (HKE)

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Examples of Diagnostic Test for Mathemetics Learning

  • Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement (WJ IV ACH)

  • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (IV) (WIAT-IV)

  • KeyMath 3

References

  1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

  2. Phipps, L., & Beaujean, A. A. (2016). Review of the pattern of strengths and weaknesses approach in specific learning disability identification. Research and Practice in the Schools, 4(1), 18-28.

  3. Shaywitz, S. E., & Shaywitz, B. A. (2003). Dyslexia (specific reading disability). Pediatrics in review, 24(5), 147-153.

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