Question: Screening Instruments to Determine the Possible Presence of Learning Disability

Hi group members,

I have been asked to post this question for an adult education/GED teacher in a northeast state.

 

We are looking to establish a screening process to identify undiagnosed LD in our GED students.  Can your members answer some questions for us?

1.  Is there a step-by-step process that is being used successfully for LD screening?

2.  Are there specific instruments that are easy to use?

3.  Are there free screening tools or do they have to be purchased?

 

Thank you to all members who respond to this question.  It would be helpful to the field as well.

Rochelle Kenyon, SME

 

Comments

Hi All,

We have a number of tools available to help with screening. The primary source I use is this:

Unlocking the Potential of Adults with Learning Differences Guidebook

The guidebook is a resource for practitioners who want to improve their ability to meet the needs of adults with learning disabilities.  Comprehensive in scope, it addresses a wide range of topics including:

  • Important information about learning disabilities and their affect on adult learners
  • Tools and suggestions for identifying students with LD and helping them select appropriate classroom accommodations
  • Helpful tips for making all classrooms sensitive to the needs of adults with LD
  • A wealth of practical, hands-on, classroom-tested strategies for reading, writing and math instruction that are appropriate for adults with LD as well as for many other learners
  • Up-to-date information about effective assistive technology for adults with LD
  • Suggestions for helping students access other important testing and counseling services
  • Useful summary charts,  screening tools, record keeping forms, and other ready-to-use materials

The tools included are:

Payne Learning Needs Screening

  • Used for an in depth discussion with a student about their past learning experiences to see if any issues affected learning then

 

Hull In-Depth Screening Interview

  • Used to learn about students individual patterns of learning strengths and weaknesses.

 

Jordan Word Recognition Test

  • Used to indicate presence of warning signs for a learning disability

 

Bangor Dyslexia Test

  • Used to identify potential auditory processing and sequencing challenges

 

Classroom Assessment Sheets

  • Used to identify students who may be struggling because of a language based learning disability. This tool provides guidelines for Reading and Spelling Skills below Grade 5.9, Pre-Secondary or Secondary Reading Skills, Writing, Mathematics, Attention Deficit Disorder and Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities

 

We have also used:

CAMS (Compensations, Accommodations, Modifications & Strategies)

  • Used to make environmental changes in support of learning disabled students. This tool offers suggestions of minimal interventions that will help in educational and/or work settings

When using the tools, I explain to students that I am not a professional diagnostician but would like to try the tool to see if we can find information for them to take to their personal doctor and further pursue a diagnosis. At the very least, we have been able to develop strategies that have assisted their learning. Also, through discussion of learning frustrations they have been experiencing, we have uncovered vision problems where students thought they may have had LDs.

Hi Leslie,

Thanks for your great message.  Will you please tell us what adult education position you and in.... and where, please?   Will you explain how your screening process works?   I ask this question because so many group members don't have a screening process in place and they don't know how to start one.

I agree with you about the resource, Unlocking the Potential of Adults with Learning Differences Guidebook.  It is outstanding.  I used to give them away as 'prizes' during some of my trainings.

 I am familiar with all the tools you mentioned except for Hull In-Depth Screening Interview and the Bangor Dyslexia Test.  Are they commercially available or are they in the public domain?

Thanks, in advance, for following up on this.

Rochelle Kenyon, SME

 

Hi Rochelle,

I am the Assistant Director in the Webster Adult Basic Education Program in Webster, MA.  We serve learners that are working towards their high school equivalency and English Speakers of Other Languages. In addition to my program administration duties, my role includes Next Steps Advisor and ADA Coordinator as well as Assessment Specialist so I interact with our students in a variety of ways.

The Hull Interview and Bangor Dyslexia Test were tools in the version of the Guidebook we have in house. We have been using them for a number of years so I am not sure about their current availability.

As far as a process, we begin by laying the foundation with incoming students at intake. We inform prospective students that we are a program that complies with ADA requirements and that we strive to support their learning needs. Our student handbook has a section on being a self-advocate and we discuss both the option of disclosure and the potential benefit to having current documentation of needs when it becomes time to take the state test for high school equivalency. We encourage students to let teachers know about any needs or concerns they have in the classroom and also welcome them to talk to the director or me if they want support in doing so. Also during intake, we conduct a one on one student interview with each incoming student which includes a section on their prior schooling experience so we can learn strengths and interests as well as difficulties.

My experience has been that students are either aware of their different learning needs and come in willing to share documentation from when they were in school or are extremely frustrated about their prior learning challenges. If students are aware, we work with them to get current diagnoses and arrange for available accommodations both in our classrooms and for any test they need to take. Students who articulate a frustration are offered screenings and learning styles inventories. We are very careful to advise that we cannot officially diagnose anything but we can work with them to help them be more effective in class. We recommend that they make an appointment with their personal physician and take any information we uncover. I also spend a lot of time going through the documentation needed for accommodations on assessments so that student understand what is possible to attain and also what is required to document their need.

The best recommendation I can make is to build to build a trusting relationship with your student by being frank about what you can do to support them and why. I have had students go to their medical professional who has pushed back on conducting diagnostic testing (some insurances do not cover it here in MA) so I have written letters of explanation to their physicians. It can be a long process but, for the student who gains understanding into why learning has been difficult for them, the process is invaluable.

I hope that helps a little,

Leslie

 

 

These all all good suggestions for developing a comprehensive screening process.  I'd just like to add that the process is usually different for each student - and should be - because it depends on the student's needs and areas of strengths and challenges.  In Arkansas, we have been using screening processes in adult education and literacy programs since 1993, and our approaches have changed a lot over the years.  One big difference here is that we have a system in place for referring students for an LD evaluation at no cost for students whose insurance doesn't cover an evaluation and/or they just can't afford to get one.  Arkansas Rehabilitation Services conducts complete LD evaluations for students who are looking for work or are underemployed; other students are referred to one of many psychological clinics statewide that have contracted with us to complete LD evaluations for students who may have a learning disability or whose documentation is out-of-date.  So theoretically at least, we have a system that provides evaluations for all students who need them.  Of course, it's up to the individual programs to implement the screening/referral process, and some programs do a better job of that than others.

We haven't had many requests for evaluations since the new GED® test came out this year.  For more about that, I'm going to add some stuff to the strand about the GED® Ready Test and accommodations.  And it is increasingly more difficult to have a student's request for accommodations approved by GEDTS®.  

Thanks to Rochelle for providing information/ideas on converting a textbook to audio.  I also appreciate Leslie who suggested informationn on Screening for LD in the book -- Unlocking the Potential of Adults with Learning Differences Guidebook. Both resources will benefit adult practitioners greatly.

 

Pamela Shrestha

Division of  Career and Adult Education

Florida Department of Education