Input from Online Delivery of Chapter Two

Learning disability screening tools: What, How and When to use them during the assessment process

Literacy Link South Central wanted to give readers of this manual a valuable component of the online workshop: participant input. The following bullet points are compiled from participant responses, and may or may not include information or opinions in keeping with our evaluative constructs. We encourage you to filter the comments as you would in any classroom setting.

Activity 1

At the beginning of the workshop, we reviewed some basic points about screening tools (e.g. check for validity, remember that they are not 100% accurate). Then we asked, "What are the advantages and disadvantages of using screening tools?"

Here's what you told us:

Disadvantages

• They can take a lot of time to administer.
• We don't always know what to do with the results.
• Not always effective with second language speakers because they may not have the language tools to answer the questions; we must be careful with interpreting results for ESL learners.
• The results can be devastating to some learners.
• The results may show the possibility of an intellectual disability rather than a learning disability; not always an easy thing to convey to a learner.
• Learners may not understand that this is not a formal diagnosis.
• It is difficult to find "good" or appropriate screening tools.