Six factors of adult dyslexia assessed by cognitive tests and self-report questions: Very high predictive validity

Test Review of the Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR)

The Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR) is a comprehensive reading test for children ages 4 through 21 years. The FAR was designed to evaluate the underlying cognitive and linguistic processes of reading. It has 15 subtests to evaluate aspects of phonological development, orthographical processing, decoding, reading fluency, and comprehension skills. Academic achievement tests endeavor to evaluate core neuropsychological and theoretical perspectives that identify students at risk. However, reading tests have historically not focused on why a student may struggle with reading interventions. A neuropsychological approach to reading posits that multiple neural pathways assist the reading process. These processes include orthographic mapping, phonemic awareness, fluency, decoding, and comprehension. The aim of the test is to help the evaluator learn why a student is struggling with reading, as well as to inform intervention. This review explores the Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR), and its contribution to the neuropsychological evaluation of reading.

Hábitos de leitura em estudantes universitários tchecos e brasileiros com e sem dislexia

RESUMO Objetivo: comparar os hábitos de leitura avaliados pelo Questionário História de Leitura em adultos com e sem dislexia de diferentes culturas e línguas. Métodos: participaram da pesquisa 119 estudantes universitários (60 tchecos e 59 brasileiros, metade com dislexia), os quais foram avaliados por meio de autoavaliação, respondendo o questionário de história de leitura e realizando teste de nível de leitura. A pontuação no QHL foi comparada entre os grupos e países com o teste de Análise de Variância (ANOVA) e a correlação foi avaliada com o teste de Spearman, ambos com nível de significância de p < 0,05. Resultados: adultos com dislexia obtiveram menor pontuação nos hábitos de leitura e no nível de leitura do que adultos leitores típicos em ambas as línguas. Houve correlação positiva entre os hábitos de leitura e o nível de leitura nos dois idiomas. Os brasileiros, independentemente do grupo, mostraram hábitos de leitura com menor pontuação do que os estudantes tchecos. Conclusão: os resultados sugerem que a autoavaliação dos hábitos de leitura é uma forma eficaz de triagem para os transtornos de leitura, contudo os fatores culturais e escolares devem ser considerados.

Reading habits of Czech and Brazilian university students with and without dyslexia

ABSTRACT Purpose: to compare, with Adult Reading History Questionnaire results, the reading habits of adults with and without dyslexia of different cultures and languages. Methods: the research comprised 119 university students (60 Czechs and 59 Brazilians, half of them with dyslexia) assessed by responding to the self-report reading history questionnaire and taking a reading level test. ARHQ scores were compared between the groups and countries with the analysis of variance (ANOVA), and their correlation was assessed with the Spearman’s test, both with the significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: adults with dyslexia had lower reading habit scores and reading level scores than typical readers in both languages. Reading habits were positively correlated with reading levels in both languages. Regardless of the group, Brazilians had lower reading habit scores than Czechs. Conclusion: the results suggest that self-assessing reading habits is an effective way to screen for reading disorders. However, cultural and school factors must be considered.

Remote learning among students with and without reading difficulties during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

This article presents the results of a survey on yet under-researched aspects of remote learning and learning difficulties in higher education during the initial stage (March - June 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 2182 students from University of Warsaw in Poland completed a two-part questionnaire regarding academic achievements in the academic year 2019/2020, living conditions and stress related to learning and pandemic, as well as basic demographic information, and Dyslexia Diagnosis Questionnaire (DDQ). The analyses were carried out in three sub-groups of students: who self-reported having a formal diagnosis of dyslexia (CDYS), self-reported reading difficulties, but had no formal diagnosis of dyslexia (SIDYS), and who reported no reading difficulties (CON). The results of the survey revealed that compared with the CON group, more students from CDYS and SIDYS groups did not pass at least one exam in the summer semester. CDYS and SIDYS groups experienced higher stress due to epidemiological restrictions, they had more difficulties than CON with the organisation of learning and obtaining credit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicate a need for special consideration of additional support for students experiencing reading difficulties (whether or not they have a formal diagnosis).