Advances in early years screening for dyslexia in the United Kingdom

Annals of Dyslexia, 1998 by Fawcett, A J, Singleton, C H, Peer, L

In this article, we describe two United Kingdom (UK) screening tests for dyslexia: the Dyslexia Early Screening Test (DEST) and the Cognitive Profiling System (CoPS 1), both normed and designed to be administered by teachers to children four years and older. We first outline the political context in the UK, which for the first time, makes the use of such tests viable. We then outline the research programs behind and the components of each test; reliability and validity are also discussed. Information is presented on the tests in use. We conclude that tests such as these have the potential to identify children as at risk before they fail, halting the cycle of emotional and motivational problems traditionally associated with dyslexia. Both tests are appropriate for use in the United States, and initial reactions from the education sector have been favorable.

INTRODUCTION

For many years, it has been the hope of applied dyslexia researchers to develop a screening test able to identify children as at risk for dyslexia before they fail to learn to read, that is, by age six years or younger. There is no doubt that such a screening procedure, if feasible, would be of immense help. Research has shown clearly that the earlier the intervention, the easier it is for a child with dyslexia to learn to read, and the less danger there is of psychological trauma. But despite the clear value of early screening for dyslexia, and despite excellent research in the area (e.g., Scarborough 1991; Badian 1994; Fawcett, Pickering, and Nicolson 1993; Singleton 1988; Singleton and Thomas 1994), until recently viable measures have not been available in any English-speaking country.

We believe that the time is now right for the acceptance of such screening tests, and in this article we present our reasons for optimism, namely, that the current political backdrop in the United Kingdom ensures, for the first time, that such tests are educationally acceptable. Information for this section is based on the work of Lindsay Peer, Education Director for the British Dyslexia Association. We go on to describe two early screening tests which are currently available in the UK: the Dyslexia Early Screening Test (DEST), designed at the University of Sheffield by Nicolson and Fawcett; and the Cognitive Profiling System (CoPS 1), designed at the University of Hull by Singleton, Thomas, and Leedale.

THE POLITICAL BACKGROUND IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

We believe that in the UK, we have found a practical catalyst for change in the form of diagnostic tests for all at school entry. These tests have been designed and tested by psychologists for use by teachers or classroom assistants. In a joint project targeting research into practice, the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) ran trials of the early identification packages described in this article, providing in-service training in four education authorities (districts). The BDA is in some ways comparable to the International Dyslexia Association, serving as the UK's voluntary umbrella organization to coordinate action for people with dyslexia of all ages. However, in the UK, there are no funds dedicated to dyslexia research, whereas in the United States (US) substantial annual funding is provided by the National Institutes of Health. Consequently, research in the UK tends to be scattered in different university departments, which typically compete for access to funding that is largely provided by charities rather than by the government. The dyslexia research units in Sheffield and Hull have been conducting research on dyslexia for more than a decade. The only links between the two units are the common concern they share for people with dyslexia, and the fact that both units have independently created preschool screening tests for dyslexia. These tests are unique in the UK in that they test a range of skills; a number of excellent tests available for this age group evaluate disparate skills. Before the current project was conceived, CoPS 1 and the prototype DEST had been designed by their respective authors, and the BDA was sufficiently enthusiastic about the broad opportunities which these tests presented to suggest that they should be tried out nationwide. The project was backed by British Telecom, BBC TV, and the Honourable Lord Walker. It has proved highly successful overall, judging from the response of the education authorities and teachers involved in the evaluation. In fact, the reaction has been so encouraging that the Teacher Training Agency has recently directed extra funding to the BDA for dissemination of these packages into higher education institutions so that trainee teachers can be taught to use them. This paper represents a rare collaboration between independent research groups with the goal of informing our American readers about the options available for screening children with dyslexia and other learning difficulties.

In Britain, there has been a great deal of pressure on the government to implement educational change, leading to a system whereby children with dyslexia, who have different learning needs, can be identified and supported at an early age. Children in the UK start school either in the term in which their fifth birthday falls, or as a "rising 5" entering the reception class at age 4.5 years. Teaching of letter sounds begins in the first week of school, and by the second term, it is expected that the children will come to grips with simple CVC words. All children are expected to have their first reading book by the end of the first year, and many children will have taken off with their reading by this time. Formal reading instruction is, therefore, initiated considerably sooner in the UK than in the US, where it typically starts with six-year olds in Grade 1. Consequently, the British regime provides especially good opportunities to identify any problems during the first year of school. Moreover, unlike in the US where educational decisions are made by each individual state, educational policies in the UK are created at the national level. It is therefore possible, in principle, to introduce sweeping reforms.