Identification of signs of dyslexia test

Abstract

Screening instruments can help to characterize the academic and neuropsychological difficulties of individuals with Dyslexia. The aim of this study was to verify whether there would be differences in performance in the Identification of Signs of Dyslexia Test (TISD) when a group of children with Dyslexia was compared other diagnostic groups of children with level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Borderline Intellectual Functioning and Academic Difficulties. Participants were 172 children that had been diagnosed by interdisciplinary teams and average age ranging from 8.75 (SD = 2.21) to 10.14 (SD = 2.36) year-old. Comparison and association analyzes were performed using Univariate Analysis of Variance and Multinomial Logistic Regression, respectively. The results indicated that the ID and ASD groups presented more impaired performances. Additionally, the TISD was sensitive enough to identify differences between the Dyslexia and ASD groups, with the latter presenting worse performance. However, with the other groups, such differences were not observed. Complementary studies, with larger samples, are necessary, considering the effects of other variables associated with the disorders studied.