School-Age Assessments Explained by DAS Assessment Team
“Help! My child will be going to Primary 1 next year but he continues to exhibit significant literacy difficulties despite having gone through specialised literacy intervention. What should I do now?”
Moving to Primary One is a significant educational milestone for all preschool graduates. It is imperative that they are equipped with adequate literacy skills to cope with the academic demands in primary school. However, if you find that your child displays persistent struggles in learning, you can consider sending him/her for a school-age assessment to ascertain the nature of his/her persistent learning difficulty.
What is a School-Age Assessment (SAA)?
The school-age assessment (SAA) is conducted by DAS psychologists to diagnose dyslexia. It is offered to all current DAS Preschool Programme students who will be completing their kindergarten education and going to primary school. To be eligible for the SAA, the child must be at least 6 years old and has attended a structured literacy programme for a minimum of 6 months. During the SAA, various standardised assessment tools will be used to assess your child’s cognitive functioning, literacy and phonological skills.
Benefits of SAA
The SAA serves to ascertain if your child has a learning difficulty such as dyslexia. It also provides an in-depth evaluation of your child’s strengths and weaknesses as well as to identify areas of learning needs. Suitable strategies and resources to maximize your child’s learning will also be recommended.
An assessment also plays an important role in connecting your child with appropriate intervention, as well as providing a basis for access arrangements.
Intervention: If your child has been diagnosed with dyslexia, has a specific learning difference, or is identified as struggling with literacy, he/she will be eligible for the DAS Main Literacy Programme (MLP). DAS has a range of programmes that can support your child’s learning. Findings from the SAA provide valuable information to facilitate placing your child in a group with peers of similar abilities. Information in the report also allows the DAS’ educational therapist to better understand your child’s learning profile, possible gaps in literacy skills, and teaching strategies that have been helpful for your child, if any. With that knowledge, the educational therapists will be in a better position to adjust their teaching methodology and tailor the intervention accordingly.
Access Arrangements: Through the SAA, a profile of your child’s learning strengths and weaknesses will be identified, and the psychologist may recommend ways to help your child perform closer to their academic potential. For instance, children with significant reading difficulties may benefit from having extra time during their examinations
Following the SAA, your child’s psychologist will make appropriate recommendations based on his/her learning needs. Should your child be diagnosed with dyslexia, you may wish to learn more about what dyslexia is, and what can be done subsequently. Parents/caregivers may also consider signing up for courses at the DAS Academy to learn more about how they can support their child.
