Screening tests are intended to identify individuals who have previously not been identified with, or treated for, a particular condition. So our Dyslexia Screening Test is designed to identify individuals who have not previously been diagnosed with, or treated for, dyslexia.
No, it is not designed for that task. In fact, some of the subtests used on the test resemble the kinds of exercises used to treat dyslexic reading and spelling challenges, the previous treatment for dyslexia can invalidate the test’s ability to identify an individual’s actual likelihood of dyslexia.
The test is available for users from age 7 to 70.
Currently, the test app can only be used on an iPad running operating system iOS 11, 12 or 13. We will gradually be adding other platforms, so check back if you need another platform.
The test app is available in Apple’s App Store for iPad. You can find our app in the store by searching “Neurolearning” or “Dyslexia Screening Test”.
Additional testing slots can be purchased directly from us (neurolearning.com) for $20 USD per test, by contacting us at admin@neurolearning.com.
All users need 4 basic abilities to receive valid results:
• The test is administered in English, so users must be fluent in spoken English at or near their age level.
• The test requires hearing good enough to listen to spoken instructions
• The test requires vision good enough to see words and images on an iPad screen
• The test requires arm/hand strength and coordination good enough to select answers quickly on a touch screen
No. The directions for the test are straightforward, and provided by the app’s recorded narrator. However, we do recommend that all users up to age 15 have an adult observer present at all times during the test to monitor their attention and focus, and to suggest taking breaks when necessary.
All users will receive a complete report which contains:
• A Total Dyslexia Score, which measures their dyslexia risk level, or likelihood of dyslexia
• 6 Dyslexia Subscale Scores, which measure their performance in 4 key areas of basic processing that are main contributors to dyslexia risk, and 2 areas of reading performance
• Detailed explanations of the meaning of the scores, and resources to help understand dyslexia
• A detailed set of individualized recommendations to help users create an action plan for school or work
• A resource list detailing where you can find the necessary information and tools you need to put your action plan to work
In addition, students who score HIGH or VERY HIGH will receive an additional School Summary Report containing a brief description of their results and recommendations that can be used with schools and teachers to request supports and/or additional testing.
Very accurate. Our screener has been designed to assess the key processing skills underlying dyslexia, using types of questions that many professionals use to measure those skills. When we compared the results of our screener with those of dyslexia experts in evaluating the data generated from these questions with over 1000 individuals, we found that our screener correctly identified over 90% of the individuals identified by the dyslexia experts as Positive (High or Very High risk–the Test’s sensitivity). In the same testing, we also found that fewer than 2% of individuals assessed as POSITIVE (HIGH or VERY HIGH risk) by our screener were identified as NEGATIVE (LOW or VERY LOW risk range) by the expert diagnosticians (the Test’s positive predictive value).
Although your results do not constitute an official diagnosis that will require your school or work to provide special services, the high accuracy of our test can be very effective in prompting schools and employers to voluntarily provide accommodations, services, and even additional testing.
Yes. Our data control processes comply fully with HIPAA standards, and we will make your scores and reports available only to you and to any school or professional through whom you took the test.
Yes. Our Dyslexia Screening Test was designed by dyslexia experts in response to the latest in research on dyslexia causation and assessment. Rather than focusing only on a single or narrow set of measures, our screener is designed to test the four key brain processing functions that have been shown to contribute most to dyslexia risk:
• phonemic awareness
• working memory
• naming speed
• visual attention
It also measures two acquired reading skills:
• word level reading (real word and nonsense pseudoword reading)
• passage level reading
This broad combination of test measures means that our dyslexia screener measures many of the same kinds of skills that are measured in an expert professional assessment, which greatly supports the validity of our testing process.
Yes. Our screener measures both how many questions a person answers correctly, and which questions they answer correctly. Because we have collected and analyzed such data on over 1000 test users, we now know the patterns of correct and incorrect answers that individuals with dyslexia tend to give on our test. In other words, we have a set of “dyslexia models”, and the answer patterns that are given by most people with dyslexia will fit very closely with one or another of these patterns. This allows us to determine very accurately how closely the pattern of correct and incorrect answers given by an individual taking our test corresponds to one of the patterns a truly dyslexic (or non-dyslexic) individual would show, and allows us to identify individuals who instead missed questions due to inattention or in an attempt to misrepresent their true abilities or falsify their test results.
Yes. The screener also identifies children who are at risk for broader and more severe language difficulties, often referred to as Developmental Language Disorder (or sometimes Specific Language Impairment). Children with this pattern may benefit from some of the same interventions that help children with dyslexia. However, these children also typically require more in depth and specialized interventions, and they ALWAYS require thorough and detailed testing. This testing is usually provided by a Speech Language Pathologists, and schools can often help provide access to such intervention.
Yes. Although we do not list the result on the report, our screener does create a measure for verbal strengths, and uses this measure to appropriately adjust the Total Dyslexia Scores for students with very high verbal abilities.
The screening test itself focuses on identifying dyslexia-associated challenges. However, users also be able to take to a MIND-Strengths self-assessment survey, which is focused on helping dyslexic users identify their strengths in certain kinds of dyslexia-associated strengths, as discussed in the book The Dyslexic Advantage. Currently the MIND-Strengths survey tests are optimized for users ages 13 and over, but parents can sometimes help students younger than this age explore their strengths through the questions in these quizzes. Unlike the Screening Test, which allows a comparison of the degree of dyslexic challenges likely to be experienced by different individuals, the MIND-Strengths surveys are best used to help individuals compare their personal strengths in several different areas, rather to compare the strengths of one individual with another.
Plug headphones or ear buds into your iPad. Do you hear the test now? If not, contact us at the form below and tell us what operating system you’re working.
Once you complete the assessment you can find your report by returning to and tapping on the Home Page (see below), which will open up the Sign-in Page (below). Then tap on “View Report” in the appropriate test slot (below). Your report should appear in just a few seconds. You can return to retrieve this report at any time. You can also retrieve your report by visiting the website portal.neurolearning.com, and logging in using the same username and password you used to take the app test.
Home Page
Sign-in Page
View Report
For other questions or feedback, please use the contact form below. Thank You!
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