Pupils with special assessment needs

No pupils should be automatically excluded from taking Dyslexia Screener. The only reservation is children with EAL status.

The test is primarily intended for individuals who speak English as a first language or who have, at the very least, been immersed in an English-speaking environment since early childhood. If the Screener is given to pupils without this degree of experience with English, then only two of the six sub-tests will give valid indicators of their abilities. These are the Missing Pieces and Visual Search sub-tests. The two attainment sub-tests, Reading and Spelling, will give valid measures provided that pupils have had all their educational experience delivered in English-medium schools. Vocabulary and Word Sounds will be the sub-tests most adversely affected by EAL status, since they assume experience with spoken English commensurate with that of someone who speaks English as a first language.