2017 Volume 58 Issue 3 Pages 351-358
Assessment tests for Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) as defined by the DSM-5 were overviewed. Starting with the transition in diagnostic criteria, assessment methods covering general intellectual capacity, academic proficiency, and cognition including tests on phonology, automatization, visual cognition, and vocabulary were discussed. Proficiency and cognitive tests can exclude environmental factors as the cause, and the ability to estimate and diagnose SLD using objective methods is a notable characteristic of the disorder. Reference is also made to the cognitive tests helpful in determining needed support and applicability of established evidence-based methods of teaching and support, with particular regard to problems with reading and writing of the Japanese language.
