Dyslexia Assessment Protocol Erasmus Project

Project Title

Dyslexia Assessment Protocol

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Disabilities – special needs; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

One of the largest group of children with specific learning difficulties are children with dyslexia.Dyslexia is a difficulty in the acquisition of reading and writing that is neurological in origin.It affects individuals of all languages and cultures.According to the European Dyslexia Association,dyslexia affects 25 million of population in Europe.Research shows that the only appropriate solution is a continuous and long-lasting intervention which supports the development of various skills and abilities affected by dyslexia.The earlier the problem is identified,the sooner the intervention starts the most probable positive outcomes will be.
Over the last 25 years,many researchers have made a concerted effort to find out why so many children struggle with learning to read. The importance of reading/writing literacy has been repeatedly acknowledged and strongly featured in European cooperation in the field of education (‘Education and Training 2020’ program).Reading/writing difficulties,if not recognised on time and/or not adequately supported from early school years inevitably lead to academic underachievement,behavioural problems and very often – to early school leaving.
Although most children begin school with positive attitudes and expectations for success,by the end of the primary grades and increasingly thereafter,some children become disaffected.The majority of reading problems faced by today’s adolescents and adults are the result of problems that might have been avoided or resolved in their early childhood years.It is imperative that steps be taken to ensure that children with dyslexia or at risk of dyslexia are identified early enough and get appropriate support to overcome these obstacles during the primary grades.
The problem this project addresses is of great importance not only in the partner countries,but for many others outside the partnership,because it affects thousands of pupils,their teachers and families,the supporting staff – not only academically,but also in emotional,behavioural and social aspects.
The objective of the project is to develop a Dyslexia Assessment Protocol (DAP) – a set of assessment tools for detecting children at risk of dyslexia at pre-school age,and pupils who have already encountered reading/writing/learning difficulties.It will be based on the research partners did during the preparation stage, the comparative analysis of the situation and Scientific Substantiation Report that will justify the structure and the content of the new developed assessment tool. A computerised version of the Protocol will be also developed.The tablet-sized app will be available for Windows and Android in all partner languages.The app will display all test results and will save all them individually for every child,giving also the opportunity to monitor child’s progress within his early school years. In addition to this partners will collect a considerable number of exercises in an Exercise book, which will provide teachers with a practical tool they can use with pupils with dyslexia and other related learning difficulties in order to develop the skills they have deficits in.
In the Implementation phase of the project a group of pre-school and primary school teachers will be trained and then,in collaboration with the project team,they will conduct a screening of a big number of pre-school children and 1st-2nd grade pupils to check in practice the usefulness and feasibility of the Protocol. Thus, the project’s outputs will equip teachers with new tools and the skills to use these tools in their every-day work.
As far as the materials developed within the Partnership will be not only in partner languages,but also in English and will stay available even after the end of the project,they could serve much wider audience beyond the partner countries,which will considerably increase the impact of the project results at European level,moreover the topic in question is crucial for almost everybody
The consortium is made up of institutions from 5 European countries: Latvia, Bulgaria,Turkey,Romania and Germany.Although different in their nature and structure (Universities,NGO,Educational authorities,school and private company) they all have abilities,specific experience and competence in the field of special education.Different perspectives and different context partners work in will enable a synthesis of different approaches to the problem.This transnational cooperation facilitates the integration of novel insights into the work related to literacy acquisition,early identification of learning difficulties,SEN support,interactive teaching methods and inclusive education in the partner countries.The project partners are equipped with the skills,expertise and competence required in order the project aims to be achieved at the highest level.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 200906 Eur

Project Coordinator

REZEKNES TEHNOLOGIJU AKADEMIJA & Country: LV

Project Partners

• SDRUZHENIE “ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA – BULGARIA”
• GedonSoft GmbH
• Liceul Teoretic Grigore Moisil Timisoara
• KOCAELI IL MILLI EGITIM MUDURLUGU