Dyslexia Assessment Protocol - 2

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

ABOUT

DAP-2 is based on the knowledge gained during the implementation of the project DAP (Dyslexia Assessment Protocol), realized in the period 2019-2022. DAP aimed at creating an assessment tool for dyslexia risks in primary school pupils and the last year of preschool. During its implementation, a survey was conducted among pre-school and primary school teachers and parents. The results it led to the conclusion that too often the understanding of dyslexia is not clear; parents and even teachers do not always recognize the warning signs in children early enough. The knowledge gained during the implementation of DAP led to the statement that it is necessary to create a tool to assess children of even younger ages to increase the chances of early intervention. The earlier intervention starts, the higher the chance for the affected children to succeed in their studies, feel selfconfident and accepted and prevent early school leaving. Thus, early intervention when adults notice developmental delays in little children and help them speed up the acquisition of skills and knowledge in the problematic areas is very important to ensure the inclusion and well-being of these children. The age of 4-5 is too early to diagnose dyslexia, because the speed and dynamics of children’s development is very individual. However, there are worldwide known developmental milestones indicating the things that most children should do at a certain age. If there are deficits in certain areas and difficulties to reach specific milestones, adults should consider it as a warning sign and pay more attention to improve the respective skills. The main objective of the project DAP-2 is to develop an assessment tool adapted to the needs of 4-5 years old children in order to timely notice any possible developmental delays, and to support preschool teachers and parents with a simple tool to be used in their everyday work with children.