Abstract
Although several screening tests for recognizing early signs of reading and spelling difficulties have been developed, brief and methodologically grounded tools for teachers are very limited. The present study aimed to lay the foundation for a new screening tool for teachers: the Checklist for early Indicators of risk Factors in Reading Ability (CI-FRA). The proposed checklist consists of 20 items, based on a 7-point Likert scale, and it investigates five domains: reading, writing, attention, and motor skills. Six hundred sixty-seven children were evaluated by 40 teachers during the first year of primary school and, longitudinally, in the second year. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied to verify structural validity. Concurrent validity was assessed by Spearman correlation to analyze the link between CI-FRA and reading and spelling standardized tests and cognitive tests. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach α and interclass correlation coefficient. The CFA reported a three-factor structure as the optimal solution, including language (reading and writing), visuospatial attention, and fine motor skills subscales. Good reliability, good internal consistency, and acceptable test–retest indices were found. Concurrent validity was confirmed by significant correlations between CI-FRA total score and standardized reading and spelling test, as well as by correlations between CI-FRA subscales and neuropsychological standardized test scores. Preliminary evaluation of sensitivity by receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the CI-FRA score has particularly high sensitivity and specificity for word reading speed deficit. In conclusion, the results confirm that CI-FRA is a theoretically grounded and statistically valid tool that could help the teachers to screen for early signs of reading and spelling difficulties.
Highlights
Several studies show that early intervention is crucial to correct some of the adverse effects of reading difficulties (Torgesen et al, 2001; Poskiparta et al, 2003; Elbro and Scarborough, 2004; Torgesen, 2005)
Many standardized tests are available for clinicians to assess learning disorders, little effort has been done in literature in terms of tools dedicated to teachers
The first factor extracted is composed of 12 items and includes the items representing behaviors related to phonological abilities (1, 2, and 3), reading (4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), and spelling ability difficulties (13, 14, and 15)
Summary
Several studies show that early intervention is crucial to correct some of the adverse effects of reading difficulties (Torgesen et al, 2001; Poskiparta et al, 2003; Elbro and Scarborough, 2004; Torgesen, 2005). For this reason, the identification of early signs characterizing children with reading and spelling difficulties is essential. In line with Poulsen et al (2017), the present study aimed to create a fast screening tool based on different domains of evaluation and including both early indicators of learning disorders and a measure of current reading and spelling abilities
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