Early identification of reading disabilities: Current status and new directions. Assessment for Effective Intervention

Despite a growing body of research, the ability to accurately identify which young children are at risk of developing reading disabilities remains elusive. The purpose of this article is to describe the issues that complicate early identification and to suggest possible avenues for exploration. Major issues facing early identification efforts include the type of measures used for screening, timing, definition of classification accuracy, and the criteria for "at risk " and "reading disabled " status. As a possible solution, we propose that the addition of growth measures may yield more accurate classification. As many as 10 million children have diffi-culty leaming to read (NICHD, n.d.). This figure takes on ominous proportions when considering that early difficulty with reading sets the stage for persistent reading disabilities (RD). In order to interrupt the cycle of read-ing failure and its accompanying negative consequences, earlier intervention is neces-sary. While educators and researchers have developed research-based beginning reading interventions that reduced the number of at-risk students and possibly the prevalence of later reading disabilities (e.g., Ball &amp