Abstract

Purpose: In the present study, we conducted a systematic review to determine whether studies involving children with dyslexia include the assessment of oral language skills in their assessment batteries across various professional disciplines. Overlooking assessment of oral language in children with dyslexia may result in the misinterpretation of research findings and applications to children who present with both dyslexia and Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) or experience secondary oral language deficits. Method: According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched the Elsevier Scopus database and obtained and analyzed 764 articles, up to 40 articles each year from 2000 to 2020, involving child participants with dyslexia. A coding scheme was created to analyze the diagnostic criteria and inclusion and exclusion criteria used for the classification of children with dyslexia within each study. We also investigated whether oral language was included in the methodology of the study, and, if so, what areas of oral language were assessed. We further analyzed whether the inclusion of oral language assessment varied according to the professional discipline of the journal (e.g., medicine, education, etc.). Results: Out of 764 articles, 24.4% of articles account for oral language skills in criteria for children with dyslexia. The journal discipline of speech-language pathology considers oral language the most in their articles with 84% of articles either accounting for oral language in participant selection criteria or as a descriptive feature in children with dyslexia. Journal articles from the medical discipline are least likely (45% of all articles) to assess oral language. Phonological awareness is the most commonly reported area of oral language assessed, ranging from 10% to 18% of articles in each discipline. Conclusion: Few studies investigate oral language skills in children with dyslexia beyond the phonological domain alone. This may result in misrepresentation of the varying oral language skills in children with dyslexia in research. To better understand the role of oral language in children with dyslexia, we recommend that researchers and professionals include oral language assessment when assessing children with dyslexia.

Degree

MS

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Communication Disorders

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2023-06-22

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd12874

Keywords

dyslexia, children, oral language, assessment

Language

english

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