THE WORD CHAIN TEST: A SHORT COLLECTIVE SCREENING FOR IDENTIFICATION OF CHILDREN AT RISK FOR READING DISABILITIES

Currently, no short collective screening measure effectively assesses silent word decoding skills in Italian primary and secondary school children. Jacobson (1995) described a test of silent words recognition, called Word Chain Test (WCT), which appeared a valid method for detecting children with reading difficulties. The aim of the present study was to validate an Italian version of the WCT. In Study 1, we presented normative data in a sample of 1,154 children from Grade 1 to Grade 8, and measured both concurrent validity and internal consistency. We calculated a word recognition index (WRI) which, controlling for visuospatial and speed factors, seemed to provide a good assessment of the word recognition ability. In Study 2, we evaluated whether the WCT could discriminate a clinically identified population of children with dyslexia from typical children. Advantages and recommendations on the use of the WCT by teachers were discussed