Identification of familial risk and dyslexia in Finnish children
The aim of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia (JLD) was to assess the early signs of dyslexia by following the development of children at risk for reading problemsand control children up to school age. The questions related to assessment of literacy skills and diagnosis of dyslexiawere especially relevant at two stages. The first stage was the inception of the study, when the participants were recruited. The risk group children were selected on the basis of their parents’ reading and spelling problems . The second stage was when the participating children reached school age. At that point diagnostic means and criteria were needed for assessing the outcome of familial risk. This article aims at describing and explaining the decisions made with reference to these diagnostic challenges. The problems related to the assessment of literacy, as well as the diagnostics of dyslexia, are also discussed.