Group Differences in Dyslexia Screening Test scores Between 8- and 9-Year-old Dutch and Immigrant Children

The prevalence of dyslexia is 4-5% in the Netherlands. A well known instrument for measuring the risk for dyslexia is the Dyslexia Screening Test (DST). This study addresses cultural bias in the DST in a sample of 63 Dutch and 53 immigrant fifth-graders. A positive relationship between DST scores, word lexicon and socio-economic status was found. Although DST scores did not show group differences in risk indicators, a comparison of subtest scores showed that confounding cultural and linguistic influences complicated the identification of at risk children. Differences were only found in the subtests naming letters, naming pictures and verbal fluency. Probably, these differences are caused by bias, because of the specific cultural and linguistic character of these subtests. It was concluded that cultural bias (both construct and item bias) challenges the validity of the DST for assessment in multicultural groups.