BEDA: a computerized assessment battery for dyslexia in adults

Abstract

Dyslexia is a very common learning disability in Spanish-speaking university students and requires special attention by experts and teachers to intervene with and assist affected students during their learning process. However, appropriate tools that assess cognitive processes associated with dyslexia in adults do not exist in Spanish. In this context, a novel battery (BEDA) was built making use of web-based technology and based on multimodal communication to deliver assessment tasks using visual, auditory, and speech communication channels. BEDA has eight modules: six for assessing each cognitive process, one for analyzing results, and one for administration purposes. BEDA was tested by teachers and students at the University of Girona. The findings indicated that the teachers had a limited awareness of dyslexic students. However, they showed interest in using BEDA. The students were able to complete the battery in 40-50 minutes and their satisfaction was quite high in terms of usability.