Özet:

Dyslexia, which states learning difficulties in reading, is a language-based disorder. The studies show that individuals with dyslexia experience significant difficulties in oral language skills other than phonology, in addition to phonological processing and reading problems. Therefore, speech language therapists play a crucial role in the diagnosis, evaluation and intervention processes of dyslexia. The aim of this study is to examine the dyslexia-related knowledge levels of speech language therapist candidates. The participants of the study consist of 92 fourth-grade students who continue their education in language and speech therapy undergraduate programs. To collect the data, “Questionnaire for Determining Dyslexia-Related Knowledge Level” was used. It was seen that the majority of the participants answered the majority of the questionnaire items correctly, but the incorrect and incomplete information about dyslexia was common among the therapist candidates, and the significant number of the therapist candidates did not know the language and speech problems in individuals with dyslexia. It was found that the dyslexia-related knowledge levels of the candidates who took a course on dyslexia during their undergraduate education were higher than that of the candidates who did not. The results of the study provide important information on the dyslexia-related knowledge and education levels of the speech language therapist candidates. The fact that the candidates who took a course on dyslexia during their undergraduate education have a higher level of knowledge on it reveals the importance of the courses given in the undergraduate programs in terms of the management of dyslexia which is a very common disorder. Considering the importance of speech language therapists in the evaluation and intervention processes of dyslexia, the results were discussed in line with the literature and suggestions for implementation and research were presented.

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