Dyslexia manifests itself in many different ways.  The most common indicators of dyslexia are problems encountered with any of the following: reading, writing, spelling, organisation, memory, word retrieval and speed of processing.  You may have noticed difficulties with some of these. There are also well known ‘at risk’ factors such as a family history of similar difficulties.

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Many of the difficulties are common during a child’s first year or two at school. However, if a group of these symptoms persist beyond the time when the average child has grown out of them, this may indicate dyslexia.

Why carry out a Dyslexia assessment?

Progress at school may be unexpected and/or become slow, concerns may have been shared by teachers or you may have noticed something unexpected when working with your child. 

Screeners may have been carried out that suggest further investigation into Dyslexia is necessary.

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Early idenitifcation of dyslexia is important to support the child to understand their difficulties, develop learning strategies and make use of appropriate interventions.  Research has shown that a dyslexia diagnosis helps develop a child’s self esteem, empowering them to take charge of their learning and progress.  

When should a child be assessed for Dyslexia?

Dyslexia assessments can take place as young as 5 years old, but this isn't always appropriate, particularly following the missed educational opportunities that many pupils experienced due to lockdown during the Covid pandemic.  It is therefore important to obtain information about an individuals developmental history and personal circumstances so that the reasons for any gaps in learning can be better understood.

If you are concerned that your child may have dyslexia, first discuss this with your child's class/form teacher. You could also arrange a meeting with the school's SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) to discuss your concerns and thoughts. The SENCo may be able to carry out assessment or screening to give an indication of possible dyslexic difficulties.

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If your concerns continue and you would like to discuss next steps and whether a full diagnostic assessment is appropriate, please complete our contact form with a brief summary of your situation and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

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What does an assessment involve?

Initially there is alot of information gathering involving parents/carers, teachers and the child.

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The assessment process usually takes 2 to 3 hours and can be carried out over 2 seperate sessions if necessary.  There are 6 assessments in total that provide information about underlying ablility, spelling, reading comprehension, processing, memory and hearing and manipulating sounds in words.

Results are analysed alongside information that has been gathered and a detailed report is produced that identifies strengths, areas for development and makes recommendations for school and home.  Where appropriate, a diagnosis of Dyslexia is made.

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 What is the advantage of having a diagnostic assessment instead of a screener?

If someone is experiencing significant difficulties in their learning and would like to either find out more, or needs further support then a Diagnostic Assessment for Dyslexia can really help.

Common reasons for a Diagnostic Assessment for Dyslexia are:

• To apply for funded support at university known as Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA).

• To use as evidence for Exam Access Arrangements whilst studying at college, university or for professional qualifications.

• To apply for Exam Access Arrangements at school: If your child is in Year 9 or above and you wish the assessment that you are booking to be used as part of an application for Exam Access Arrangements, usually GCSEs or A Levels, e.g. extra time in exams, a reader or a scribe, etc. then it will be necessary for you to contact your child’s school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) prior to the assessment as this is now a JCQ requirement.

• To provide more information for employers so that they can make Reasonable Adjustments for an employee with specific difficulties.