Dyslexia assessments
Why consider an assessment?
When a child finds learning difficult, it can frustrate everyone, especially when they work hard but don't make the expected progress.
A dyslexia assessment can help to make sense of what is happening. It looks beyond whether a child can simply read or spell and explores their individual pattern of strengths and difficulties.
The assessment considers areas associated with literacy development, including reading, spelling, phonological processing, memory and processing speed. Information from home and school also helps build a complete picture. For many children and families, having an explanation can be incredibly positive. It can help a child understand why some things feel harder, recognise their strengths and, importantly, identify the support that may help them move forward.
Following the assessment, you will receive a detailed written report with clear, personalised recommendations that can be shared with school and used to support your child at home.
Before the assessment
Once you decide to proceed, I will send you a parent questionnaire and a school questionnaire for your child's teacher or SENCo to complete.
This background information is an important part of the assessment process. It helps me understand your child's development, educational history, current strengths and any areas of concern before we meet.
I may also ask you to provide copies of relevant school reports or previous assessment information where available.
Your child should have had a recent eye test and should bring anything they normally use to support them in school, such as glasses or a coloured overlay.
Once the initial information has been received and your booking confirmed, we will be ready for assessment day.
What happens on the day?
A full diagnostic assessment usually takes around three hours, including plenty of opportunities for breaks.
I know that three hours can sound daunting, particularly for a child who already finds learning difficult. The assessment is therefore broken into lots of shorter activities, with breaks as needed, and I work hard to make the experience feel relaxed and positive.
Your child will complete a range of activities exploring areas such as:
- Language and reasoning
- Phonological processing
- Memory
- Processing and retrieval speed
- Reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension
- Spelling
- Writing
The assessment is tailored to each child, so not every learner will complete the same combination of tasks.
Importantly, the assessment isn't about your child passing or failing. It is about understanding how they learn, where their strengths lie and what might be getting in the way.
What happens afterwards?
Once the assessment is complete, I carefully analyse the results alongside my observations and the information you and your child's school provide.You will then receive a comprehensive diagnostic report, which explains the findings in clear, accessible language and confirms whether your child's profile is consistent with dyslexia.
The report will include:
- a clear summary of your child's learning profile
- their individual strengths and areas of difficulty
- an explanation of the assessment findings
- a diagnostic conclusion
- personalised recommendations for school and home
- recommendations for specialist support, where appropriate
- information relevant to future access arrangements, where appropriate
My aim is for the report to be something that is genuinely useful, rather than simply a collection of test scores. It should help you, your child and their school understand what they need in order to move forward.Once you have received the report, I am happy to arrange a follow-up conversation to talk through the findings and answer any questions.