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Dyslexia Assessments for Children & Young People

When a child is finding aspects of school difficult, it isn't always obvious why.

Reading, spelling or writing may be the main concern, but sometimes there are also difficulties with attention, memory, maths, coordination, organisation, confidence or emotional wellbeing.

These things can overlap, which is why I believe it is important that an assessment helps make sense of the bigger picture.

 

Dyslexia assessment and more

For children and young people, I can provide a full diagnostic assessment for dyslexia, alongside consideration of other areas that may be affecting learning.

An assessment involves gathering background information, listening to the concerns of the child, parents and school where appropriate, and completing a carefully selected range of psychometric tests. I then bring all of that information together to understand the young person's individual pattern of strengths and difficulties.

Where relevant, I can also explore indicators of:

• Maths difficulties and dyscalculia

• Attention and ADHD-related difficulties

• Coordination and DCD/dyspraxia

• Visual stress

• Memory and processing difficulties

• Organisation and executive functioning

• Emotional wellbeing and confidence

This does not mean that every child needs every test. The assessment is tailored to the individual and to the questions we are trying to answer.

 

Children do not always fit neatly into diagnostic boxes. Dyslexia, ADHD, DCD, maths difficulties and emotional factors can sometimes produce similar difficulties in the classroom. They can also occur together.

This is one of the areas I find particularly interesting, and where my wider background in SEND, psychology, education and child and adolescent mental health can be especially useful.

My role is a little like being a detective. We gather the clues, look for patterns and try to understand what best explains the difficulties a young person is experiencing.

The aim is not to find as many labels as possible. It is to understand the child properly and work out what will help.

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What if ADHD or DCD is suspected?

There are important professional boundaries around diagnosing conditions such as ADHD and DCD in children, and these normally involve established paediatric or NHS pathways.

I do not try to replace those services.

What I can do is identify and document relevant difficulties, gather useful evidence and explain clearly in the report when I believe further investigation should be considered.

Where appropriate, this can include recommending discussion with your GP or another healthcare professional.

Having a detailed learning assessment, developmental history and psychometric evidence can also provide useful information for other professionals considering the wider picture.

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What about maths difficulties?

If you are concerned about maths as well as dyslexia, we can discuss this before the assessment.

A dyslexia assessment can often include some initial exploration of maths difficulties, helping us decide whether a more comprehensive maths assessment would be useful.

If both a full dyslexia and maths assessment are required, I would normally recommend two appointments.

There can be a lot to do, particularly for a younger person. I would much rather provide enough time, breaks and reassurance than try to squeeze everything into one exhausting session.

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Helping your child understand themselves

For me, assessment is not simply about obtaining a diagnosis.

Done well, it can help a young person understand why some things have been difficult, while also recognising the things they do particularly well.

That understanding can be enormously important for confidence and motivation.

For children and young people, the assessment is therefore usually about:

• understanding their individual learning profile

• identifying strengths as well as difficulties

• anticipating difficulties they may encounter

• helping them understand themselves

• giving parents and school clear information

• recommending practical support and reasonable adjustments

• identifying whether further investigation or referral may be helpful

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Bringing the information together

One of the frustrations for families is that different difficulties can sometimes be considered separately by different services.

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Education may look at learning. Another professional may consider attention. Someone else may be concerned about coordination or emotional wellbeing. Yet, for the young person, all of these things are happening at the same time.

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Bringing the available information together can provide a much clearer picture of what is happening and what might help. That is a particularly important part of the way I work.

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Your report, and what happens next

Following the assessment, you will receive a thorough diagnostic report meeting current SASC requirements, usually within one week.

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The report will explain the assessment findings clearly and provide practical, individual recommendations for school and home.

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I also take a longer-term view. The aim is not simply to address what is happening in the classroom today, but to consider what the findings may mean as the young person progresses through secondary school, examinations and eventually further education, higher education or employment.

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Most importantly, the report is not the end of the conversation. I am happy to discuss the findings afterwards, answer questions and help you think through what should happen next.