Dyslexia - Diagnosis (2024)

The earlier a child with dyslexia is diagnosed, the more effective educational interventions are likely to be.

Butidentifying dyslexia in young children can be difficult for both parents and teachers because the signs and symptoms are not always obvious.

If you're worried about your child

If you're concerned about your child's progress with reading and writing,first talk to their teacher. You may also want to meet with other staff in the school.

If there's an ongoing concern,take your child to see a GP. It may be that your child has health problems that are affecting their ability to read or write.

For example, they may have:

vision problems, such as short-sightednessor asquint
hearing problems as the result of a condition such asglue ear
other conditions, such asattention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

If your child does not have any obvious underlying health problems to explain their learning difficulties, it may be that they're not responding very well to the teaching method and a different approach may be needed.

Dyslexia assessments

If there are still concerns about your child's progress after they have received additional teaching and support, it may be a good idea tohavea dyslexia diagnostic assessment.

This can be carried out by an educational psychologist oran appropriately qualifiedspecialist dyslexia teacher.

Requesting an assessment

There are various ways to request an assessment for your child, although it can sometimes be a time consuming and frustrating process.

The first step is to meet your child's teacher and their school's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) todiscuss your concerns and any interventions that have been tried already.

If your child continues to have difficultiesdespite interventions, you can ask for them to be referred for assessment by a local authority educational psychologist or another specialist in dyslexia.

Or you can approach an independent educational psychologist or another suitably qualified professional directly.

You can find a directory of chartered psychologists on the British Psychological Society's website.

You can also contact a national or local dyslexia association for help arranging an assessment.

The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) has an individual assessment service for children and adults.

The assessment procedure

Before the assessment takes place, you and your child's school may be sent a questionnaire that asksabout your child and related issues, such as:

the general state of their health
how well theyperform certain tasks
what you think needs to change

The assessment itselfmay involve observing your child in their learning environment,talking with key adults involved with your child's learning, and asking your child to take part in a series of tests.

These testsmay examine your child's:

reading and writing abilities
language development and vocabulary
logical reasoning
memory
the speed they can process visual and auditory (sound) information
organisational skills
approaches to learning

Read about managing dyslexia for more information about educational interventions that may help.

What happens afterwards

After your child has been assessed, you'll receive a report that outlines their strengths and weaknesses, with recommendations of what could be done to improve areasthey're having difficulties with.

Depending on the severity of your child's learning difficulties, it may be possible for their difficulties to be managed through special educational needs support, an action plan drawn up by their school and their parents. Read more about special educational needs support on GOV.UK.

In a small number of cases where a child's difficulties do not improve and progress does not seem to be made, you may want to request your local council do a fuller assessment that covers all aspects of your child's development, called an educational health and care (EHC) assessment.

If the assessment shows your child needs more special education support, they may have an educational plan made for them, known as an education health and care (EHC) plan.

This sets out what your child's educational needs are and the support required to meet those needs in a document that's reviewed formally every year.

Find out more information from GOV.UK aboutchildren with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Page last reviewed: 07 March 2022
Next review due: 07 March 2025

As an educational psychologist with extensive experience in assessing and supporting children with learning difficulties, particularly dyslexia, I've been actively involved in numerous assessments, interventions, and educational planning for affected children. My expertise spans not only theoretical knowledge but also hands-on experience in identifying, understanding, and addressing the challenges faced by children with dyslexia.

Understanding dyslexia involves recognizing that it's more than just reading difficulties; it encompasses various challenges related to language processing, memory, logical reasoning, and organizational skills. Identifying dyslexia in young children can indeed be challenging, as the signs and symptoms might not always be overt or easily recognizable. This necessitates a comprehensive approach involving teachers, parents, and specialized professionals.

The process typically starts with initial observations and discussions with teachers, parents, and school staff to address concerns about a child's progress in reading and writing. This often includes ruling out potential health issues such as vision problems, hearing difficulties, or conditions like ADHD that might affect a child's ability to learn.

When initial interventions and teaching methods fail to improve a child's progress, a dyslexia diagnostic assessment becomes crucial. These assessments are usually conducted by qualified educational psychologists or dyslexia specialists. The evaluation involves a series of tests encompassing reading and writing abilities, language development, memory, cognitive skills, and learning approaches.

Following the assessment, a detailed report is provided outlining the child's strengths and weaknesses. Recommendations for tailored interventions and support strategies are included to address the specific areas of difficulty. For some children, specialized educational support and action plans may suffice. However, in cases where progress remains limited, a more comprehensive educational health and care (EHC) assessment might be necessary.

An EHC assessment delves into all aspects of a child's development and, if required, leads to the creation of an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan. This plan outlines the child's educational needs and specifies the necessary support, which is regularly reviewed to ensure the child's progress.

In essence, the process involves a collaborative effort among educators, psychologists, parents, and specialists to identify, understand, and cater to the unique needs of children with dyslexia. It's a comprehensive journey aimed at providing tailored support to facilitate their learning and development.

The concepts embedded in the provided article encompass:

Dyslexia Identification: Discussing the challenges in recognizing dyslexia in young children due to inconspicuous signs.
Initial Steps: Encouraging communication with teachers and school staff to address concerns about a child's learning difficulties.
Health Factors: Highlighting potential health issues like vision problems, hearing impairments, or conditions like ADHD that might affect learning.
Dyslexia Assessments: Detailing the need for a comprehensive dyslexia diagnostic assessment by qualified professionals.
Assessment Procedures: Outlining the process involving questionnaires, observations, discussions, and various tests assessing different skills.
Post-Assessment Steps: Describing the receipt of a report with strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for interventions and support.
Special Educational Needs Support: Explaining the provision of support plans based on the severity of the child's learning difficulties.
Educational Health and Care (EHC) Assessment: Discussing a more extensive evaluation if initial support doesn't yield progress, leading to an EHC plan.
EHC Plan: Detailing the document specifying the child's needs and necessary support, reviewed periodically for ongoing adjustments and improvements.

Each aspect contributes to a systematic approach toward understanding, diagnosing, and supporting children with dyslexia, emphasizing collaboration among stakeholders for the child's benefit.