Individual Assessment

What is involved in a dyslexia assessment?

A dyslexia assessment will last around three to three and a half hours, depending on the needs of the young person.  It will cover the following areas:

 

• Underlying ability
   

• Cognitive skills such as memory, information processing speed and phonological awareness (this is the name given to how an individual can manipulate sounds in language)
   

• Areas of attainment such as reading accuracy, reading comprehension, reading speed, spelling and writing.  Numeracy skills can also be assessed.
   

• It will also include a range of recommendations for the school, university or workplace, bespoke recommendations for the young person and for any specialist dyslexia teaching.  It will contain recommendations about arrangements that might be needed in public or professional examinations, such as extra time or the use of a laptop. 

Why have an assessment?

 

• Essentially, a good report should highlight the individual’s strengths, their needs and should be a resource that allows them to fulfil their potential
   

• It can point the individual towards different strategies that they might find useful in the future, such as the use of technology or a more efficient approach to study.
   

• It can also be used to apply for the Disabled Student’s Allowance (DSA) at university and be used to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace.
   

• A dyslexia assessment isn’t just for school: it can be a document that has a long ‘shelf life’ and will accompany the young person throughout school, into university and support them in the workplace.
  
   

Can I have an assessment completed online?
 

• Some assessors offer the whole assessment online but we believe that this misses out important information about how the individual learns and responds to different tasks. A key part of the assessment is getting to know the individual and building up a rapport with them and we believe this is best done in a face to face situation.