Full Diagnostic Assessment.

What does a diagnostic assessment involve?

You will first have a short telephone consultation to discuss the difficulties your child experiences and the details of the assessment requested. This is a free consultation and will last around 30 minutes.

The diagnostic dyslexia assessment is a series of assessments carried out one to one that investigates the child’s learning profile. This will consider:

• visual and verbal underlying ability

• memory (visual and auditory short term memory, auditory working memory and phonological memory).

• phonological awareness

• processing speed

The test will also consider an individual students attainment in :

• reading fluency

• reading accuracy

• reading comprehension

• spelling

• handwriting

I will also request a history of information from both school and parents that will assist in understanding the difficulties experienced and the support a child has received.

How long does an assessment take?

The assessment lasts approximately 3 hours.

Where does the assessment take place?

The assessment usually takes place at my home, although it is possible to arrange for me to travel to the child’s home. Please discuss this option during the telephone consultation. Parents are welcome to stay during the assessment.

What happens after the assessment?

Once the assessment has been completed, all the information will be gathered together in the form of a report. This will provide you with a detailed profile of the child’s strengths and difficulties, with an explanation of what this means for their learning development. Personalised recommendations aim to give both parents and schools the information and strategies they require to assist the child to move forward. The report will also contain a diagnostic decision - that is a clear statement of if a diagnosis of dyslexia has been given or not. Once completed the report will be sent to the parents, who may then share the report as appropriate.