Assessment

The aim of an assessment is not only to determine whether dyslexia is present, but also to develop a fuller understanding of an individual's strengths and areas of difficulty, helping to create a tailored programme of support and recommendations. For adults, assessments can be conducted online using platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

If you are considering an assessment for yourself or your child, please feel free to contact me to discuss your situation. The guide below explains the assessment process and what you can expect before, during, and after the assessment.

Preparing for Your Assessment

If the assessment is for your child, I will send you two questionnaires to gather background information about their early years, childhood and school experiences.

You need to complete the Family Background Questionnaire.
Your child’s teacher needs to complete the School Questionnaire. Please forward this to your child's school.

I should have already given you these forms; if not, you can download them here.

Where possible, please return the completed forms on or before the day of the assessment, as I need this information when preparing the final report. Don't worry if you can't do so, but please get them to me ASAP so I can start writing the report, or it will be delayed. You can give the school my email so they can send their form directly to me.

If the assessment is to be online (adults only), I will email you a link to a Microsoft Teams meeting. Please get in touch with me if you do not receive this.

On the Day of the Assessment

The assessment typically takes 2–3 hours, so please ensure you have set aside sufficient time, giving us a relaxed period to work through the assessment at a comfortable, relaxed pace.

If, on the day, an unexpected commitment arises or if you are feeling unwell, please let me know as soon as possible. In many cases, we can rearrange the appointment or, where appropriate, keep the session as brief as possible to help you attend to your other commitments.

If the assessment is being conducted online, please ensure that:

your internet connection is stable.
your camera and audio are working properly;
you are in a quiet and comfortable environment
that you have access to paper and a pen.
that you have downloaded and printed any documents I have sent you.

As I will ask you to read from documents I will share on my screen, a smartphone is not suitable for the assessment, as the text will likely be too small for you to read comfortably. A laptop, PC, or tablet with a screen size of at least 13 inches is recommended. You should also be able to access your email on the device, but this is not essential.

As part of the assessment, I will ask you some personal background questions. It is important that you feel comfortable and can speak privately during the session.

If you experience any technical difficulties when joining the online meeting, please call me on 07977 069308. I can often suggest a workaround or alternative solution to help us continue with the assessment.

If the assessment is face-to-face (as is the case for child assessments), do bring snacks and drinks, as the assessment can be taxing, particularly for younger children. I will provide all the materials required for the assessment itself. I always have snacks and drinks too!

Your child's assessment

Assessments are usually conducted at my home, and I always ensure your child feels relaxed, comfortable, and well cared for during the session. I am particularly sensitive to the needs of neurodiverse children.

You are very welcome to stay here while I assess your child, but equally, please feel confident to leave. I am very comfortable either way. There are numerous cafes locally, and a lovely park a few steps away. Car parking is plentiful and free. If you want to work, we have Wi-Fi you are welcome to use, and you can relax in another room while I conduct the assessment.

Please note: we have pets in the house - a small dog and two cats. They are all very lovely and friendly, but please let me know if you or your child have any allergies, concerns, or fears about animals so that I can make any necessary arrangements before your appointment.

Note: I require payment before the assessment. Please see here for payment options

The Assessment Process

The assessment includes word-based activities, puzzles, literacy tasks, and a range of standardised tests designed to explore different aspects of learning and information processing.

There is no need to prepare or revise beforehand. The assessment is concerned with how you process and understand information, rather than what you know.

If you are an adult, we will begin with a short interview during which you can tell me about your childhood, educational experiences, strengths, and any challenges you have faced. I will also ask some questions about your medical and educational history.

If I am assessing a child, I will spend some time getting to know them and finding out about their interests, hobbies, and favourite activities. I may also ask whether there is anything that worries or upsets them. I make every effort to ensure that children feel relaxed, comfortable, and at ease throughout the assessment.

The assessment will then move on to a series of activities, exercises, and tests. People often find some tasks straightforward and others unexpectedly challenging. This is entirely normal. The activities are carefully designed to explore different cognitive and literacy skills, helping to identify both strengths and areas of difficulty.

There are no "pass" or "fail" outcomes. The purpose of the assessment is to develop a clear understanding of how you learn, what your strengths are, and any areas where you may benefit from additional support.

Towards the end of the assessment, I will ask you to complete a short piece of free writing on a subject of your choice.

The assessment is designed not simply to identify difficulties, but to build a fuller understanding of your learning profile, including both your strengths and areas where additional support may be helpful.

All of the assessment tools I use are professionally standardised, widely recognised, and supported by research. The tests have undergone extensive development, peer review, and statistical validation to ensure that they provide reliable and meaningful results. My assessments are conducted in accordance with the professional guidelines published by SASC and use assessment materials recommended by PATOSS.

After the Assessment

I can often provide some initial feedback immediately after the assessment. However, until I have properly scored and analysed the results, any early impressions are necessarily provisional and based only on my initial observations.

In the days following the assessment, I carefully score and analyse the results. Then I begin writing my full diagnostic report. This usually takes between two and four weeks, depending on the time of year. Some periods are very busy, particularly as examinations and university applications approach.

The final report is a detailed professional document. It explains the assessment process, outlines the purpose and results of each test used, and provides my professional interpretation of the findings. It includes my considered recommendations for practical support where appropriate.

I will email you the completed report and include any additional feedback that I feel may be helpful or relevant. You are always very welcome to contact me afterwards if you have any questions.

If I have assessed your child they will probably be quite tired, as the assessment is quite taxing. They might quite appreciate an afternoon of free play if allowed.

Please note: I will need, where appropriate, the Family Background Questionnaire completed by you and the School Questionnaire completed by your child's teachers before I can begin to write the report. These forms can either be emailed to me in advance or brought with you on the day of the assessment. I can assess without these forms; however, I will be unable to write the report until I have received them, which may delay its completion and delivery. I will have sent you these forms, but if you have mislaid them you can download them here.

If the assessment has been conducted online (for adults), you will need to take photographs of the written work completed during the assessment and upload them to my secure portal using a link that I will send you. This is usually only a few pages, and the link lets you upload images directly from your phone.

If you are unable to do this immediately after the assessment, you may do so later. However, it is advisable to keep the paperwork until you have received your final report.

Using the Assessment Report

A formal dyslexia assessment can be an important step towards accessing appropriate support and reasonable adjustments in education and the workplace.

You can provide the report to schools, colleges, universities, employers, and other relevant organisations when seeking support. These organisations are generally familiar with specialist dyslexia assessment reports and their professional standing. The report explains the individual's learning profile in detail and provides recommendations designed to reduce unnecessary barriers and support achievement, confidence, and well-being.

School-Aged Children

For school-aged children, the report can help schools gain a clearer understanding of a pupil's needs and may support discussions about classroom strategies, additional learning support, examination access arrangements, and wider educational planning.

A school is not legally required to implement every, or indeed, any recommendation contained within a dyslexia assessment report simply because a diagnosis has been made.

Professional recommendations should be considered alongside the school's own observations, assessments, and knowledge of the child's needs.

However, once a school is aware that a child has a diagnosis of dyslexia, it has responsibilities under:

The Equality Act 2010
The SEND Code of Practice
The Children and Families Act 2014

These duties may require schools to consider reasonable adjustments and appropriate support where a child is experiencing barriers to learning or is placed at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers.

Whilst the assessment report does not determine what support a school must provide, it offers independent professional evidence that can assist schools, parents, and other professionals in understanding the child's needs and identifying appropriate strategies to support their learning and development.

Further and Higher Education

For college, university, and other higher-education students, the report can be used when applying for reasonable adjustments and, where applicable, Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA).

Support may include:

additional time in examinations;
funding for assistive technology and specialist software;
note-taking support;
study-skills tuition; and
other adjustments appropriate to the student's needs.

Employment

In the workplace, the report can help employers understand how dyslexia affects you in a professional setting and can support discussions about reasonable workplace adjustments.

These adjustments are often easy, straightforward and practical. They may include simple changes to communication methods (e.g., face-to-face discussions rather than long emails), or your use of assistive technology (such as digital note-taking tools). It might include allowing you additional time for certain written tasks, clearer task planning and prioritisation, regular progress meetings, or other forms of organisational support. (Timekeeping is often a difficulty for a person with a dyslexic profile, however committed they are to their role). S ee he re.

A dyslexia assessment can also help you better understand your own strengths and preferred ways of working. Many people find that this increased self-awareness helps them develop effective strategies, improves their confidence, and makes better use of the skills they bring to their role.

Under the Equality Act 2010, employers may have a duty to make reasonable adjustments where dyslexia places an employee at a substantial disadvantage compared with colleagues without the condition. The assessment report can provide useful evidence to support discussions about appropriate adjustments.

A Better Understanding of Yourself

Many people find that gaining a clearer understanding of their learning profile, strengths, and challenges is one of the most valuable outcomes of the assessment process.

A dyslexia assessment does more than identify areas of difficulty. It also highlights strengths, preferred ways of learning, and practical strategies that can help build confidence, improve self-awareness, and support long-term success in education, work, and everyday life.