information for parents
Specialist Dyslexia Services for Children
I offer full diagnostic assessment for specific learning difficulties (dyslexia) and follow up training and advice – either in schools or homes – for children aged 7 to 18.
How do I know if my child has dyslexia?
If you think your learner may be dyslexic, it might be useful to look at the relevant checklist of signs and symptoms of dyslexia here:
Some or all of the following might indicate the potential presence of dyslexia in a child aged 2 – 5 (more than would be expected in a child of his/her age):
- Persistently jumbles up words and phrases, or mispronounces sounds, e.g. “bascetti”, “lamp shade” for “lamp post”, “fish and ships”. Difficulty learning nursery rhymes
- Has difficulty beating or clapping to rhymes and songs, or learning rhythms in songs
- Is reluctant to join in early songs
- Has difficulty naming things or forgets names and words you would expect him or her to remember
- Has difficulty remembering instructions
- Speech develops at lower rate than expected
- Forgets names of people and things more often than would be expected
- Reachers early milestones later than expected, e.g. sitting, crawling, walking, first words
- May have “bottom shuffled” or “tummy wiggled” instead of crawling, or sometimes may not have crawled at all
- Family has history of dyslexia or literacy difficulties
- Has difficulty concentrating, sitting still, or listening
- Has difficulty with learning to sing or recite the alphabet
- Has difficulty with catching, throwing a ball
- Has difficulty getting dressed, putting shoes on the correct feet
- Trips and bumps into things more than would be expected
- Enjoys being read to and sharing books but no interest in letters or words
Some or all of the following might indicate the potential of dyslexia being present in a child aged 5 – 7:
General
- Has difficulty with reading or spelling but can do well in other areas
- Confuses left and right
- Is unusually clumsy
- Takes longer than average to do written work
- Confidence and self esteem are low
- Has difficulty following instructions
- Concentration is poor, appears dreamy, does not seem to listen
- Has difficulty following instructions; can be the child who follows what others do
- Appears lazy or slow
- Uses work avoidance tactics, such as sharpening pencils and looking for books
- Appear very tired at school or be very tired after school (or both)
- Has not established a hand dominance preference
Speech and Language
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Has difficulty with verb tenses
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Has problems processing language at speed, appears to be slow when listening or talking
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Spoken language might be much better than written language
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Forgets words, names, often says “what’s the thing called again?” Or “thingy”, or stumbles over words
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Seems to be slow at processing what is being said and done
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Might have speech and language problems
Reading
- Reads a word then fails to recognise it further down the page
- Finds sequencing the alphabet difficult
- Becomes tired or fidgety when reading
- Is unpredictable; some days can read words/books accurately, other days cannot
- Has problems understanding what he/she has just read
- Interest in books and stories does not match poor reading ability or unwillingness to read
- Progress can be inexplicably slow in spite of child’s own effort and parental/school support
- Difficulty with learning Phonics
- Seems to struggle to read the “easy” words, e.g. of, for, to
Writing and Spelling
- Puts figures or letters the wrong way around e.g. 15 for 51
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Leaves letters out of words, put them in the wrong order
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Written work can be messy
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Appears to produce very little output in the time allocated
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Handwriting is laboured and poor, letters can be reversed or confused
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Makes anagrams of words eg tired for tried, bread for beard
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Struggles to use phonics in spelling, spelling can be bizarre
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Sentences in writing are sometimes confused or don’t make sense
Maths
- Difficulty with learning to tell the time and general awareness of time
- Answers questions significantly better orally than on paper
- Has difficulties remembering number facts
- Has difficulties with mental maths and oral counting
- Has difficulty with calculations involving multiple steps (beyond what would be expected)
- Needs to use fingers for simple calculations (beyond what would be expected)
- Is confusion with symbols e.g. + and x
- Confusion with age related language of Maths
- Difficulty with sequencing, e.g. days of the week, counting, especially counting backwards
- Tends to jump to an answer but struggles to explain the method or remember the steps
Some or all of the following might indicate the potential of dyslexia being present in a child aged 7 – 11:
General
- Confuses left and right and sense of direction is weak
- Has difficulty following instructions and staying on task
- Concentration is poor, appears dreamy, does not seem to listen
Appears lazy, slow, or disruptive, the “class clown”
- Uses work avoidance tactics: sharpening pencils, looking for things in class, often asking to go to the toilet or offering to run errands
- Appears fatigued at school, after school or both
- Homework is often late or reported by parents to be a battle, even when it is differentiated
- Struggles to use a dictionary or reference books
- Learning profile might be “spiky”, with some areas significantly stronger than others
- Organisation can be weak
- Memory is weaker than expected
- Performance in school can vary from day to day
Speech and Language
- Has difficulty with verb tenses and grammar (especially in writing)
- Sometimes pauses in speech, seems to take longer to plan speech
- Puts hand up but forgets what s/he was going to say when asked
- Has problems processing language at speed; seems to take longer to “take things in”
- Spoken language might be much better than written language
- Forgets words, names, often says “what’s the thing called again?” Or “thingy”, or stumbles over words
- Might have had early speech and language problems
- Vocabulary development appears to have plateaued
Reading
- Avoids reading out loud
- Reading progress appears to have plateaued
- Reading can lack expression, or be hesitant and stumbling
- Reading appears inconsistent; e.g. can read a word then fails to recognise it in text
- Becomes excessively tired or fidgety when reading
- Has problems with higher level reading skills, e.g. inference, deduction, summarising, taking notes
- Interest in books and stories has declined
- Progress can be inexplicably slow in spite of child’s own effort and parental/school support
- Seems to struggle to read the “easy” words, e.g. of, for, to, which, there
- Misses word endings, misses out words, or adds words when reading aloud
- Comprehension deteriorates as reading material is harder
- Struggles to say the main point in what s/he has read
Writing and Spelling
- Leaves letters out of words, put them in the wrong order, and spelling can be bizarre
- Written work can be messy, with many crossings out and words tried several times e.g. wher, wer, whear, wear, wair, werr, where
- Confused with letters which look similar, e.g. y/g, p/g, b/d, n/u, m/w
- Low output, appears to produce very little in the time allocated
- Poor handwriting, letters reversed or confused
- Spelling is still phonetic, struggles to learn new, complex spellings
- Struggles to remember irregular words (eg where, of, to, our, what)
- Sentence construction is poor
- Misses endings from words in writing, omits words in writing, sometimes “gets lost” in sentences
- Written work does not reflect spoken vocabulary
Maths
- Difficulty with telling the time and awareness of time
- Difficulties remembering times tables, especially when required to do so at speed
- Difficulties with mental maths and oral counting in steps, especially backwards
- Needs to use fingers for simple calculations
- Confusion with symbols and numbers, struggles to read numbers with 3 digits or more
- Struggles to remember methods
- Confusion with the language of Maths
- Tends to jump to an answer but struggles to explain the method or remember the steps
- Struggles to show working out and misses out important steps
Some or all of the following might indicate the potential of dyslexia being present in a child in secondary school (age 11 – 18):
General
- Sense of direction is weak, becomes disorientated
- Has difficulty following instructions and staying on task
- Concentration is poor, appears dreamy, does not seem to listen
- Appears lazy, slow, or disruptive, the “class clown”
- Appears fatigued at school, after school or both
- Struggles to use a dictionary or reference books
- Learning profile might be “spiky”, with some areas significantly stronger than others
- Organisation can be weak, often late and forgets homework
- Memory is poor
- Performance in school can vary from day to day
- Unaware of own learning style or preferences
- Struggles to copy accurately from the board, bits are often missing
- Difficulty learning foreign languages
- Difficulty completing a task on time, struggles to write down the homework in time, struggles to take notes within a time limit
- Needs “time out” at times
- Low self-esteem, mental health problems
Speech and Language
- Has difficulty with grammar
- Sometimes pauses in speech, seems to take longer to plan speech
- Has problems processing language at speed; seems to take longer to “take things in”
- Spoken language might be much better than written language
- Forgets words, names, often says “what’s the thing called again?” Or “thingy”, or stumbles over words
- Might have had early speech and language problems
- Misunderstands complex questions
Reading
- Avoids reading out loud
- Reading can lack expression, or be hesitant and stumbling
- Has problems with higher level reading skills, e.g. inference, deduction, summarising, taking notes
- Interest in books has declined
- Progress can be inexplicably slow in spite of child’s own effort
- Appears able to read texts but then has difficulty demonstrating understanding, e.g. using them in writing or presentations
- Struggles to say the main point in what s/he has read
Writing and Spelling
- Leaves letters out of words, put them in the wrong order, and spelling can be bizarre
- Written work can be messy
- Spells the same word differently in one piece of work
- Prefers to work on a computer
- Low output, appears to produce very little in the time allocated
- Poor handwriting, letters reversed or confused
- Spelling is still phonetic, struggles to learn new, complex spellings
- Struggles to remember irregular words (eg where, of, to, our, what)
- Sentence construction is poor
- Difficulty with punctuation and upper/lower case letters
- Writes a lot but loses the thread, or main points are missing
- Written work does not reflect spoken vocabulary
- Difficulty with note taking
Maths
- Difficulty with telling the time and awareness of time
- Difficulties remembering number facts and procedures
- Difficulties with mental maths and oral counting in steps, especially backwards
- Confusion with symbols and numbers, struggles to read numbers with 3 digits or more
- Confusion with the language of Maths
- Some very basic gaps in understanding become evident
- Tends to jump to an answer but struggles to explain the method or remember the steps
- Struggles to show working out and misses out important steps
Next Steps
Children aged 2-5
Dyslexia is not usually identified until a child is at least 7 years old, once good quality first teaching as well as catch up teaching of reading and writing has taken place. However, early identification of needs and early intervention can make a big difference to a child’s achievement both now and later on. It is well researched that early speech and language difficulties are linked to later literacy problems. Identifying potential speech and language problems as early as possible is really important as much can be done before a child starts school to develop their language skills. This will then support their reading and writing development at school. If you are worried about your child’s speech and language development, speak to your child’s teacher, SENCO, GP, health visitor or school nurse. If you think your child may have some indicators of dyslexia, or you have noticed a decline in progress or self-esteem, discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher or the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) in the early years setting. A child can only be diagnosed with dyslexia through a Diagnostic Assessment but these are usually only carried out from 7 years old.
Children aged 5-7
If you suspect that your child may be dyslexic then you should discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher, or the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). It is advised that appropriate support is put in place as soon as a need is identified. Dyslexia is not usually identified until a child is at least 7 years old, once good quality first teaching as well as catch up teaching of reading and writing has taken place, as well as intervention or catch up work. However, early identification of learning needs and early intervention can make a big difference to confidence and achievement later on, and it can also help a qualified assessor to decide if dyslexia is present when the time is right. Dyslexia can only be formally identified through a diagnostic assessment, but a diagnostic assessment is not needed in order for SEN support to be provided.
It is well researched that early speech and language difficulties in are linked to later literacy problems. Identifying potential speech and language problems as early as possible is really important as much can be done before a child starts school to develop their language skills. This will then support their reading development at school. If you are think your child may have some speech and language difficulties and/or indicators of dyslexia, or you have noticed a decline in progress or self-esteem, discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher or the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) in the early years setting.
Children aged 7-18
If you suspect that your child may be dyslexic then you should discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher, or the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). A teacher should consult the school’s SENCo to discuss the next steps and appropriate support. It is advised that appropriate support is put in place as soon as a need is identified. A Diagnostic Assessment is not needed in order for SEN Support to be provided. However, dyslexia can only be formally identified through a Diagnostic Assessment. If you think your child may have some indicators of dyslexia, or you have noticed a decline in progress or self-esteem, discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher or the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo).
If you aren’t sure whether a full assessment is necessary at this point in time, these guidelines may help you:
- EConsider what you would like to achieve from the assessment. Is a full assessment the best option to achieve this? Are there other options which could be tried first, eg access arrangements assessment, school assessment, visit to an optometrist or GP?
- ETalk to your child’s school. This is paramount, firstly so that you can work together with the school on any outcome, and secondly so that school staff can help to inform the assessment
- EBe clear about what you will expect as a result of the assessment - and make sure this is realistic. Diagnosis of dyslexia does not guarantee funding, extra tuition or access arrangements, for example
Parent Consultations
I offer a 60-minute consultation for parents and carers seeking specialist guidance and clarity around their child’s learning.
This session is tailored to your individual circumstances and may include:
- Whether to pursue a formal assessment
- Understanding your child’s learning profile
- Practical ways to support your child at home
- Guidance on working effectively with your child’s school
Above all, the consultation provides a dedicated space to think, reflect, and gain expert insight, helping you feel more confident in the decisions you make moving forward.
Following the session, you will receive a concise written summary on headed paper, outlining key points and recommended next steps.
Fee: £95
Individual Assessment
For ages 8-15
For ages 8-15
Ages 6-15
All listed prices are starting prices, subject to reasonable preparation and travel time, and may not include expenses and travel time (to be negotiated separately).
Full diagnostic assessment
I hold a current Assessor’s Practising Certificate (certificate number 500002400-IF7382). My reports comply with current APC criteria, and therefore qualify for Disabled Students’ Allowance, should this be applicable and necessary in the future.
The full diagnostic assessment is a very comprehensive assessment, usually lasting 3 hours, which will indicate whether dyslexia is present in the learner and provide a full and detailed picture of need, including strengths as well as weaknesses. The thorough psychometric testing is preceded by gathering of background information, including the learner’s developmental history and information from the educational setting. It offers detailed recommendations for strategies for school, intervention and home, for now and in the future, including in further and higher education.
Testing covers:
- Underlying ability
- Memory skills
- Phonological awareness skills (the awareness and ability to manipulate speech sounds)
- Processing speed
- Reading
- Spelling
- Writing
- Handwriting
A detailed report, usually around 20 – 25 pages, is provided two weeks after the assessment, which contains descriptions of the learner’s strengths and weaknesses, test results with interpretation, clear diagnosis if applicable and suggestions for strategies.
Learning needs assessment
The learning needs assessment is ideal for the learner who is too young for a formal diagnostic assessment (below age 8) or for a practical assessment to identify barriers to learning in school and target intervention more effectively. It lasts around 2 hours and provides a picture of strengths as well as weaknesses for the learner, including an analysis of what barriers there are to learning currently and strategies to reduce them. It does not offer any identification/diagnosis. It offers comprehensive recommendations for strategies for learning in the coming school years. The assessment includes some psychometric testing and some informal testing in the following areas (depending on the age of the learner):
- Memory skills
- Phonological awareness skills (the awareness and ability to manipulate speech sounds)
- Processing speed
- Reading
- Spelling
- Writing
- Handwriting
A report, usually around 10 pages, is provided two weeks after the assessment, which contains descriptions of the learner’s strengths and weaknesses, test results where applicable, conclusion about current barriers to learning and current successes, and recommendations for school, home and intervention.