Dyslexia Assessments
for children and adults
A diagnostic test is so much more than just a diagnosis. An assessment will show whether dyslexia is present, but it will also provide a profile of your strengths and weaknesses.
A diagnostic test is so much more than just a diagnosis. An assessment will show whether dyslexia is present, but it will also provide a profile of your strengths and weaknesses.
Before the assessment, you will be given a set of questionnaires to fill in for yourself or your child. If the assessment is for a child, you will also receive a questionnaire to pass on to the school. If you would prefer, the questionnaires can be filled in over the phone.
Once I have received those, there may be extra information that I need. If needed, I will set up a Zoom meeting with you to talk through more of your background information – this information, along with the tests from the assessment, will help me to come to a diagnostic decision.
On the day of the assessment, a number of tests will be carried out. There will always be a chance for breaks if needed. The tests cover:
In all, an assessment should take between 2-3 hours, depending on the needs of the person being assessed. I should be able to give you an idea of how long the assessment will last when we have our Zoom meeting.
A few days after the assessment day, I will arrange a telephone/video call to discuss my findings. Then, around two weeks after, you will receive your full diagnostic report.
As I hold an assessment practising certificate (APC) through PATOSS, for a student at any age, a diagnostic assessment that meets SASC guidelines produced by a specialist teacher assessor will be accepted as evidence for Disabled Student Allowance.
“Thank you Jenny for making my daughter feel very relaxed and putting her at her ease during the screening and dyslexia test.
“We have been very pleased with very detailed and useful report, which has been delivered very fast. Thank you so much for the recommendation and advice to help my daughter overcome her difficulties.
— E, Bournemouth
Educational Assessments are slightly different to diagnostic assessments. These will not provide a diagnosis, but instead provide a profile of strengths and weaknesses which can be passed on to schools, colleges and workplaces. They work well for children under the age of 8, who may be too young for an official diagnosis, but for whom it would be useful to know areas in which they may struggle in the future.
From an Educational Assessment, you will receive a report with information about strengths and weaknesses and recommendations. This assessment is less extensive and will generally take 1-2 hours.
Exams Access Arrangements are used to level the playing field during an exam. Examples of arrangements may be extra time, a scribe or the use of a word processor.
Many schools will offer access arrangements in house, and it is important that your SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) is contacted in the first instance. Some schools do not have the assessment expertise needed to conduct access arrangements – if you are a school, I can help you with this – please do contact me for pricing.
If you are an individual or parent and believe that you/your child should have access arrangements, it is important that you contact your SENCO first to discuss this.
I see children from the age of eight for assessments. I would ask that parents think carefully about whether their children would cope with an assessment that has many timed elements - if you are not sure, please contact me.
Also, due to the lockdowns and learning loss, for children of the ages of 8 or 9, there may not be enough evidence to support a diagnosis of dyslexia. In this case, I will write up my findings into a shorter report and may recommend a reassessment in the future. In these instances, the price of the assessment (and reassessment) will be adjusted.
Generally, assessments will happen at my premises in Barton on Sea, Hampshire. I am available to travel, but please note that travel expenses will be charged.
Assessments (any age) - £550
Educational Assessments - £325
Exam Access Arrangements – by request
Jenny is fully insured and DBS checked
