Dyslexia Tests and Assessments - Specialist Educational Services
- Take the first step to help your child
- Book a diagnostic assessment today
About Us
Qualifications and Experience
About Our Assessor
WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING ALL CHILDREN TO DEVELOP A LOVE OF READING
Every child has the right to learn to read, to enjoy reading, and to read to learn. Difficulties with reading, writing and spelling may contribute to gaps in a child's learning in other areas, as well as problems with self-confidence and general school enjoyment.
It
WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING ALL CHILDREN TO DEVELOP A LOVE OF READING
Every child has the right to learn to read, to enjoy reading, and to read to learn. Difficulties with reading, writing and spelling may contribute to gaps in a child's learning in other areas, as well as problems with self-confidence and general school enjoyment.
It's not always easy to know what to do for the best when trying to support your child at home. They might already have lots of homework, which takes up so much of your time that you don't know how you could fit in anything else. Should you try to do more of the same? Or does your child need something very different?
One way to be sure is to use our educational consultant to look closely at all the component skills that underpin fluent reading, writing and spelling, and build a profile of strengths and weaknesses. Dyslexia tests and assessments will allow you to prioritise the right areas and ensure that all your efforts are spent on the best next steps, not wasted repeating skills your child already knows well.
Your long term goal is fluency and comprehension in reading, but in the short-term it is crucial to identify needs and teach accordingly. Children may display similar reading, writing and spelling difficulties but their progress may be impeded by a variety of reasons. It is so important to take account of the information gleaned from the diagnostic assessment, and change the teaching approach accordingly.
Our aim is to help you widen your child's horizons by identifying and overcoming barriers to learning, so that improved reading skills will build learning capacity and lead to improvements in all areas of learning. A specialist diagnostic assessment for dyslexia will be able to pinpoint the starting levels for many aspects of reading and writing, and may include targets for the following:
Speaking and Listening - there may be targets related to grammatical constructions, or perhaps vocabulary or verbal reasoning need strengthening.
Phonology - this focuses on the sounds in words, and will build on your child's awareness of speech sounds and ability to manipulate them.
Morphology - morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in words, and are the starting point for an understanding of word structure and derivation. Studying these small parts of words (roots, prefixes and suffixes) may prove to be more fruitful for children aged eight or nine and over, where phonics instruction has not worked. At Dyslexia Tests UK we are able to use assessments of morphological knowledge, and have access to the latest evidence-based interventions.
Phonics - this will support your child's understanding of the links between letters and sounds, and will lead to the gradual, logical and cumulative instruction of spelling rules.
Spelling - logical spelling rules are supported by phonics instruction, but there are many high frequency exception words which also need to be taught, and several strategies to choose from. An assessment may identify which strategies are likely to be more effective.
Reading - accuracy and fluency need to be built through precision teaching of basic skills. At the same time, higher order comprehension skills may also need to be explicitly modelled.
Writing - the basic skills of holding a pencil and forming each letter correctly may need to be revisited. It may be necessary to work on larger muscle groups and joints before working on handwriting; perhaps shoulder stability needs to be established. Beyond the physical act of writing, your child may need support to generate and sequence ideas.
Maths - many dyslexic children also struggle with aspects of the maths curriculum, and a diagnostic assessment will include maths calculation and fluency, to identify useful targets as well as the best way to approach them. This area can be examined at greater depth if required.
ONGOING SUPPORT
You may have further questions after the feedback session, or need some help raising your concerns with your child's school. With your permission, Dyslexia Tests UK will liaise with your child's SENDCo, and work with the school to identify the best ways forward within their resources. An additional Zoom feedback session within three months of the assessment for school and parents is included within the package.
Helpful tips and ideas are included in the DOWNLOADS section, with more added on a regular basis. Email Karen at : karen@dyslexiatests.uk who will be happy to help DYSLEXIA TESTS UK clients with specific advice, links to other useful sites, or additional resources.
About Our Assessor
Qualifications and Experience
About Our Assessor
Dr Karen Faulds has been assessing and working with children, as well as engaging in educational research, for many years. She is able to offer assessments to diagnose Specific Learning Difficulties - Dyslexia, as well as maths difficulties.
Other educational services, including working memory tests and Cogmed working memory training are
Dr Karen Faulds has been assessing and working with children, as well as engaging in educational research, for many years. She is able to offer assessments to diagnose Specific Learning Difficulties - Dyslexia, as well as maths difficulties.
Other educational services, including working memory tests and Cogmed working memory training are also available.
Read about her research at:
https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10021618/
To read reviews about Dyslexia Tests UK, please visit our 'Google my Business' page.
Links to other sites containing useful information:
Dyslexia
https://www.understood.org/articles/en/what-is-dyslexia
Hearing loss / glue ear
https://www.annarbor.co.uk/images/PDF/GlueEar.pdf
https://www.tes.com/news/glue-ear-can-mimic-dyslexia
https://www.ndcs.org.uk/media/5206/parent_tips_suspected_hearing_loss.pdf
Slow processing
Executive function
https://www.understood.org/articles/en/how-sensory-processing-issues-can-affect-motor-skills
Sensory motor
https://www.understood.org/articles/en/sensory-integration-therapy-what-you-need-to-know
https://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/shoulder-girdle-stability.html
https://www.lincolnshirecommunityhealthservices.nhs.uk/application/files/2915/2285/5110/1st_Move.pdf
Attention
https://www.understood.org/articles/en/adhd-in-children
Visual processing
https://www.readandspell.com/visual-processing-disorder-dyslexia
Morphemes
https://www.uwo.ca/fhs/lwm/teaching/dld2_2017_18/Zeh_Morphological-Awareness.pdf
Reading comprehension
Qualifications and Experience
Qualifications and Experience
Help your Child to Fulfil their Potential with a SpLD - Dyslexia Assessment
Karen is a qualified and experienced teacher, has led Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, and has been a school SENDCo for more than 20 years.
In addition to her qualifications, she has extensive experience teaching literacy and maths from 3 to 11, and detailed knowledge and understanding of the stages and processes involved in
Karen is a qualified and experienced teacher, has led Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, and has been a school SENDCo for more than 20 years.
In addition to her qualifications, she has extensive experience teaching literacy and maths from 3 to 11, and detailed knowledge and understanding of the stages and processes involved in literacy and maths skills development, as well as the normal variation that might be expected at any given age.
She holds a current enhanced DBS Certificate.
Qualifications
EdD: Working Memory Specialism, including Vocabulary Development and Reading and Spelling Difficulties
MA Ed: Early Years Education, including Early Literacy and Oracy, Reading Development and Reading and Spelling Difficulties
PGCE: Primary Maths Specialism
BSc(Hons): Psychology and Teaching and Learning Mathematics
Specialist Assessor Qualifications
CCET: Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing
SpLD Diploma: Dyslexia and Other Learning Differences
PG Certificate in SEND: Dyslexia Professional Report Writing
Dyslexia Guild Assessment Practising Certificate
Memberships
Dyslexia Guild
PATOSS
British Dyslexia Association
British Psychological Society (Register of Qualifications in Test Use)
Help your Child to Fulfil their Potential with a SpLD - Dyslexia Assessment
Help your Child to Fulfil their Potential with a SpLD - Dyslexia Assessment
Help your Child to Fulfil their Potential with a SpLD - Dyslexia Assessment
Find out how Karen can help your child to achieve their very best at school.
"My eight year old daughter has really enjoyed her lessons with Karen from the get go. Karen is both warm, fun and a real expert in her subject matter. My daughter comes out smiling from her lessons each week and really looks forward to going. Karen is very tho
Find out how Karen can help your child to achieve their very best at school.
"My eight year old daughter has really enjoyed her lessons with Karen from the get go. Karen is both warm, fun and a real expert in her subject matter. My daughter comes out smiling from her lessons each week and really looks forward to going. Karen is very thorough in her approach, fabulous with young learners and also provides fantastic, interactive materials to support learning at home." (Claudia, Blackheath)
Links to sites with useful resources:
English
https://englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Reading-Comprehension.html
https://englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Analogies.html
https://englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Synonyms-and-Antonyms.html
https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-comprehension/
https://readtheory.org/static/pdf/parent_flyer.pdf
https://readtheory.org/app/sign-up/summary
https://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/literacy.html
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=literacy%20games
http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/literacy/
https://www.starfall.com/h/index-grades123.php
https://letters-and-sounds.com/index.php/phase-2-games/
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVcQH8A634mauPrGbWs7QlQ
Identify and Remove Barriers to Learning with a Diagnostic Assessment
Help your Child to Fulfil their Potential with a SpLD - Dyslexia Assessment
Identify and Remove Barriers to Learning with a Diagnostic Assessment
WHAT IS DYSLEXIA?
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed.
Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. It is best th
WHAT IS DYSLEXIA?
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed.
Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. It is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and there are no clear cut-off points.
Co-occurring difficulties may be seen in aspects of language, motor co-ordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation, but these are not, by themselves, markers of dyslexia.
A good indication of the severity and persistence of dyslexic difficulties can be gained by examining how the individual responds or has responded to well-founded intervention.
Rose (2009)
In addition to these characteristics:
The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) acknowledges the visual and auditory processing difficulties that some individuals with dyslexia can experience, and points out that dyslexic readers can show a combination of abilities and difficulties that affect the learning process.
Some also have strengths in other areas, such as design, problem solving, creative skills, interactive skills and oral skills.
BDA (2010)
WHAT IS DYSCALCULIA?
Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It will be unexpected in relation to age, level of education and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities.
Mathematics difficulties are best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and they have many causal factors. Dyscalculia falls at one end of the spectrum and will be distinguishable from other mathematics issues due to the severity of difficulties with number sense, including subitising, symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparison, and ordering.
It can occur singly but can also co-occur with other specific learning difficulties, mathematics anxiety and medical conditions.
SASC 2019
SPECIALIST ASSESSOR or EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST?
Help your Child to Fulfil their Potential with a SpLD - Dyslexia Assessment
Identify and Remove Barriers to Learning with a Diagnostic Assessment
A diagnosis of dyslexia and co-occurring difficulties is equally valid, whether the diagnostic decision is made by a Specialist Assessor or an Educational Psychologist. One isn't better than the other, but may be more suitable, depending on individual circumstances.
A specialist assessor has highly specialised qualifications in assessing
A diagnosis of dyslexia and co-occurring difficulties is equally valid, whether the diagnostic decision is made by a Specialist Assessor or an Educational Psychologist. One isn't better than the other, but may be more suitable, depending on individual circumstances.
A specialist assessor has highly specialised qualifications in assessing and teaching children with dyslexia and other SpLDs, and their professional opinions in this area are highly regarded. They have agreed to be bound by SASC guidelines, and reports they produce will follow an agreed format. This ensures that professional diagnoses are consistent, and of high quality.
An Educational Psychologist has a different set of skills, and is highly experienced in diagnosing and making recommendations for a wider range of difficulties. If your child has more complex learning difficulties, it may be that a team approach is required, where a number of professionals, for example, Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy Services work together. Your school SENDCo is likely to be the best person to help you, and will guide you through the process of applying for and obtaining an Education and Healthcare Plan (EHCP) for your child.
Applications for an EHCP for dyslexia alone are unlikely to be successful. Check your Local Authority's policy on dyslexia, as local offers vary.
THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
RECOMMENDATIONS: The Best Next Steps
RECOMMENDATIONS: The Best Next Steps
A diagnostic assessment is an information gathering process to identify barriers to learning, which will usually be obvious before your child reaches the end of Year 1. Your child may be formally assessed from age 7. The individual profile obtained will not only inform a diagnosis, but will also improve the effectiveness of interventions
A diagnostic assessment is an information gathering process to identify barriers to learning, which will usually be obvious before your child reaches the end of Year 1. Your child may be formally assessed from age 7. The individual profile obtained will not only inform a diagnosis, but will also improve the effectiveness of interventions, ensuring that they are targeted for the greatest impact.
Fine details are captured by family and school questionnaires, and an initial face to face or Zoom consultation. Our assessor will listen to your concerns, and ask relevant questions to delve into the history of your child's difficulties.
THE ASSESSMENT SESSION
You may feel anxious about leaving your child for the assessment session, and think that your child is also anxious about it, so you would like to sit in and observe. Children's anxieties usually disappear as soon as their parents leave, and if you stay, this may affect your child's behaviour and responses. Please raise any concerns at the initial meeting so that we are able to listen to your views and agree the best approach for the assessment session. We don't encourage parents to stay, but the final decision is always up to you. Please note that there is no separate waiting room for parents, or other amenities such as refreshments, but directions to local amenities will be provided on request.
Tests of ability and attainment are administered during the assessment session(s), then all the information is carefully analysed and distilled into a detailed report conforming to SASC guidelines, including a professional diagnosis, profile of strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations for the best way forward.
DO I NEED A SEPARATE MATHS ASSESSMENT ?
If you have a full Diagnostic Assessment for Dyslexia, Maths Fluency and Maths Calculation standardised sub tests from the KTEA III are included. It is not necessary to have a diagnosis of dyscalculia to ask for extra help or reasonable adjustments in maths, and the KTEA III Maths Fluency sub test is acceptable evidence of difficulties with mathematical processing.
If you also need a thorough diagnostic maths assessment, this will be discussed during the initial consultation. Additional information will be requested from the class teacher and / or school SENDCo, and further mathematical investigation may be added to the diagnostic assessment. The increase in duration means that the assessment will need to be split over two sessions to avoid fatigue, involving a small additional fee.
RECOMMENDATIONS: The Best Next Steps
RECOMMENDATIONS: The Best Next Steps
RECOMMENDATIONS: The Best Next Steps
Dyslexic children have a processing difference which makes it difficult for them to move beyond the acquisition of a new skill to fluency and mastery.
This means that the learning objectives in classroom lessons may be too broad and the steps between them too wide for children with dyslexia, dyscalculia or maths difficulties to make progr
Dyslexic children have a processing difference which makes it difficult for them to move beyond the acquisition of a new skill to fluency and mastery.
This means that the learning objectives in classroom lessons may be too broad and the steps between them too wide for children with dyslexia, dyscalculia or maths difficulties to make progress.
A highly effective strategy called Precision Teaching may be required.
Precision Teaching is carefully designed to allow the child to practice key skills until they are fluent, and to allow the teacher to monitor and analyse progress, making tiny adjustments as necessary until the child is learning as fast as they can.
If Precision Teaching methods are not used, and new learning objectives are introduced too quickly, before basic skills have been mastered, the child will need to keep using all their processing capacity to consciously compensate for the lack of fluent automatic skills, and retention and recall will be so much more difficult to achieve.
A diagnostic assessment for dyslexia and co-occurring difficulties will thoroughly analyse your child's processing skills so that recommendations are realistic, and the targets identified for Precision Teaching will have the greatest impact.
AFTER THE ASSESSMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS: The Best Next Steps
CO-OCCURRING DIFFICULTIES
FEEDBACK
When you receive your report you may feel that there is a lot to take in, and you may have more questions. A follow up face to face or Zoom feedback meeting ensures that all your questions are answered.
Additional Zoom meetings may be arranged within three months of the assessment, and we will always be happy to provide advice and
FEEDBACK
When you receive your report you may feel that there is a lot to take in, and you may have more questions. A follow up face to face or Zoom feedback meeting ensures that all your questions are answered.
Additional Zoom meetings may be arranged within three months of the assessment, and we will always be happy to provide advice and support to our clients.
WILL I NEED TO OBTAIN ANOTHER ASSESSMENT IN THE FUTURE?
A diagnostic assessment, carried out by a specialist assessor with a current Assessment Practising Certificate, is an important documentary record, and will not expire. Therefore, you will not need to obtain additional evidence of an SpLD.
It will be necessary to review your child's needs regularly to ensure that they are receiving the right support, and this should be discussed with your child's school SENDCo. Schools should review interventions termly, and you should be invited to contribute, and informed of decisions.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE ASSESSMENT DOESN'T IDENTIFY DYSLEXIA OR CO-OCCURRING DIFFICULTIES?
There are strict diagnostic criteria to be met before a child is identified with SpLD: dyslexia, or other difficulties, and a diagnostic decision is a carefully considered judgement, reached after the assessment results have been fully analysed.
It may be that your child's profile doesn't meet these criteria. SpLDs aren't the only causes of difficulties with learning, and the comprehensive diagnostic assessment will still provide a useful profile of strengths and weaknesses, as well as relevant targets for improvement.
If necessary, the recommendations may include a referral to other professional services, for example Speech and Language Therapy or Occupational Therapy.
CO-OCCURRING DIFFICULTIES
CO-OCCURRING DIFFICULTIES
CO-OCCURRING DIFFICULTIES
You may have heard the term neurodiversity used to describe learning differences. It just means that there is a processing difference that impacts on the way children learn.
The actual seat of the processing difference may vary between individuals, we are all different after all, and the effects of the difference may take different paths a
You may have heard the term neurodiversity used to describe learning differences. It just means that there is a processing difference that impacts on the way children learn.
The actual seat of the processing difference may vary between individuals, we are all different after all, and the effects of the difference may take different paths as they cascade across the cognitive areas. The word different is repeated to emphasise that at an individual level, every child will have unique perspectives, experiences, strengths and challenges.
The processing difference may affect the following areas to a greater or lesser extent:
Reading
Spelling
Writing
Listening
Spatial / Temporal
Memory
Maths
Motor Control
Development in these areas is very much interlinked, so problems in one area impact on the others, which is why it is rare to see just one area of difficulty. It is much more common for a child to have several overlapping areas of difficulty.
This doesn't mean that they have more than one learning difficulty, or need separate diagnoses. A diagnosis is very important, to document your child's difficulty and start to open up support pathways, but let's try to keep our focus on what is more important here, identifying and meeting needs.
If children have have a processing difference which affects more than one area of learning, their support needs to be tailored accordingly.
A full diagnostic assessment includes a detailed examination of the different cognitive areas, so we can plan the very best support for your child.
For further reading in this area, see: