Benefits of a Dyslexia Assessment - Reasons to Assess

Does my child need an assessment?

If your child is experiencing ongoing significant difficulties in their learning or in everyday life, then you will probably want to find out more about why this is, particularly as this can cause feelings of frustration, failure and loss of confidence.

There are many benefits of a dyslexia assessment. It provides a clear picture of your child's cognitive profile and their particular challenges, as well as their strengths. A full view of their inbuilt abilities such as working memory, receptive and expressive language skills and processing speed, as well as discovering what the specific difficulties are with reading, writing and spelling, allows appropriate teaching or adjustments to be put in place to address these specific challenges. In addition, identifying their strengths allows these to be utilised in learning which in turn improves the chances of success and improves the accessibility of the learning process. Focusing on strengths is empowering, rather than solely focusing on difficulties.

Importantly, understanding that your struggles are due to a neurodiverse profile rather than low intelligence or lack of effort, can be life-changing for many. This can boost self-esteem and confidence, which are so important for not only improved learning outcomes but also for health and emotional well-being.

Identifying dyslexia early on in a child's education, prevents difficulties from compounding over time and becoming more entrenched. Early diagnosis can enable early intervention, leading to improved outcomes both in learning as well as emotionally.

Formal diagnosis

A diagnostic dyslexia assessment provides essential legal protections confirming that the individual meets the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010. Educators have a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments to prevent disadvantage.

An assessment also unlocks access to specific tailored support and the report aids this process. It sets out recommendations for personalised support for both home and school, facilitating the most effective evidence-based intervention strategies. It might identify that a young person would benefit from using a laptop in lessons due to the legibility and speed of their writing, for example. This could become their normal way of working which would support an application for Exam Access Arrangements (EAAs).

Additional benefits of an assessment

An assessment report can be used to support an application for JCQ Exam Access Arrangements (EEAs) at secondary school age or a Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) for university. Alternatively, a separate, shorter assessment solely for EAAs may be more appropriate. These take place in schools well in advance of exams, where they identify a need. EAA testing can also be done privately with the agreement of the school. All EAA applications are arranged and managed by the Exam Centre (schools, colleges or learning centres) and any assessment for EAAs must be with the agreement of the exams officer at the centre. Please note, Exam Centres make all decisions regarding EAAs. 

A diagnosis of dyslexia or a formal report is not necessary for an EAA award if there is clear evidence of need, but it can be useful evidence for parents or carers when discussing their child's need for EAAs with the school or Exam Centre. For example, an assessment might identify a child has a slow reading speed and a difficulty with phonological awareness which together, could lead to an award of 25% extra time.

It is important to note that a diagnostic assessment report can be used to support a DSA application, no matter how old your child was when assessed, as long as the report meets current SASC (SpLD Assessment Standards Committee) guidelines.

For further information to help you decide whether an assessment is appropriate for your child, please contact Dyslexia Evaluations.