Dyslexia Assessments in Croydon & South London

Dyslexia Support and Outreach Service specialises in assessment services for a range of purposes

Dyslexia Checklists and Screening

These short tests indicate the probability of dyslexic difficulties. They are not a diagnosis and cannot provide an outline of an individual's learning profile.

No screening test is 100% accurate, with false positives and negatives, but the following are a useful starting point:

Adults: BDA Adult Checklist

Children: If a child has several of these indications, a full assessment should be considered, as the child may be dyslexic. There may be other reasons, which could be identified in the course of an assessment.

Obvious 'good' and 'bad' days, for no apparent reason
Confusion between directional words, e.g. up/down, in/out
Difficulty with sequence, e.g. later with days of the week or numbers, alphabet
A family history of dyslexia/reading difficulties

Plus ....

Pre-school

Have persistent jumbled phrases, e.g. 'cobbler's club' for 'toddler's club'
Use of substitute words e.g. 'lampshade' for 'lamppost'
Inability to remember the label for known objects, e.g. 'table, chair'
Difficulty learning nursery rhymes and rhyming words, e.g. 'cat, mat, sat'
Later than expected speech development

Pre-school non-language indicators

May have walked early but did not crawl - was a 'bottom shuffler' or 'tummy wriggler'
Persistent difficulties in getting dressed efficiently and putting shoes on the correct feet
Enjoys being read to but shows no interest in letters or words
Is often accused of not listening or paying attention.
Excessive tripping, bumping into things and falling over
Difficulty with catching, kicking or throwing a ball; with hopping and/or skipping
Difficulty with clapping a simple rhythm

Primary school age

Has particular difficulty with reading and spelling.
Puts letters and figures the wrong way round.
Has difficulty remembering tables, alphabet, formulae etc
Leaves letters out of words or puts them in the wrong order
Still occasionally confuses 'b' and 'd' and words such as 'no/on'
Still needs to use fingers or marks on paper to make simple calculations
Poor concentration
Have problems understanding what he/she has read
Takes longer than average to do written work
Problems processing language at speed

Primary school age non-language indicators:

Has difficulty with tying shoe laces, tie, dressing

Has difficulty telling left from right, order of days of the week, months of the year etc

Surprises you because in other ways he/she is bright and alert

Has a poor sense of direction and still confuses left and right

Lacks confidence and has a poor self-image

Aged 12 or over

As for primary schools, plus:

Still reads inaccurately
Still has difficulties in spelling
Needs to have instructions and telephone numbers repeated

Gets 'tied up' using long words, e.g. 'preliminary', 'philosophical'
Confuses places, times and dates
Has difficulty with planning and writing essays.
Has difficulty processing complex language or long series of instructions at speed

Aged 12 or over non-language indicators:

Has poor confidence and self-esteem
Has areas of strength as well as weakness

Full Diagnostic Assessment

Where a checklist or screening test shows the probability of dyslexic difficulties, a full diagnostic assessment may be considered.

Why a Full Diagnostic Assessment?

This would provide information about:

The individual's learning profile, including strengths and weaknesses
The best support at home, at school, in exams

In some situations, a screening is not sufficient evidence, so a full diagnostic assessment is required:

Anyone aged 7 or above where screening is not adequate proof of dyslexia
A university student looking to apply for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) and obtain support at university
An employer wishing to understand how to support a staff member with dyslexia, and subsequently apply for Workplace Needs Assessment

Exam Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments

Exam Access Arrangements are the main way that the Exam Awarding Bodies comply with their duty under the Equalities Act 2010. How?

Reasonable Adjustments:

Under the Equality Act 2010, an awarding body must make reasonable adjustments where a candidate, who is disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010, would be at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to someone who is not disabled

Disabled is explained in the Statutory Guidance to the EA 2010 as ‘limitations going beyond the normal differences in ability which may exist among people’
Learning and study are regarded as ‘normal day-to-day activities’ under the Act
Therefore, to decide if a learner is entitled to reasonable adjustments, it must be shown that he/she falls into the category of having a substantial disadvantage
To do this the JCQ regulations state that standard scores below 85 are evidence of a learner being at a substantial disadvantage
To provide this evidence, an assessment is undertaken to measure literacy attainment and processing skills (generally)

It is not necessary for a learner to have an EHCP to qualify for Exam Access Arrangements, although some schools may suggest this is the case

Fees

Full Diagnostic Assessments:

KS1 and KS2 £375.00

KS3 and KS4 £400.00

16+ including DSA and Adults £420.00

If multiple SPLDs are suspected eg Dyslexia and Dyscalculia please contact us for pricing, as additional testing may be required

There is also the option of an abbreviated report (of a full diagnostic assessment) including Learning Profile Summary, Diagnosis,

Key Recommendations and Table of Scores at cost of £225. This is generally accepted by schools.

Assessments for Exam Access Arrangements:

Literacy Attainment and Processing Skills £225.00. It is important to check with the school beforehand that they will accept the report, as they may have their own assessors.

For Dyslexia Assessments contact Dyslexia Support and Outreach Service in Croydon

020 8239 8136 or 07713 744 057