What happens at a diagnostic dyslexia assessment? What to expect on the day
Booking an assessment for your child (or for yourself, if you’re an adult or post-16 student) is often the point where the practical questions start: what actually happens, how long does it take, and what should we expect? Here’s the process in plain terms.
Before the assessment
Once you’ve booked and paid the deposit, background information is gathered first. This is usually a questionnaire covering developmental history, and, for school-age children, information from the school about how your child is getting on in class. This isn’t box-ticking: it gives real context for interpreting what comes up in the assessment itself, and helps flag anything that might need a slightly different approach on the day.
On the day
The assessment itself takes place face-to-face, at an agreed location that might be your home, an assessor’s office, or another suitable venue. For a Pre-16 assessment, it typically takes around three hours. A Post-16 assessment can run longer, particularly if there’s screening for co-occurring difficulties like ADHD or DCD/dyspraxia involved.
The tasks themselves are a mixture of things: some involve reading aloud, some involve listening and remembering, some involve working with sounds in words, and some are more like puzzles. None of it is designed to catch anyone out, and there’s no pass or fail. Breaks are built in, and the pace is adjusted to the individual. This isn’t a timed exam in the way a school test might be.
For younger children especially, it helps to describe the day honestly beforehand. It’s a chance for an adult to understand how they learn best, not a test they can get wrong.
After the assessment
The information gathered is scored and interpreted against standardised measures, then written up into a report that follows the guidelines set by the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC), the body that sets the professional standard for this kind of report in the UK. That report sets out the profile of strengths and difficulties uncovered, along with practical recommendations.
A follow-up conversation can be arranged, so you have a chance to talk through what the report says, ask questions, and understand what it means practically, rather than being handed a technical document with no explanation.
What the report is used for
A SASC-standard report is written to be usable by schools, colleges and universities. For example, when a school is considering exam access arrangements, or when a post-16 student is putting together a Disabled Students’ Allowance application. The report describes the learning profile; decisions about arrangements or funding are made by those other bodies, using the report as evidence.
If you’re still deciding
It’s completely reasonable to want to talk it through before booking. Get in touch and I can answer specific questions about your situation, or read more about the assessments themselves on the Dyslexia page.