Dyslexia Assessment
What is dyslexia?
According to the British Psychological Society definition (1999), “dyslexia is evident when accurate and fluent word reading and/or spelling develops very incompletely or with great difficulty. This focuses on literacy at the word level and implies that the problem is severe and persistent despite appropriate learning opportunities.”
What does RocketEd offer?
You may be worried that your child is finding key areas of reading, writing and/or spelling difficult and concerned that this could be an indicator of an underlying literacy difficulty, such as dyslexia. We offer expert and in-depth assessments that examine core aspects of literacy including reading accuracy and comprehension, spelling accuracy, phonological awareness, processing speed, working memory, handwriting and cognitive abilities and can diagnose dyslexia if this is indicated.
Prior to an assessment, we will gather extensive information from those who know your child best – you, their school and the child themselves. This will be collected through targeted questionnaires and a pre-assessment remote meeting with you which can include your child if you feel it would be appropriate.
We are experienced at building rapport to ensure that children feel comfortable and at ease during so that they are able to show what they can do. Our assessor will administer a range of standardised tests, observing your child’s responses and interpreting their scores. Following the assessment, you will be provided with a detailed and comprehensive report within three weeks, often before. This report will clearly outline our findings, will highlight whether or not dyslexia or any other underlying literacy difficulties are indicated, and will make personalised recommendations for home and school to ensure your child’s literacy needs are supported in the best way.
It is essential that parents and carers fully understand the report and after you have received it and had time to digest its findings, our assessor will meet remotely with you to discuss findings in more detail and answer any questions you may have. We would be happy for a representative from your child’s school to be in attendance at this meeting if this is something you feel would be beneficial.
Many parents want a dyslexia assessment to explore their child’s ability to perform in tests and exams, and to advise whether Exam Access Arrangements may be necessary. We are experienced in assessing for and recommending GCSE examination access arrangements such as extra time, reader, scribe, supervised rest breaks and use of a word processor in accordance with the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations.
Our Specialist Dyslexia Assessments are usually conducted at the child’s home or, at an additional cost, at our rooms in North London. The location at which an assessment will be conducted is discussed and agreed in advance.
We also offer combined dyslexia and dyscalculia assessments. Click here to read more about them.
RocketEd’s Specialist Dyslexia Assessor is Leanne Rafferty.
