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Diagnosis of Dyslexia

Children with dyslexia:

If a parent or teacher thinks that a child may be dyslexic, the child can be referred to a learning difficulty clinic, where an assessment will be carried out by an educational psychologist.

The assessment will involve collecting information from the child’s parents and teachers about the child’s family history, educational history and general health.

The child will be asked to perform a number of tests including:

  • reading (actual reading level compared to potential reading level),
  • spelling,
  • maths,
  • visual perception (recognizing, organizing, interpreting and/or remembering visual images, such as words on a page),
  • auditory perception,
  • memory, and
  • sequential organisation.

Many of the tests are in a game or puzzle format to make the child feel more comfortable.

These tests are screening tests not diagnostic tests. The assessment will indicate whether the difficulties are due to dyslexia, identify any specific problem areas and advise on an individual teaching programme. Specific tests used in the UK are the Dyslexia Early Years Screening Test (DEST), the Dyslexia Screening Test (DST) and the Aston Index.

To diagnose dyslexia, specific psychological tests may be necessary. These tests include WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) and BAS (British Ability Scale).

Poor hearing may cause symptoms similar to those of dyslexia, such as difficulty following instructions, so the child will often be asked to take a hearing test to rule this out.

For more information on tests, see the British Dyslexia Association website (see selected links) or call the information line on 0118 966 8271. This is open from 10am-12.45pm and 2pm-4.45pm weekdays, but is closed Thursdays for staff training.

Adults with dyslexia:

This checklist for adult dyslexia is taken from the British Dyslexia Association website (see selected links for more information).

1. Do you find difficulty telling left from right?

2. Is map reading or finding your way to a strange place confusing?

3. Do you dislike reading aloud?

4. Do you take longer than you should to read a page of a book?

5. Do you find it difficult to remember the sense of what you have read?

6. Do you dislike reading long books?

7.Is your spelling poor?

8. Is your writing difficult to read?

9. Do you get confused if you have to speak in public?

10. Do you find it difficult to take messages on the telephone and pass them on correctly?

11. When you say a long word, do you sometimes find it difficult to get all the sounds in the right order?

12. Do you find it difficult to do sums in your head without using your fingers or paper?

13. When using the telephone, do you tend to get the numbers mixed up when you dial?

14. Do you find it difficult to say the months of the year forwards in a fluent manner?

15. Do you find it difficult to say the months of the year backwards?

16. Do you mix up dates and times and miss appointments?

17. When writing cheques do you frequently find yourself making mistakes?

18. Do you find forms difficult and confusing?

19. Do you mix up bus numbers like 95 and 59?

20. Did you find it hard to learn your multiplication tables at school?

Adults who answer nine or more yes responses on the questionnaire and think they may be dyslexic can see an educational psychologist for a full dyslexia assessment and support. The assessment will indicate whether the difficulties are due to dyslexia, identify any specific problem areas and advise on an individual teaching programme. To diagnose dyslexia, a psychological test such as WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) which consists of cognitive tests may be necessary.

For more details on dyslexia including special arrangements for dyslexic children and adults in tests and exams please see the British Dyslexia Association website (see selected links).