To consider if my 13 year old dd might be dyslexic

@TheHouseonHauntedHill - thanks for your reply. We haven't, but I do think it's more an issue processing the written word than a problem with her eyesight. She has regular eye tests and does have some very weak glasses for reading, which she does wear. It's certainly something to consider if we get further down the line with no answers.

I just want to get this looked at now, so that if she needs some extra time for her GCSE exams for example, then we are in time to get it sorted. I feel awful that I haven't picked up on this before now, I just thought that she didn't like reading! DH, DD1 and I are all big readers and DD2 has never enjoyed it. I now know it's because she finds it exhausting, rather than boring.

@BetsyBigNose

It's awful isn't it. parents of children struggling and we can't make any sense of why or what to do to help.

Have you ever taken her to a behavioural optometrist? They do an in-depth report on the eyes. They can't diagnosis anything though.
It's expensive but perhaps something to look Into.

@Violettaparma - I hope you don't mind me resurrecting your thread, but I'm hoping someone here might be able to advise on where we go from here with my DD who I mentioned upthread please?

I spoke to school about our concerns and they arranged for her to take a test (WRAT 5 Blue, if that means anything to anyone?!) and DD has scored 'average' in reading and word comprehension and 'slightly below average' for spelling.

School say that this means they won't put her forward for a dyslexia assessment, but they do think she would "benefit from some extra support". We are finding this very confusing. DD is in top sets for everything (so wouldn't we expect her to be scoring 'above average'?), but really struggles with reading and spelling. She has to read a paragraph once, word by word, to ensure she understands what the words are, then again to get the meaning of the paragraph. With her spelling, she still spells lots of words phonetically and can often spot that she has spelled something incorrectly, but can't figure out where she has gone wrong.

We are concerned that because she is now 13 and is bright, she has come up with all sorts of coping mechanisms to mask how hard she finds processing the written word, and that it just hasn't been picked up on this specific test. Additionally, DD says that the SENDCO administering the test only ran through about half of the test paper - does anyone know if that's usual?

I'm confused because school obviously recognise there's an issue, otherwise why offer the extra support? Could it be a budget issue - perhaps she's not 'dyslexic enough' to qualify for the school to pay for an assessment? DD is upset, and convinced she's "just really rubbish at reading and spelling", and doesn't want us to kick up any fuss with school.

Is going for a private assessment our only option here? Any and all advice gratefully received please!

Good evening,
Letters changing size/ moving is one of the symptoms of Irlens
Also, dislike of looking at board with white background

A different perspective, I was diagnosed aged 19 while I was in my first year of Uni. It was my tutor who referred me to get tested because I had similar traits to her daughter.

I'm bright, enjoy reading and was an enthusiastic pupil which is why I got so far without being noticed.

Reading and comprehension is where I struggle and it slows me down a lot. Beyond Year 9, I really struggled in school but had already set my parents and teachers expectations of what I was capable of. I got through my GCSEs, scraped through my A Levels and completely flunked my first year of uni. After I was diagnosed, the University made allowances (25% extra time in exams and extended deadlines) I also attended sessions on "how to learn" which helped me with processing information and particularly how to help with exam revision.

I now have a good understanding of my capabilities and how my brain works, and I've gone on to do a Masters and have a good job. However I do think if someone had noticed earlier in my life that I was dyslexic I could have had an easier time at secondary school and worked smarter not harder. As it is I put all my energy into trying to succeed academically and still fucked up but also had no social life.

Sorry for the waffle, but anything you can do for your child now if SEN/dyslexia is suspected will only have a positive impact on their future x

Having a diagnosis of dyslexia doesn’t mean you get any special help. You get the help based on the specific difficulties experienced not on a label of dyslexia.
If you have problems spelling you might get spelling interventions.
If you have problems reading you might get Reading interventions and in an exam might get assistive technology.
If you have delayed processing speed you might get extra time in an exam. The amount of time depends on your processing speed.

Unfortunately if you have dyslexia it is very hard to achieve your full potential in an exam -10% of the maths in English, Geography, History and RE are given for spelling so you are automatically disadvantaged if you have dyslexia. It’s not a level playing field at all.

@mycatisannoying

I'd love to know where your boss operates; ..in our part of the world dyslexia doesn't even exist; trying to get it recognised and supported takes deep pockets!

@Violettaparma - thanks for replying, I'm kind of glad they are different in that way, it was getting a little spooky!👻

I've had a chat with DD this evening, and I now feel awful for not having picked up in this sooner, so I am really grateful you started this thread! Along with the things already mentioned, there are various signs, I think:

DD says if there's a lot of writing on the board, she won't attempt to read it, but will instead wait for the teacher to start talking about it and will then take notes.

If they're asked to copy down work from the board, she says she literally looks up and notes one word at a time and doesn't actually take in any information until she has finished and reads it back to herself.

She also told me that when she's reading, sometimes the letters appear to increase and decrease in size.

DD says that they did a 3 part comprehension mock exam at the end of last year, and at the end of the exam, she had only completed 2 of them. I can't believe no one told me at the time!

I feel so guilty for not picking up on any of this, we are super close and she and I sit down for around an hour each day and she will tell me all about her day, literally lesson by lesson, what they learned, what they discussed, who she hung out with at break etc.. I think I just put her poor spelling down to not reading much, because she has a great vocab, as she's always asking what words mean.

DH, DD and I have discussed and I am going to contact her English teacher (who DD loves) and ask him for his advice. School are really good and I'm hopeful of a helpful response.

Good luck with your endeavours, I'll try to come back and let you know how we fare.

@Stag82

My dd floundering with phonics for so long..

It was home school and COVID that meant I took charge... sight reading and got her up several levels .

In a few months.

@BreakfastClub80

Where did you get testing?
As far as I'm aware it's private? Costing min £600!

At @Stag82

What school test!

Ours doesn't even. Believe it's a thing.

We have to call it literacy issue's.

Even the ed pysce

Get her properly assessed. To find a correctly qualified assessor go on British Dyslexia Association, not everyone who says they are properly qualified are properly qualified. An Assessment will cost anywhere from £350-£650. A school Assessment is not a proper assessment. If you live near Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire feel free to DM and i can suggest an excellent assessor.

All the time? Really? I think as long as you are going with a legitimate, registered assessor, private assessment is completely valid - all assessors are being paid by someone whether that is the parent or the school so I don’t think the argument that this happens all the time really stands. I think schools sometimes like to have a bit of gate keeping over diagnosis because the more kids diagnosed the more support they should be offering which they just don’t have the funds and resources to do.

I would also look into Irlen Syndrome and have a visual stress test. You can book these at the optician.

@DorothyWasRightTho

I totally understand your point. But on the other side of the coin, many private assessors will identify dyslexia even when it's not the case there's incentive in being paid to do it. My colleagues see it all the time.

It should definitely be a last resort after school anyway. And the parents who shout loudest about their child's need are often the most heard!

That’s really strange to hear as in my experience schools often don’t have the capacity to offer full diagnostic assessments. They can screen and put access arrangements in place for exams based on that. I work in HE and see so many students that were told they were likely dyslexic in school but never actually diagnosed. I think as long as you know where to find a registered assessor a private assessment can be very helpful in understanding needs and difficulties.

Contact the school SEN and see what assessments they will do, or help they will give.

DD is 14, just going into Y10, and was assessed at the end of Y9 for extra time for exams and was awarded 25% extra time for 2 different reasons, one was phonological processing. The deputy HT has also suggested that she might need writing breaks too as her hand hurts after a period of time and she has to stop writing.

The school did not tell me about the extra time, other parents did, and I had to push the school , contact SEN myself, and wait months for a response but they did it eventually. DD's teachers had to observe her and give feedback on if they thought she should be assessed.

They will not refer students for dyslexia screening and claim that all their lessons are dyslexia friendly but they will advise DD's teachers that she is showing traits of dyslexia.

There are not enough funds to help every pupil and our school are only interested in the top ones who will get high grades, so pupils like DD who are predicted 4-5 grades just go by the wayside.

The NHS have referred her to an OH for assessment for dyspraxia.

Have a look at Irlen Syndrome, and see if she meets any of the symptoms.
Might be worth a look; it can be rectified with special glasses.

Glad to be of help! You can search assessors by age groups they work with I think so can find someone who assesses children

My boss (a Literacy and Dyslexia Support Team Leader) would advise against a private identification of dyslexia. It should ideally be done through the school, as it is a staged process with much being taken into account. There isn't one single test that will tell you if you have dyslexia, and it takes time.

Does she have regular eye tests OP?

@DorothyWasRightTho - I was writing my post while you posted, so didn't see your recommendation until after I had posted (gosh, what a lot of posts!), I know it wasn't intended for me, but thank you anyway!

@Violettaparma - That is so strange; I could have literally written your OP about my 13 year old DD word for word (except that I have an older DD too and no younger DC), from the issues with spelling, following words with a ruler, not being a reader (in a family of voracious readers!) and bizarrely, even planning a career in interior design! 😁

However, we have never suspected, or had suggested to us, any type of dyslexia. Having read the responses on this thread though, I do wonder if it's something we too should be looking into for our DD. It just had never occurred to me that this could be what's going on.

Additionally, our DD is naturally very introverted. She has a big group of friends and is popular, but finds all the 'socialising' at school incredibly draining, and will often need a nap as soon as she gets home from school. She will go to parties and see friends at the weekend, but sort of pushes herself to do so, because she knows she'll have fun once she's there, but has to balance that with how drained and tired she will feel afterwards. I only mention this as our DDs appear to have a lot in common from your OP, so I wondered if this was something your DD finds too?

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to go about getting a diagnosis for dyslexia in a teen (yes, I can use google, but thought I'd ask for actual tried and tested recommendations!), please?

if you do decide to go private patoss is the best place to look for an assessor www.patoss-dyslexia.org/Tutor-Index-Landing as they are registered and have approved qualifications. You can register with the site for free and search by area to find someone.