Dyslexia assement : very expensive, is there any point if its mild but child is slow at exam?

[SnowdayYay]

It's so expensive, is there any point in this?
I'm guessing what I'm buying ( if she has it) is extra time in exams?

@KingFisherSalmon

Thank you.

I've already had a specialist tutor for dd who massively helped and i was also able to massively help her during lock down.

So she's really improved but there are aspects I can't change and ideally adjustment should be made.

However I'm not 100 sure if this exam.

Sorry I'm not 100 sure the diagnoses wouid help because many schools do not recognise it, as pp said others do there own test etc.

@ILikeDifficultSums

So in the link it says children may benefit from technology and a computer.

How do I get her school now or future school to allow us to get her one?

This is exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about.

Suggestions if getting her one here at primary have been batted away even when we said we woud pay??

I had a dyslexia assessment done for dd. It turns out she doesn’t have dyslexia but does have some phonological and working memory challenges- not severe enough for extra time though. . It’s has been helpful in terms of the school better understanding how to support her, which they have been brilliant with, and she is allowed to use a laptop for longer pieces of work, although sometimes doesn’t. She also trialled an electronic pen but didn’t find it helpful. I’m still glad I did it.

@illiterato..

What age is she and how did you get that laptop? Did the school act on the recommendations? Did you have to push it?

Why would secondary allow her to use a lap top without diagnosis?

My dd benefited from not just extra time in exams but adjustments in class, using a computer, special overlays and workbooks sometimes a teaching assistant.

You don’t need a diagnosis to use a laptop, their use is based on needs. Have you spoken to the SENCO?

It's worth every penny. It can be used for school and the workplace. Your child may benefit from workplace adjustment as an adult. If they have a formal diagnosis then this can be used to seek adjustment.

You need to ask the school to get the educational psychologist involved, I may or may not have eventually lost my shit at a meeting with dds teacher and the head teacher to get dd assessed, she was almost 12 and struggled spelling her own sometimes, that was primary school, high school was much more proactive!

How on earth did you get a diagnosis 32 years ago?

Have you had any discussions with the school SENCO? What makes you think she has dyslexia? Have you been referred for a diagnosis but want to go private because of the wait times?

It will potentially provide more support at school which is, imo, worth far more than extra time in exams.

OP are you looking at educational psychologist assessments or specialist teacher assessors? Both can diagnose dyslexia and a specialist teacher's assessment is arguably more useful (though I am one so perhaps a bit biased!) They are normally more around the £500 mark. I work as a specialist teacher assessor and you are welcome to ask me about the process.

We paid privately for DS2 when he was 11 and overall I think it was worth it.

It meant when he started secondary school he was on their SENCO monitoring list right from day one

They then had to do their own assessment as he approached GCSEs (which was then defeated by Covid) which gave him even further adjustments. (A reader, a laptop, 25% extra time in all exams, allowed to drop French).

It also most importantly gave DS a reason why he struggled with stuff so much in comparison to some of his friends and his brother instead of him just feeling stupid.

GCSE extra time/scribe etc will be assess by school in Y9. An assessment won't help there.
DS had an assessment. For us, the benifit wasn't the "label" but the suggestions that came with it, so, try this intervention, try this touch typing programme, and, yes, a laptop for extended work. DS is bright, and the diagnoses has helped in getting the point across that although he isn't struggling, he's not meeting his potential - or being lazy and careless. It's also highlighted exactly what he finds hard, so we know where to assist with stuff, or suggest modifications.

As a Senco in primary school, I would screen all Year 5 pupils for processing speed using a Patoss assessment. Depending on the outcome, I would then ensure the student had an additional 25% time in timed assessments and use this as evidence when applying for additional time in SATs at the start of Year 6. However, children with Dyslexia may not actually benefit from extra time, particularly in tests where there’s lots of writing. In the SATs reading test, I would use a scribe rather than extra time. That removes the pressure of students having to physically write. I would also have a reader in maths tests rather than additional time.

Absolutely- that 25% extra can make all the difference in exams. I’m a teacher and once a kid has had their assessment the difference is noticeable at GCSE and A level.

How do I get her school now or future school to allow us to get her one?

I just asked the school. They did offer a laptop from the computer department, but it had to be returned each day which was a pain, it was also heavy. They were happy for me to provide a lighter one from home, which is much easier to bring to and from school for homework etc.

Worth its weight in gold. Go to an independent educational psychologist and KEEP the report very safe. You need it for evidence even 20+ years later for any future assessments.
I’m dyslexic and get 25% extra time (VERY useful in exams), and got loads of free hardware and software when I went to uni (laptop, carry case, speech recorder, etc). I can request PowerPoint slides early etc as I learn better if I read about something before listening to it.
It’s even useful in my current career to understand my needs (and have a right not to be discriminated against for them) and also to help others who have a learning disability at my work to succeed. Definitely worth the investment.

Why not? I sat an entrance exam for secondary in 1989. The acceptance letter arrived pointing out I needed an assessment for dyslexia as my marks in the different tests were very different.

My DS is severely dyslexic.
When DS started secondary school we were told that dyslexia is really common and all teachers make whole class accommodations for dyslexia, it made pushing for support a bit harder!

A laptop has been invaluable for DS. When you look at secondary schools ask about technology use in lessons- some schools have many laptops in all departments and a network like google classroom, others ask students to bring their own devices. Some schools don’t have enough laptop’s for those in need of one.

It’s worth having an assessment so you can see your DDs strengths and weaknesses and get recommendations. It may be worth considering an Ed psych assessment as they can be more in depth.

Not necessarily. It depends on her specific need. In exams you can’t use a spellchecker or grammar checker in the laptop so if they are weak in this area, a laptop makes little difference. Similarly with processing speed. If, however, handwriting speed and legibility is an issue, a laptop may help.

If you look at the link to the JCQ guidance I posted earlier sometimes the spelling and grammar checker can be used.

A laptop can sometimes help with processing speed too as some find it helps not having to think about the physical act of writing as well as everything else.

@RoseDog

Dyslexia is not a recognised condition at dd school and the Ed psych also didn't want to use to use the word.

There was no hint of it they didn't have time or something what ever the school did was very basic.

I felt I was being managed.

However I must say they did make good adjustments for her which have helped but sometimes they give her et. Sometimes they forget.
They don't mention laptops.

Etc. SO I NEED to look forward because these things take time as to how I can help her for secondary school.

Her hand is very delicate and weak.

Really she should have a lap top now.

How do I make the school allow her to use one