School testing for dyslexia (Scotland)

[icebearforpresident]

Youngest daughter, not quite 8, has always struggled with reading. She started P1 in 2020 so obviously missed out on the last few months of nursery where they really would have worked on reading and had massive disruption throughout. Since P2 she has been getting extra support and as far as I can tell doesn’t seem to be making much progress, if we read at home there are times she will struggle with simple words like cat, and, etc but I do wonder if this is just her trying to get me to read to her.

I got her intervention plan before half term and returned it asking if we should test for dyslexia. Her teacher spoke to me today and confirmed they will have her tested and we can discuss it further at the upcoming parents night. He did say he doesn’t necessarily think there is an issue but as far as he is concerned he can’t rule it out with any certainty and if we are raising it then it’s worth investigating.

Has anyone been through this and can give me advice on what the process involves?

I'm really surprised to hear the teacher agreed to a test. Usually the process is a staged intervention with a collaborative gathering of evidence that takes place over a period of time. Support is put in place in the classroom once needs have been identified and these are reviewed regularly.

I’m saying tested as I don’t know what the process is, although from what I have been able to find it does seem to be things over a period of time rather than a one off test. The teacher just called me over at pick up the say he had seen my notes and he would begin looking into it (or something along those lines).

She is on a staged invention already, everyday she get a short one-to-one with a classroom assistant. I don’t think any real progress is being made but equally what she is like reading with us at home could be the polar opposite of how she is actually getting on in school.

If she were in my class and unable to read CVC words the parents would be aware of it and the home school dialogue would be well established. In my school we teach across assessed ability levels for literacy and she would be receiving appropriate support from a teacher in a group setting with additional targeted support from a support staff member. She would very much be on my radar and like I would do with any child I would endeavour to meet her needs by adapting my teaching. Have a look at Dyslexia Scotland for info and support.

I would check if they mean formally assess (with the possibility of a diagnosis) or screen (which just identifies likelihood of Dyslexia). Most schools will only screen and in my son's case it was a waste of time.

Does she 'get' phonics? The key difference between DS1 who is Dyslexic and the younger one who isn't is that DS1 always struggled with phonics, with matching sounds to letters. He also would mix up small words or word endings or would miss words completely when reading. He also would read a word correctly once with help and then not be able to read it two sentences later.

If school are only doing a screening then a full assessment could be really useful to identify the real reasons for her difficulties - what part or parts of reading she finds difficult so interventions can be targeted.

Some phonics are better than others but she definitely has a tendency to read what she thinks it says rather than what’s on the page (so if it story in space and she sees a word being beginning with an S she might say star and hope she gets it right for example) and there are times when she’s sounded a word out and doesn’t recognise it again in the next sentence, even if I then point out it’s the same word as this one here she still doesn’t get it.

I will ask about screening vs formal assemblies at the parents evening, thanks for the suggestion.

I'd say do some research on phonological awareness, auditory processing and working memory. It could be that she's missed the learning process being laid down for the building blocks of literacy. It's a complex area but worth finding out about. Check these excellent links out. ALOT of info here but well worth reading up on to get a feel for the topic.

http://www.gdss.glasgow.sch.uk
Glasgow Dyslexia Support Service (same link different part of site)
http://www.gdss.glasgow.sch.uk

My son was diagnosed in primary 2, after the learning support teacher did some kind of tests with him. He is ready to leave school now and has achieved a smattering of Nat 5s (including English).

Aside from reading how does she seem? Is she interested in stuff around her? Is her vocabulary good and does she like to chat and ask questions?
One of the main indicators of dyslexia is a child who seems bright and orally well able and yet their reading is not matching up. It's that gap between her natural ability and her actual achievement that would raise some questions?