Dyslexia assessment

[poppincandy]

My ds is having a dyslexia assessment next week, has anyone else had one of these? What happens?

[BlackandGold]

Presumably it's a meeting with an Educational Psychologist.

They will chat with DS and get him to do certain tests to see what his areas of weakness are

How old is he btw?

[WESM]

Hi,

Just wanted to say that my DS2 had an assessment with Dyslexia Research. It consisted of tests on his vision, intelligence and reading & writing skills.

I was told that if the difference between the intelligence of the child and the reading /writing ability is more than 1.5 years then that child could be dyslexic.

My son who is 9 has 3 years difference....

I think it also depends on who does the assessment.

HTH

[maverick]

I recommend that you read this before you go as it will give you a lot of background information:

Should I have my child assessed?
www.dyslexics.org.uk/should_I_have.htm

WESM, I'm shocked that an ed.psych is still using the IQ discrepancy definition to diagnose dyslexia:

'For many years IQ-a discrepancy was commonly used by educational psychologists for identifying dyslexia or specific learning disabilities. However, subsequent research findings have undermined its validity. In particular, there is little evidence that the long-term development of poor readers who are IQ?a discrepant is substantially different to that of poor readers who are not IQ?a discrepant nor does IQ?a discrepancy reliably distinguish between those who are difficult to remediate and those who are more easily remediated. Consequently, IQ?a discrepancy is no longer the bedrock for identification of LD in the US (or of dyslexia in the UK, for that matter)' (Intervention for dyslexia 2009.p17)

[haggisaggis]

My dd had one with Dyslexia Action with an Ed Psych - she first spent about 20 minutes speaking to me to het sopme hstory then around 1.5 hours with dd doing tests. Finally another 20-30 minutes with me going over the results. dd (she's 7) found it quite tiring.

[poppincandy]

My ds is 5.7. My dd is 14 and is severly dyslexic but wasn't picked up until she was 13, and was all carried out at secondary school, and I got the normal teenager response to what did you have to do? 'not a lot'!

Thanks for the link maverick.

I've been advised it will be approx 2 hours, just wondered how taxing it would be.

[zippy539]

My ds was assessed by Dyslexia Action.

The test took about three hours and he was on his knees afterwards - so maybe plan a treat! :)

The tests themselves involved lots of 'memory' type exercises (remembering sequences of numbers etc) putting images together, building patterns out of blocks.

Good luck.

[Marney]

The iq discrepancy seems fair enough to me .My child was reckoned by the senco at primary school to never be likely to get any gcses but managed to get all her gcses at grades a to c Now doing science Alevels but sadly STILL a spelling age of about an 8 year old even now.Without assesments of discrepancys where would she be now Cant help thinking though if she had got real help at primary school her life might have been easier than it will be.Primary school too quick to write her of as low iq

[zippy539]

Agree Marney re the IQ thing.

It's not useful in all cases by any means but was crucial in getting ds diagnosed.

[poppincandy]

Well we had the assessment - and he's dyslexic, but the complete opposite to his sister!!! They are chalk and cheese, so why should this be any different

[Mendip]

I need to arrange a private dyslexia appointment for my 17 year old daughter.
Any personal recommendations ?
Advice ?
We live in London.

Thanks

[duchesse]

Mendip, snap! was just coming on to ask about my 17 yo son!

I just followed a link someone listed in this thread and discovered that he has/had many many soft signs but lacks any serious problems with literacy- it's more that his achievement is not in line with his ability. He struggles a lot with drafting essays or letters though.

[lbubbly]

Mendip-Having trained on the Davis Dyslexia Orientation program I can highly recommend the assessments as being very accurate .

Not sure how much you need to pay in the UK to complete the program(as it is worldwide)
but the dyslexia or disorientation does disappear with the techniques used .

I would also like to add that the orientation program also helps eliminate ADD-ADHA-Dyspraxia -Dysgraphia and math problems.

Hope this helps

[Mendip]

Thanks everyone.
Re: getting a private assessment.
Anyone any experience of assessments etc by the following -

1. Dr David McLoughlin, Independent Dyslexia Consultants.
   
2. The Dyscovery Centre, Newport
   
3. Dr Helen Likierman.
   

Thanks.

[dyslexic]

Just came across this old post and feeling the need to respond to the recommendation that people read :Should I have my child assessed?
www.dyslexics.org.uk/should_I_have.htm
This website calls itself dyslexics.org.uk whilst denying the very existence of dyslexia! This is the first time I have ever seen this site and its entire purpose seems to be about spreading the misconception that there is no such thing. As someone with dyslexia and who knows it is a real condition because I live with it every day, by all means take a look, but I recommend that you ignore the misleading nonsense it contains. Was it set up by that man who did the Panaroma documentary several years ago?

[dyslexic]

I've just realised the website is in fact owned by the poster, 'Maverick'. Why do you call it 'dyslexics.org' when you don't beleive in dyslexia? Perhaps if you called it 'dyslexiadoesnotexist.org', hardly anyone would bother to go there?

[smee]

Mendip, call Dyslexia Action on 0207 391 2030, they're great at talking you through it all. We're about to get DS assessed. I was told £510 for testing and a report on findings.

[greyvix]

I live in Farnham. Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre is very good, and accessible from London. Schools will also do testing for free, but it is not as detailed.
I would also say don't be alarmed by the results; 30% of the population would be assessed as "moderately dyslexic" (according to our school literacy expert) and able children will often have developed strategies to cope at this level.

[Feenie]

This website calls itself dyslexics.org.uk whilst denying the very existence of dyslexia! This is the first time I have ever seen this site and its entire purpose seems to be about spreading the misconception that there is no such thing.

Er..no, it doesn't. You need to read it more carefully.

[parentchamp]

If you want to talk to other mums of children with dyslexia take a look at www.parentchampions.org.uk. Great parentchampion group on facebook. Lots of advice and support. Also if you have a few minutes can you complete this survey on issues causing parents stress. Thanks.
www.surveymonkey.com/s/ParentsOfChildrenWithDyslexia-StressSurvey2012

[BeingFluffy]

parentchamp, are the organisations involved in a position to give any practical or financial help with dyslexia assessments or teaching? I am a parent of a dyslexic child and had to pay for it all myself.

I quite often come across parents who suspect their children may be dyslexic but cannot afford a private assessment, let alone teaching; my LEA and most others I suspect, will not assess a child until they are years behind.

[Feenie]

By which time, the school should have had everything in place for years, despite the lack of a label.

[BeingFluffy]

Errr, not in the schools my kids have been in.

[Feenie]

I said 'should', deliberately. I am aware that some schools don't do anything.

It's shameful though - any decent school shoud know exactly where a child has difficulties way before someone who doesn't know them from Adam (and to whom it's nonetheless as plain as the nose on your face) says so.

[maverick]

''This website calls itself dyslexics.org.uk whilst denying the very existence of dyslexia! This is the first time I have ever seen this site and its entire purpose seems to be about spreading the misconception that there is no such thing''

From the website:
''As there is, at the present time, no infallible way of separating the 'dyslexics' out as a special group, either ALL poor readers are dyslexic (correct, in the descriptive sense that they all have difficulties with the written word), or none are -see www.dyslexics.org.uk/what_is_dyslexia.htm

[BeingFluffy]

maverick, what is the cause then of "dyslexia".