If and when to assess for dyslexia.

[chickadee12]

Ok, so a bit of background. I have an older daughter, now 14 who was diagnosed with mild / moderate dyslexia at 8. She’s able, is conscientious and works bloody hard to get ok results. She started off flying in reception before levelling off in year 1 and dipping in year 2/3.

Fast forward 7 years and 4 different private and state schools and sadly she hasn’t received much support for her dyslexia. The diagnosis itself has been helpful though, especially with her self-esteem which has always been the biggest hurdle as far as I’m concerned. Her current state secondary has been the best fit for her and she seems to be thriving there because they recognise she is able despite the issues she faces. This has been great for her confidence and she’s making great progress. Certain subjects remain a challenge though. Maths especially is a bit of a nightmare as she just doesn’t retain it.

Her younger sister is 6 ( 7 in October) and in year one. She shares so many of her traits with issues around reading fluency, word recognition, letter and number reversals, mirror writing etc, etc. School say she is fine and where she should be. She passed the phonics test ( as did her sister!) but they’ve noted her fluency in reading and issues in writing , spelling and reversals. They say that she’s very creative, has fantastic ideas and great vocabulary. Verbally she comes across as very able but she finds it difficult to get ideas down on paper.

They have a brother in Year 6 who isn’t dyslexic, is very able, taught himself to read at 3 and throughout school has always been at greater depth across the board. The difference between their development and his is unbelievable.

In addition, there’s a very strong family history of dyslexia ( uncle, aunt, grandfather and three cousins are all dyslexic).

Im not considering an assessment now as she’s still young but would probably pursue this in year 2/3. My question is, given the lack of help and support, is a diagnosis something worth pursuing? I’m fairly certain she’s dyslexic but that she’ll probably get a good enough grasp of literacy to be able to access the curriculum. I know she’s unlikely to get a huge amount of input if she gets a diagnosis . Is it better to bounce along doing ok or is a diagnosis helpful, even if it doesn’t lead to much? If so, should I wait for her progress to dip or have her assessed beforehand? Thanks for reading and for any advice given x

Just here for the advice as in a similar position!!

If you broke your arm, it would likely heal by itself, but you'll get better results if the doctor looks at it and treats it...

Of course it's worth getting a diagnosis. Why would you want her to muddle through 'managing' (optimistically), when she could access help to level the playing field and fulfill her potential? Why wouldn't you want to get her tested? The earlier the screening is done, the better IMO as interventions can be done proactively, rather than waiting for the wheels to fall off before seeking help. You will likely have a very long wait for help, so best to get things in motion now. Nobody wants to join the back of the queue when things are at crisis point. At the very least, it means things are in place for the exams years if needed, be that extra time, movement breaks, a scribe or laptop etc.
In terms of when you can test, I was told the summer term of yr1 was the earliest school could screen my summer-born DD2 for dyslexia (ie around her 6th birthday), but the autumn term of yr2 would be better. She was (is!) a very advanced reader, which meant testing could happen a little sooner than is usual (her issue is working memory, which the screening also assesses).
DD1 wasn't screened until towards the end of yr2 due to her difficulties not being observed/accepted in school earlier, and again before Xmas in yr3 to see if the interventions had made any impact. She was/is an advanced reader and working at expected levels for maths, but that doesn't mean she was meeting her potential. The dyslexia screening discounted dyslexia as the issue, but led to further investigation and finally diagnoses of ASD, ADHD, and hypermobility. Now we know what the issues are, we can work on strategies to manage her executive function difficulties (that the screening highlighted so strongly), which in turn has seen her attainment improve. It turns out the hypermobility is causing her a lot of pain, which explains her poor handwriting, but this is much improved now we know and have introduced aids. She is closer to achieving her potential and happier - I don't see any downsides?