Educational Psychologist- recommendations please

[Redvan]

SENCO at my DS school suspects he has learning difficulties, which has been masked till now.
I now need to arrange as assessment to get a formal diagnosis and an actionalmplan in place.
In don't know where to start. I had so many questions after our first meeting with the SENCO but she's been on sick leave and his teacher isn't much help.
Can someone please suggest names so I can start the process.
The screening suggested dyslexia ( severe). He also have problems with maths - not carrying, unable to do worded problems.

It depends where you are. Google EPs in your area, or the areas you’re prepared to travel to.

Apply for an EHCP - you will get an EP report as part of the needs assessment, which should all be done within about 12 weeks of submitting the request (area dependent).

and if you also want private EP (might be faster) then try Google, local SEN groups etc for recommendations.

EPs generally don’t diagnose so you also need to pursue that. Depending on age, location and need there will be a process - you may need to refer from school or via GP or health visitor if under 5. You can also get private diagnosis which will probably be faster, but if you want eg ADHD meds on NHS in long term best to remain on list for NHS assessment

If you request an EHCNA and the LA agrees to assess, an EP assessment will be part of the needs assessment.

If you want to go down the independent assessment route and there’s any possibility you might also go down the EHCP route, you need an EP who has SENDIST experience. Anyone good will have a waiting list (but you don’t need to wait for an independent EP assessment before requesting an EHCNA). You could try: Jemma Levy, Craig Tribe, Paul Kelly, Leanne Short, Marina Gouzouli-Allen, Ruth Birnbaum, Vivienne Clifford, Patsy Kershaw, Jonathan Middleton.

I would have thought it would be best to go through the school for the referrals. It’s a bit unfair if the SENCO advised you to look privately for an EP. My DC is only little but we are already looking at applying for an EHCP through their pre-school. This is due to multiple areas of need for support with suspected autism. As far as I know if it’s dyslexia on its own, an EP wouldn’t necessarily be the first port of call, but rather a dyslexia screening referral. Often dyslexics have fantastic comprehension skills, but need help with decoding, which is where dyslexia intervention would come in. For my DC by contrast there are multiple areas in which they will need support, and this is accompanied by poor comprehension, which is much harder to intervene with. If your DC has more than just dyslexia then EHCP route would be my best guess at successful intervention.

An EP assessment via the school or LA outwith the EHCNA process &/or when the pupil doesn’t show significant VCB is unlikely in the current climate. And many LAs wrongly try to prevent their EPs from including dyslexia in their reports.

A good EP assessment will be far more comprehensive and useful than a dyslexia screener.

It is sometimes possible to get EHCPs for ‘just’ dyslexia.