Gifted & talented with possible dyslexia

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DD is identified as being top 10% academically based on national stats and so on schools gifted & talented register. In top set for all subjects and isn't struggling to keep up at all.
However we believe she is dyslexic but school no longer screen for this. At primary she did a screener that came up as having dyslexic tendancies but due to her being bright she was managing the issues and it wasn't flagging any problems.
Her spelling is diabolical and she can struggle with written problems, particularly in math when problems are presented in words rather than numerically. However, she is top reader for her year group so again, not seen as an issue.
I am concerned that she will not achieve her full potential in GCSE'S, loose marks for spag and get muddled in exams with time pressures etc.
Anyone experienced anything like this? School aren't concerned, she is on track to pass exams so it's not an issue to them.
Do we have to pay for private screening for diagnosis, I don't want to let her down because she is 'fine' and doing well.

I know of quite a few students whose dyslexia wasn’t diagnosed till sixth form - they were bright enough to manage at GCSE and mask their issues by working their arses off, but with greater writing/reading demands at A-level couldn’t keep up.

You could try again with the school (we’ve had parents kick off until their kid is screened) or go private. She may be eligible for extra time in exams so it’s worth exploring.

My dd tested as highly gifted (here in usa) and I paid for private testing and they found a type of dyslexia. Or should I say, they confirmed what I already knew was an issue. It was helpful to have a piece of paper to say so. She gets accommodations (extra time and a quiet room) on any exams that involve math and it has allowed her to excel in subjects that she might have otherwise struggled in.

I had exactly the same issue as a teenager. My spelling was that of an 8 year old at 14 but my reading was 16+ (the top of the scale). School said because that averaged out to a number that wasn't concerning I was fine

I did my GCSEs then was tested privately. I went from a B at GCSE English to an A at Alevel. Partly because I'd been told I wasn't thick and so had some confidence, partly because spelling carried so few marks rather than the actual help I got.

The diagnosis has carried through uni and now I still get extra time in written assessments for job interviews etc.

Get the tests done privately, get the extra time in exams and any help she's entitled to with things such as phonics. Also teach her to touch type as she'll be able to type exams.

The other thing I'd say is dyslexia shouldn't be seen as a weakness, I had 3 degrees before I accepted I wasn't thick but just process information differently. Some things are obvious to me that other people struggle with, the world just isn't designed in a way to suit us dyslexics.

DD2 is the same, very bright but dyslexic. She gets extra time in exams now and should be allowed for her GCSEs as school are following recommendations for this and logging the support she gets for spelling in general so that she will qualify when she reaches GCSE year. She in herself has a better understanding of her difficulty with spelling and how it affects her writing and it has helped her self esteem to know. We had to pay privately but it was worth every penny and actually picked up more than we were aware of.

Thanks everyone. How costly is it for private diagnosis and how do you even go about finding a legitimate place for this to be done?

So it depends who does the assessment. £600 ed psychologist about half that for a suitably qualified teacher where we are. My sons school gave screened him but you can also do that privately.

I paid $3000 5 years ago in the USA. It was worth every penny. Up until the assessment, I had teachers telling all sorts of stupid things like my dd was going to struggle with reading as she couldn't spell to save her life even though at the time dd was 7 and reading the Twilight Series (one of my parenting fails). Dd is now 15 and is currently taking and getting A's in uni classes and still misspells 3 letter words. She doesn't need accommodations on the spelling side anymore because grades are not based on crappy spelling when you are older. However, she still does get accommodations for her inability to add numbers in her head and/or quickly. She's perfectly good at math, but just needs extra time and a quiet room which she gets as part of her accommodations.

The most important part of the diagnosis was that it meant that she was no longer getting labeled as slow or backwards and being placed in remedial classes which is what was happening before the assessment despite a separate school district assessment of her being highly gifted.

Google private ed psych's and post in Special Ed section on Mumsnet for referrals.

My dd was diagnosed at 19 when in 2nd year at uni. She had got 4 A levels at 6th form. It showed up at uni because written reports were graded at C when she knew they were worth more. She asked for a test. After diagnosis her course was changed to one involving less written work and more lab work. Ended up a top student.

I agree re private testing.

The screening done at school will (generally) be a very broad test either using software or the sen/learning support staff. To give an indication/probability only. This is not enough.

Your DD needs an Ed Psych or Clinical Psych who has the qualifications to run the test, mark the tests and diagnose (not all incl learning support staff are qualified to do this). Ask any potentials testers if they can do all these.

You will then get a diagnosis which (if positive) will highlight severity of issues ie processing speed, memory, current reading age, current reading comprehension etc... this will form the basis of any accomodations.

Make sure the report includes what accomodations your DD is entitled to and any modifications the clinician thinks would be helpful for the school to implement.

OMG £600 she will be out of education before we manage to save that!

It's worth forgoing a holiday or pretty much anything.

Oh I agree, it'll just take us an absolute age to save that, it's half my monthly salary!

I completely understand! I had to stop working to care for my ds. I just wanted to reiterate that even though it was an enormous amount of money for me, I have absolutely not a single regret about spending the money on the private testing for either of my dc's. And although several people suggested that I could "get it done for free by the school" once I actually saw what their testing looked like for ds, I realized that it was totally useless. Here in the USA you can sometimes (with a lawyer) get the school district to pay for the private testing (and the lawyer you hired to get there). I don't know if that's a possibility in the UK.

www.patoss-dyslexia.org/

I recommend these for dyslexia assessments. Agree it's really expensive. We are still saving for our daughter to be assessed. She has 4 other immediate family members with the diagnosis (2 diagnosed via PATOSS) and we are sure she has dyslexia but haven't been able to afford it yet. I feel terribly guilty.

We have recent experience of this although my dd is only 9. I have known for a while that there was a mismatch with her academic ability and spelling. We paid £550 for Ed psych assessment as I knew there was no way school would even entertain it as she works so hard and with help from home is in top groups for all areas at school. The assessment showed that her iq was just below the gifted level (I forget the numbers now) and she would be something like 93 percentile but there was big discrepancies between spelling which did come out as her chronological age (9yrs) but reading, comprehension, processing speed all over 16yrs. Her lowest score was aural memory which fit with her earlier profile of repeated ear infections and grommets at young age. The EP report suggests ways of supporting her too.
We were going to pay up front but then my husband got an interest free credit card offer so we have paid on that and will pay it off over next few months - is that something you could consider?

Happy to answer any other questions about the assessment if it helps.

Do teachers say that her spelling is so bad that it makes her writing unintelligible? If so, something needs to be done.

The starting point has to be what the subject teachers say, and what the pupil's normal way of working is. These are the current JCQ regulations.

Secondary schools should not apply for access arrangements in GCSE or GCE exams based on a privately commissioned dyslexia assessment. Assessments should be carried out, at the school's request, by someone on the school staff, or by someone with whom the school already has an established relationship.

Please go and speak to the school's SENCo before spending money which may get you nowhere.

I agree completely with what Bluebonnie says and would add that it can cause difficulties with schools when parents believe that a private assessment will allow access arrangements. It really doesn’t work like that.

Yes thanks for the additional advice. We have already spoken to SENCO

Assessments should be carried out, at the school's request, by someone on the school staff, or by someone with whom the school already has an established relationship.

Oh, that's really interesting, thanks. Dd3 has just finished y10, and I've long suspected she had dyslexic traits, although she copes very well. Towards the end of last term school did a 1 hour screening test for all the y10s, to see who needs further testing for extra time/special arrangements. Haven't heard anything about any results yet though. I've been wondering this summer whether to look into arranging private testing, but it sounds like it will be better to wait until September and talk to school about it.

Ill message you!