DS might have moderate dyslexia. Advice sought

[Ouchh1]

I wrote a previous thread re my 10 yr old DS, performed very, very poorly in his 11+ exam, despite receiving extensive tutoring. His English tutor, who had been teaching him for a year, belatedly suggested he might have a learning disorder

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5190327-ds-failed-11-very-upset-angry-and-sad

At a parents' evening last term I discussed his English tutor's comments with his new teacher and she had noticed some patterns in DS's writing and learning which concerned her and she arranged to have him tested by the SEN lead.

Last week, we had our meeting and the initial results suggested he might have moderate dyslexia. The initial diagnosis was to do with slow phonological processing

The SEN Lead suggested she could write to my GP but she suggested we get him assessed privately, due to NHS waiting times.

I wanted to ask people who have been through this:

Is it better to get an educational physiologist to do a full assessment or a dyslexia specialist?

Any recommendations of people to carry out these assessments:

The school said they would give him extra time during tests but didn't suggest what else they would do to help him. What sort of help are other schools offering?

We have been reading since he was 2 - 3. I have started listening to him read and asking questions to ensure he understands. Anything else I need to do to help him?

Any books I should read as a parent?

The SEN Lead suggested audio books? Have you found this useful?

Any other suggestions? I am thinking of hiring a tutor who has worked with dyslexia children. Have any parents found these useful?

I am now worried how he will cope with GCSEs or alevels.

Thanks for any other help / advice / comments.

My DD was diagnosed with mild to moderate dyslexia mid way through yr4 (local state primary) after her teacher noticed issues - she was still spelling completely phonetically, even the most basic of words, struggling to spell multisyllabic words and her reading speed was below what it should have been for her age. She also was struggling to keep up in maths - her slow audio processing exacerbated this problem. We had her assessed privately - we had a friends recommendation but a google search will likely throw up some local assessors or you could approach you GP/local NHS hospital for recommendations. Or put out a request on a community Facebook group perhaps?

DD now yr6 and since her diagnosis she has received fairly regal maths, phonics, reading and spelling interventions. She is allowed to use a board around her desk to eliminate distractions is needed and she can use ear defenders if she wishes. Yellow overlays also help with reading. School have said she will get extra time in next summers SATs.

Barrington Stokes publish dyslexic friendly books and The Dyslexia Shop sell all manner of resources to support children with their learning. The support my DD receives is pretty good considering the strain on resources in state schools, we feel lucky to have this much.

We are also big fans of audiobooks, my DD always has one on the go. She does also go to a tutor once a week, not a specialist dyslexia one as the tutoring is simply to ensure she does not fall behind in the maths and English curriculum and put her in a good position for starting secondary school. She really enjoys is, the tutor uses very visual resources and games which really help. As to GCSEs and A-Levels, we have a few years to go so will cross that bridge when we come to it. Hope this helps and that you get your DS the support he needs.

My daughter had to have a private diagnosis for her son when he was in yr 4 because there is not the funds for schools to test .He is severely dyslexic then she fought the education department to get him a echp.He is now yr 8 and he uses a laptop in a lot of lessons

The school have completed an initial screening but these can be misleading. If you are confident that your child's difficulties are to do with processing and literacy, a specialist teacher's report will offer greater depth and detail than an Educational Psychology report. However if you suspect your child's needs may be broader than literacy, processing and possibly memory, than an Educational Psychologist will offer a broader assessment. They are quite different beasts.

Kindles have a dyslexic font. My DD with moderate dyslexia zooms through books now on it compared to having a pile of abandoned halfway ones. She also loves audiobooks (played via my audible account on Alexa).

Dyslexia Specialist Teacher & local Dyslexia Association Helpliner here. There is no such thing as a dyslexia assessment on the NHS. It is not a medical matter.
To get a diagnostic assessment, find a specialist dyslexia assessorgo at https://www.patoss-dyslexia.org/tutor-index-landing
Make sure you choose an assessor who has experience with your son’s age group and check they have the letters APC after their name.
Don’t go to an EP unless you think your son has complex learning needs. They charge 2 to 3 times the price of a specialist dyslexia assessor because technically they have a higher qualification. But in my experience they don’t provide a lot of qualitative information or recommendations.
I’m concerned that the SENCO would have suggested writing to your GP. It suggests she doesn’t have much experience of dealing with dyslexia.

I had a private Ed Psych report done on my DD (11) as the Ed Psych report for her EHCP was rather superficial. He did a full battery of cognitive tests, which was reassuring and informative as they are related to national averages.

She's not dyslexic but AuDHD, however, has always massively disliked reading.

We are also in an 11+ area, although she didn't take it. It can rather skew your idea of "normal"!