Sharing Good Practice
For example:
• Does the child consistently struggle
with spelling?
• Do they find it difficult to read
material at their grade level?
• Are they a slow reader?
• Do they find it difficult to remember
sequences and patterns?
• Does the child have difficulty with
phonics (sounding out words)?
• Is additional support given for
reading and spelling at school?
The above are standard ‘pointers’ that
can be used to find out if a child requires
further assessment to establish if they
are Dyslexic or not. It is important that
we factor in English as an Additional
Language (EAL) students too, who
may exhibit similar traits to a child
with dyslexic tendencies. However,
specific tests should be carried out
to ensure that the child does indeed
show symptoms of Dyslexia rather
than difficulties, because they are
bilingual and struggling with the
English language.
Assessment
Once we have identified that a child is
consistently struggling in at least 3 or
more of the above areas. Then we may
have cause for concern and should
further investigate our findings by
carrying out formal assessments. There
are many online tests that are available
to indicate if a child or a young person
may have Dyslexia. But these tests on
their own, cannot be used to formally
identify if an individual is Dyslexic. It
is normal practice in most parts of the
world for a child to be assessed by an
educational or clinical psychologist
to determine if they have Dyslexia. In
addition, a specialist teacher who has
gained the appropriate qualifications
(by a recognized body/institution)
may also assess a child for Dyslexia. A
SENCO or a doctor are not necessarily
qualified to carry out the assessments
for a formal diagnosis of Dyslexia.
The usual manner to identify if an
individual has Dyslexia would be to
carry out standardized testing. This
involves a battery of assessments
which are specific to analyzing the
child’s phonological ability, single
word reading and spelling tendency.
As well as their cognitive abilities,
speed of processing information, and
working memory skills. The results
of the specific assessments (along
with observational information from
parents and teachers) can then provide
child feels confident to carry out the
activity, so check in with them to
ensure they are on track and praise
their efforts when they are!
evidence for a succinct conclusion
as to a child or young person having
Dyslexia.
Helpful Tips
Dyslexia, can be categorized as mild,
moderate or severe. Nevertheless,
a child with any degree of Dyslexia
should have a specialist care plan
which includes a summary of their
strengths and weaknesses, along
with the recommendations made by
the Assessor in their formal report.
These should be implemented as far
as possible.
As teachers we can:
• Use technology to support their
reading and writing skills-There are
many software applications and
resource materials available on the
internet. You just need to review
first and try them out with your
students and see which ones work
well for them. Try using Texthelp’s
Read&Write Gold software for
literacy support.
• Limit the written information that
you give to them on a worksheet-
Include short sentences which are
relevant for completing the task,
along with diagrams and illustrations
to explain tricky concepts and
words that they will find difficult to
understand.
• Always ensure that the student has
understood what you have asked
them to