Diagnostic Dyslexia Assessments

At the Dyslexia Teaching Centre, we offer diagnostic dyslexia assessments which provide a full picture of your child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, which may be affecting their learning, particularly in regard to literacy skills.

An assessment will help you understand your child’s learning needs and explain why they may be experiencing difficulties on their educational journey and day-to-day life. An assessment should be a positive, rewarding experience for all, especially the child who is at the heart of the assessment process.

What happens during the assessment

Assessments, which are administered by our specialist assessor, takes place in our quiet, peaceful centre within the grounds of the old Heythrop College, Kensington Square. The assessment lasts approximately three hours. Your child is able to have a short break and we recommend that they bring a snack with them.

Our assessments are interactive which explore your child's underlying cognitive and literacy skills.

A full assessment will explore:

verbal and non-verbal reasoning
cognitive processing skills e.g. phonological awareness, phonological processing, memory
reading e.g. reading fluency and comprehension skills
spelling
writing skills

Please note that a full diagnostic assessment does not always lead to a diagnosis of dyslexia.

The assessment report

A detailed report will be provided within three weeks of the assessment.

The report will include:

an introductory section which summarises your child's cognitive profile. It will include a diagnosis of dyslexia if this is supported by the assessment.
a summary of background information provided by home and school
a breakdown on the test results with a detailed interpretation
bespoke, personal recommendations for support at home and at school. These recommendations will help inform decisions on appropriate educational provision, as well as support strategies which you can try at home.
Onward referrals to other professionals such as an Occupational Therapist or Speech and Language Therapist, if appropriate

We offer a post-assessment consultation with our specialist assessor who will take you through the report with you. This can be done in person at our centre or via a Zoom call. This is part of our personalised 'wrap around' care to you so that you are able to support your child with the next steps, and that you are supported as a parent.

At secondary school level, the assessment report may be used as evidence for exam access arrangements, however, this needs to be agreed by your child's school and we are named as their approved assessor. This is as per regulations set out by the Joint Council of Qualifications (JCQ), which schools must strictly adhere to.

It may also be used to apply for funded support at university, known as Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).

Further exploration of Specific Learning Difficulties may be required, therefore, we may recommend that additional assessments are conducted, a Speech and Language or an Occupational Therapy assessment, for instance.

Pre-assessment information we will need

For all assessments, we will ask you to complete a Family Questionnaire, which must be completed with accurate information and as much detail as possible. Pre-assessment information gathering is a key part of the process, which provides valuable information to inform the assessment.

We require all children to have had a sight test within the two years before an assessment takes place.

Family Questionnaire

We will also ask your child's school to complete a School Questionnaire, which we will send directly to the school. We will also request any previous reports conducted by professionals (e.g. Occupational Therapy reports).

The cost of a full diagnostic dyslexia assessment is £675.

We understand that considering an assessment can be daunting and you may need time to consider your options. We would be happy to arrange an initial consultation with you and one of our professionals will guide you through the assessment process.

We are here to listen and answer any of your questions.

To book an assessment, or if you have queries, please contact the centre on

075 9221 2375 or Email us