Emma completed the PG Certification SpLD Dyslexia (Level 7) at Edge Hill University.

You can read about Emma’s journey on the course at Edge Hill here: https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/person/emma-perry/student/

She is a member of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA) and holds an Assessing Practising Certificate (APC). All assessments are fully insured.

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/dyslexia/tutor-list/search

Before having an assessment, parents will be asked to complete a questionnaire, the evidence provided will be considered when the full report is written. In addition, questionnaires will be sent to school for your child’s teacher to complete; this evidence can provide a clear and rounded picture of the needs your child is facing.

Full Dyslexia Diagnosis can be completed for children over the age of 8 years old.

New for 2025 – Delphi definition of Dyslexia

All assessments are tracked against the new definition of Dyslexia approved by SASC.

Carroll, J., Holden, C., Kirby, P., Snowling, M. J., & Thompson, P.A. (2025) Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Nature

• The nature and developmental trajectory of dyslexia depend on multiple genetic and environmental influences.

Manifestation

• Dyslexia is a set of processing difficulties that affect the acquisition of reading and spelling. The most commonly observed cognitive impairment in dyslexia is a difficulty in phonological processing (i.e. in phonological awareness, phonological processing speed or phonological memory). However, phonological difficulties do not fully explain the variability that is observed. Working memory, processing speed and orthographic skills can contribute to the impact of dyslexia.

Impact

• In dyslexia, some or all aspects of literacy attainment are weak in relation to age, standard teaching and instruction, and level of other attainments. Across languages and age groups, difficulties in reading fluency and spelling are a key marker of dyslexia.

Variance and Co-occurrence

• Dyslexic difficulties exist on a continuum and can be experienced to various degrees of severity. Dyslexia can affect the acquisition of other skills, such as mathematics, reading comprehension or learning another language. Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with one or more other developmental difficulties, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD, and developmental coordination disorder.

Common Reading Issues Associated With Dyslexia:

• Your child’s reading may lack fluency
• Your child may miss lines or repeats lines when reading
• Your child may lose their place when reading

• Your child may avoid reading aloud

• Your child may avoid reading for pleasure

Common Spelling Issues Associated With Dyslexia:

• Your child may misspell a word several ways in the same piece of writing
• It may take your child longer to learn spellings
• Your child may easily forget spellings
• Your child may transpose ‘b’ and ‘d’
• Your child may mix the vowel sounds
• Your child may struggle to spell the middle or end sounds of words

Common Writing Issues Associated With Dyslexia:

• Your child’s writing may be limited and concise
• They may have poor handwriting
• You may notice a difference between their oral ability and their written ability

• Your child may have poor organisational skills
• Your child may struggle to remember times tables
• Your child may struggle to tell the time using an analogue clock
• Your child may confuse their left and right
• Your child may find remembering instructions challenging

SASC Approved Tests:

All assessments used to complete the full Dyslexic Diagnostic Assessment are approved by SASC – the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee. The tests offer the highest standards of validity and reliability. (https://www.sasc.org.uk)

Full Diagnostic Dyslexia Assessments:

A full Diagnostic Assessment provides a forensic analysis of a young person’s accurate and fluent reading and writing ability, phonological awareness, verbal memory

 and verbal processing speed. The assessment takes 3 hours in total and usually takes place over two separate appointments. The full report takes 14 days to complete.The report will include detailed recommendations for parents, schools, individuals and further recommendations for the future.

Lifelong Diagnosis:

A Dyslexia Diagnostic Report is a lifelong diagnosis which can be beneficial for the future of a young person. A diagnosis can support a young person to be able to access extra support at school, college and university. A diagnosis would also support a young person to access Disabled Student Allowance at University and work place adaptations.

What are the benefits of a Dyslexia Diagnosis?:

A Diagnostic Assessment is intended to confirm whether an individual has dyslexia or not.

It is often reassuring to have a formal diagnosis as it helps young people to understand the reason behind their difficulties.

A diagnosis can support a young person to understand how they learn and offer suggestions which will be effective in the future.

A young person may need adaptations within school, college or university and a diagnosis can provide access to these adaptations.

A diagnosis can support a young person to identify their particular strengths, they could then consider how to build on these skills to use later in life.