How to get a dyslexia screening for my son?

[AnnieT]

Hi there,

I wondered if anyone has any experience of how to secure a dyslexia screening for your child? My son is aged 12 and in secondary school. I have suspected for a while he had dyslexia but perhaps it’s not bad enough for the school to pick it up. I have now asked the school and they have said they don’t carry out ‘ad hoc’ dyslexia screenings.

Does anyone have any experience on this and know what is the best way to have him then assessed in some other way?

Many thanks!

[busymum]

Hi I'm sure lots of parents out there will have a very similar experience. I went to the GP in the end as School was doing nothing, but the GP told me SENs diagnosis was the schools responsibility! including ADHD (which is bonkers in my opinion) the GP can put child on WL for Autistic assessment. WLs are ridiculous. You can get a private assessment for dyslexia for £650! I haven't yet done this but i did look into it. The centre is called the Helen Arkell Centre, I only know about them through various recommendations, but there might be other similar organisations. They are based in Farnham but also have London office, can't remember where. Check out the website. They can do the assessment online I think, They are non profit, it's still very expensive though, but you should get answers quickly. The School will need to liaise with them, there's alot of online forms to complete, but i have checked with Charter ED for example and they had confirmed in writing that they do recognise the findings of Helen Arkell Centre etc so you would in theory get funding through Southwark, well the school would, but your child would get extra help at school presumably. Seems like schools are struggling financially (like everyone else) and that's why they're not testing? apparently 1 in 10 of us have dyslexia! BTW there is a test the School can do, the LUCID test, which should flag up any major issues, you can request this test and a copy of the results. The School can not refuse this. This might be helpful. Good luck getting the support your son needs

[Guest]

There is a British Dyslexia Association - they have a website with lot of information about assessment.

[karenkresgs]

I had the same fear! But I was politely examined in the hospital and they said that my child is doing well!!

Edited April 15, 2023 by karenkresgs
Error

[beck]

Bell House in Dulwich offer a lot of Dyslexia support and advice they may have information about getting screened;

https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/dyslexia-support-overview

[Renata Hamvas]

The Bloomfield Centre does assessments. http://bloomfieldlearningcentre.org.uk/

Your son's school should be doing an initial assessment and referring him on. Have you tried contacting the school's SEN department?

[Soylent Green]

Apologies for doing this, but there is an inaccuracy in the paragraph below, which I think needs addressing. It is that schools will get extra funding if your child gets a diagnosis. The first £6000 of any SEND support has to be found by the school out of existing funding and thereafter the local authority decide if the 'need' is needy enough to warrant extra support. Because Southwark has lost on average £500 per pupil per year and has the burden of the fuel price crisis to bear, it is only the more extreme cases that get support, particularly children who may pose a danger to themselves and others. There is just no money in the pot for those who would benefit but are not posing a significant problem. For example, I tutor an 8 year old girl who has a Southwark diagnosis of moderate to severe dyslexia and she still does not have a one to one even though she is working at Reception /low year 1 level in a year 4 classroom. If your child has reached the age of 12 without a diagnosis, he is unlikely to be awarded any additional support other than extra time in exams. Extra time is well worth it for GCSEs and above, but schools will generally fund year 11 diagnoses because the extra time given affects students' grades - which look good on the school. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is the awful situation schools are in. I think if you are going to spend £650, you would be better off getting a private educational psychologist to assess him and see if they can recommend any strategies that might help him manage his school work.

The School will need to liaise with them, there's alot of online forms to complete, but i have checked with Charter ED for example and they had confirmed in writing that they do recognise the findings of Helen Arkell Centre etc so you would in theory get funding through Southwark, well the school would, but your child would get extra help at school presumably. Seems like schools are struggling financially (like everyone else) and that's why they're not testing? apparently 1 in 10 of us have dyslexia! BTW there is a test the School can do, the LUCID test, which should flag up any major issues, you can request this test and a copy of the results. The School can not refuse this. This might be helpful. Good luck getting the support your son needs