FAQs

    • It can help your child understand why they are experiencing difficulties, enable them to recognise their strengths and learn how to use them. 

    • It will help your child understand their individual style of learning or working and what the most effective way for them to learn is.

    • It can help identify other factors that may be affecting your child's learning and signpost to appropriate professionals for further support.

    • It will provide specific recommendations for support with learning at school and at home.

    • It will suggest whether any Reasonable Adjustments will need to be made for your child to fully access the curriculum and exams. 

  • Tell your child they are going to see someone who is interested in how people learn. The assessment will help to work out why some learning is difficult and what might help to make things easier.

  • At the start of the assessment, there is usually an informal chat with the young person to gather a little more background information. A Full Diagnostic Assessment will usually take up to 3 hours to complete. The young person will be offered short breaks as needed to ensure they stay comfortable and focused. Please ensure that they bring any glasses or coloured overlays that they usually use, if appropriate.

    During a dyslexia assessment, I will carry out a series of standardised tests to explore areas such as: 

    • reading, writing and spelling 

    • handwriting and fine motor skills 

    • cognitive skills, including phonological awareness, speed of processing and memory

    • general underlying ability, including verbal and visual skills.

  • Following the assessments, I will produce a written report. This will explain all of your child’s test scores and provide recommendations for support. This will be emailed to you within three weeks of your child’s assessment. Within the report, I will identify the strengths and challenges of the learning profile and provide tailored recommendations to enable school and parents to support your child.  The diagnostic outcome will confirm whether or not a diagnosis of Dyslexia has been given. 

    Once you have had a chance to read through the report, you may then arrange a telephone consultation to answer any questions that you may have.

     The diagnostic report will be accepted in support of an application for Disabled Student Allowance (DSA).

  • Yes, the report is accepted in support of an application for Disabled Student Allowance (DSA).

  • At times, it may not be possible to offer a clear-cut diagnosis of dyslexia. However, a comprehensive report will be given, noting areas of strength and weakness, with detailed recommendations to support your child at home, in school and with a specialist teacher, if available. If necessary, details of other professionals will be given, or an onward referral will be made, such as an occupational therapist, behavioural optometrist, or speech and language therapist.

CONTACT US FOR AN ASSESSMENT

What Parents Are Saying…

“I would highly recommend Brentford Dyslexia. Rachel was amazing with my son and met with him a week before the assessment so he knew what to expect which really put him at ease. A summary of the results were explained a few days after the assessment and before the final report was sent. Rachel was an absolute pleasure to deal with and kept us updated throughout the whole process.”

Nina McMahon

“Rachel is an excellent dyslexia assessor. She was fantastic with my son, who has ASD and ADHD. He really enjoyed his time with her and is still talking about her & the session —which is rare because he doesn’t usually warm up to many adults! She made him feel comfortable, understood his needs, and worked with him in a way that helped bring out his best. I truly appreciate the care and patience she showed, and I highly recommend her. Thank you 😊”.

Carly D

“I cannot recommend Rachel enough. From the very start, her communication was clear, professional, and warm—she responded to all our questions quickly and with great kindness. The assessment was a big hit with my daughter, who genuinely enjoyed the experience despite it being quite mentally challenging. Rachel was incredibly patient and caring, and she truly sees each child as the unique individual they are. That, to me, is so important when going through these types of assessments. I’m so happy we chose to go through this process with her.”

Madeleine Gerosa

“I would highly recommend Rachel. Rachel took time out to meet our son ahead of the assessment which really made him feel at ease. The report was comprehensive and Rachel has been on hand for any questions we as parents have had. Thank you Rachel.”

Kerry McManus