Dyslexia

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning difference which primarily affects reading and writing skills. However, it does not only affect these skills. Dyslexia is actually about information processing. Dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills. Dyslexia can also impact on other areas such as organisational skills.

It is important to remember that there are positives to thinking differently. Many dyslexic people show strengths in areas such as reasoning and in visual and creative fields.

NASEN have produced a guide for supporting children and young people with Dyslexia. 

Supporting pupils with Dyslexia (opens PDF in new window)

The videos below can help explain more about Dyslexia

Getting a Dyslexia assessment

There are a number of assessment and screening tools which can be used to assess a person for Dyslexia. Below is a small range of places that can offer screening and assessment.

A diagnostic assessment is the formal way that dyslexia can be identified. These assessments are done by qualified specialists. 

Screening tests can identify the probability of dyslexia and highlight strengths and weaknesses. School professionals usually carry out these screeners. 

Clicking the image or link will open the relevant pages about these assessments in a new window.

British Dyslexia Association (opens link in new window)

Lucid Rapid from GL Assessments (opens link in new window)

Brighouse Dyslexia Centre (opens link in new window) 

Lexercise Dyslexia Screening (opens link in new window)

How can schools support your child in mainstream education without a diagnosis?

There is a lot of support that can be implemented within schools to help a child or young person succeed in the classroom. A dyslexia assessment and/or diagnosis is not always necessary in order to identify and support children/young people. 

Schools can use their own assessment tools to assess children and young people's needs and provide a wide range of strategies and interventions to support learners' success. 

We are a 'needs-led' Council, which means we support children and young people based on their presenting needs and what each individual child needs to succeed, rather than waiting for a diagnosis. 

If a child or young person is still struggling in school following a period at the Inclusive High Quality teaching level, schools can seek support from Kirklees services, such as the Cognition & Learning team or an Educational Psychologist. (Please click on the names of the services to read more about the individual teams; links open in a new page.)

What are the different levels of support in a school? 

We have created a page to explain the school's processes. There is a useful video on the page too, which you may find beneficial. It includes a SENDCo from a local Primary School, who explains the different levels of support and what support may look like at each level. 

 What teachers should be doing to support Children & Young People with SEND - Inclusive High Quality Teaching (opens link in a new page)

What should you do if you think your child has SEND?

We would encourage you to speak to your school directly in the first instance. Start off with the class teacher, who knows your child well. They may then ask the SENDCo to support any conversations. We have dedicated pages for information on what to do below (links open in a new window):

What do I do if I think my child has Special Educational Needs

Speaking to nursey, school or college about support

Why aren't dyslexia assessments free?

Dyslexia can only be formally identified through a Diagnostic Assessment carried out by a certified assessor. Assessments are not available through the NHS. This is because a diagnosis is usually carried out by a qualified Educational Psychologist or Specialist Dyslexia Teacher, rather than a health professional. There is no expectation that Local Authorities provide free assessments. 

Dyslexia friendly fonts