Identifying Dyslexia

There are 2 ways of identifying dyslexia:

  1. A Dyslexia Screening determines the ‘probability’ of an individual being dyslexic through an in-depth discussion. A report highlights an individual’s strengths and weaknesses and offers advice and recommendations for further support. They do not provide formal evidence of dyslexia.
  1. A Dyslexia Assessment provides a ‘diagnosis’ of dyslexia and can only be undertaken by an Educational Psychologist or a qualified Dyslexia teacher with qualified assessor status. After a series of comprehensive diagnostic tests an in-depth report highlights an individual’s strengths and weaknesses and offers recommendations for additional support.

Dyslexia Cornwall would only recommend a screening or assessment if several key indicators of dyslexia have been identified.  If a member of the family has dyslexia, the likelihood of an individual having dyslexia will increase.

Screenings or assessments should not be undertaken before the age 7.  Before this age the signs for dyslexia may be due to normal development delays or young children may not be able to cope with the assessment process.

This should not stop schools identifying and addressing a children’s learning needs before this age.

Key Indicators of Dyslexia

There are several key indicators of dyslexia which can present at different ages and may be used as signs for spotting dyslexia.

For a list of indicators refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section which includes indicators for:

These are not exhaustive lists and are not intended as a screening tool.

Not all dyslexic children and adults will display all of these characteristics.