
Dyslexia assessments, tuition and Maths support in the Portishead, Bristol and North Somerset area.
Full Diagnostic Dyslexia Assessments (ages 8 - 18)
Why Assess for Dyslexia?
If you have concerns about your child’s progress in reading and spelling, and your child’s school have raised the possibility of dyslexia, it can be useful to get a full diagnostic assessment done.
An assessment will give you a description of your child’s unique strengths and weaknesses and provide recommendations that will help you and your child’s school tailor support better to their learning needs. If, after the assessment, you decide to seek more specialist tuition, the report will help the tutor to plan effective intervention.
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Self-Esteem
A diagnosis can help a dyslexic learner gain a deeper understanding of their learning styles, strengths and reasons behind any difficulties. This perspective can help reduce any frustrations and anxieties and increase self-esteem.
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Support
A diagnosis of dyslexia does not guarantee extra funding for your child. It does, however, provide the school with information about your child’s strengths and difficulties and recommendations on how to support in the classroom and schools must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to support the needs of children with specific learning difficulties (SpLDs).
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At secondary school and further education, Exam Access Arrangements, including extra time, can be awarded to children with a SpLD for their GCSEs, A-levels or other exams.
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In higher education, individuals with an accredited diagnosis of an SpLD are eligible to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). This can provide support in the form of subsidised equipment, training and mentoring. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa
The Assessment Process
Preparation
Initially, information is gathered via questionnaires from the parents and the child’s school to enable a full picture of the child as a learner to be established. Further questions and information may be gathered from the family during a phone call or the assessment meeting.
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Assessment
A full diagnostic assessment can take between 3 to 5 hours, depending on the need for rest or movement breaks. If appropriate, this can be done in two sittings of 1.5 – 2 hours. Assessments can be conducted in the child’s home, in my home or at the child’s school.
The assessment will include measures of visual and verbal ability, short-term memory, phonological memory, phonological awareness, processing speed, reading, writing and spelling.
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Report
A thorough and detailed report will be produced following the assessment and be provided to you within 3 weeks of the assessments. The report will include a positive of negative dyslexia diagnosis, with background information and explantion of test results to support the diagnosis. Most importantly, regardless of diagnosis, it will provide a detailed analysis of your child’s strengths and difficulties and practical recommendations for support.
All reports are written in accordance with current SASC guidelines. See https://www.sasc.org.uk for further details.
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Price
£500
What a parent said:
"Christina conducted a dyslexia assessment on my 11 year old., following a detailed and thorough conversation about my daughter's barriers to learning. The information that Christina gathered ahead of the assessment and the attention to detail that went into producing the final report was of a very high standard. The report was easy to digest, painted a clear picture of my daughter's learning needs, and provided vital suggestions on how best to support her within the classroom environment.
Throughout the assessment, Christina was able to support my daughter to focus carefully on the tasks, demonstrating patience whilst giving regular praise and encouragement. My daughter actually enjoyed taking part in the tasks.
It was evident during the assessment just how much Christina understands how best to support young people facing barriers to learning. I can't recommend her enough."
Bex, Flax Bourton.