Diagnostic screening and assessment services for children and young people (ages 7-18) within the Gloucestershire and surrounding areas. Carried out by a qualified SpLD assessor with a current APC (Assessment Practising Certificate)
Dyslexia
There are many signs and indicators of dyslexia at different developmental stages. If you are unsure whether the difficulties you are seeing are dyslexia, further information is detailed below and there is lots of advice and support out there, such as on the BDA and PATOSS websites.
You can book a free consultation with me to find out whether a screener or full assessment may be helpful for your child.
In-person and remote options
I am based in Cheltenham and offer a range of services within schools and homes within Gloucestershire and surrounding areas. Services include:
Free Consultation
Dyslexia Screening
Full Diagnostic Assessment
Tutoring
Please use the contact form for more information
Available Services
Free consultation
Arrange a call to talk through the challenges your child is experiencing and discuss whether any further action may be helpful. There is no obligation to have a dyslexia screener or assessment with me following this consultation.
Dyslexia Screening
Dyslexia screening is a quick, focused assessment designed to identify potential for specific learning difficulties and highlight areas for further support and/or investigation. Suitable from ages 7 years. This screening helps parents and educators understand early sign of dyslexia and decide whether a full diagnostic assessment is needed.
Full Diagnostic Assessment
A full diagnostic assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of a child or young person’s current level of functioning, to understand their learning profile including their strengths and weaknesses, to identify whether there are any underlying specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, that may be affecting her progress; and to explore opportunities for support both at home and at school. This service is suitable for ages 7 years up to 19 years.
The process typically involves:
Education Questionnaire - to gather a full educational history and current picture
Family Questionnaire - to father a health and developmental information and current picture
Detailed assessment of areas including:
Language and Reasoning
Attainment - literacy (and if required numeracy)
Speed of Processing
Memory and Attention
A full comprehensive assessment report that summarises the findings and provides detailed recommendations for support strategies, interventions and accommodations for both home and school contexts
Feedback Session
Dyslexia
Recently a new definition of dyslexia has been agreed following the publication of The Dyslexia Delphi Study which aimed to establish a consensus view from a wide range of experts. It has been agreed and adopted by all key bodies including the British Dyslexia Association (BDA), the Specific Learning Difficulties Assessment Standards Committee (SASC) and the Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (PATOSS).
Dyslexia Definition
Nature
The nature and developmental trajectory of dyslexia depend on multiple genetic and environmental influences.
Manifestation
Dyslexia is a set of processing difficulties that affect the acquisition of reading and spelling. The most commonly observed cognitive impairment in dyslexia is a difficulty in phonological processing (i.e. in phonological awareness, phonological processing speed or phonological memory). However, phonological difficulties do not fully explain the variability that is observed. Working memory, processing speed and orthographic skills can contribute to the impact of dyslexia.
Impact
In dyslexia, some or all aspects of literacy attainment are weak in relation to age, standard teaching and instruction, and level of other attainments. Across languages and age groups, difficulties in reading fluency and spelling are a key marker of dyslexia.
Variance and co-occurrence
Dyslexic difficulties exist on a continuum and can be experienced to various degrees of severity. Dyslexia can affect the acquisition of other skills, such as mathematics, reading comprehension or learning another language. Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with one or more other developmental difficulties, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD, and developmental coordination disorder.
Reference: Carroll, J.M., Holden, C., Kirby, P., Thompson, P.A., Snowling, M.J. (2025), Toward a consensus on dyslexia: findings from a Delphi study. J Child Psychol Psychiatr. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.14123.