Dyslexia Assessments in Rotherham

Rotherham has a noticeably high proportion of adult enquiries. People get in touch after years of managing, often in large employers where written communication, reporting and training have become a bigger part of the job than they once were.

A diagnostic assessment gives an adult two things: an explanation, and a formal document. Under the Equality Act 2010 an employer is required to consider reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee, and a specialist diagnostic report is the evidence normally used to open that conversation. What adjustments are actually agreed remains a matter between you and your employer.

For families, Rotherham's SEND Local Offer and Rotherham SENDIASS are both useful free starting points. Neither carries out diagnostic assessments, which is why most families end up looking at an independent specialist.

An assessment usually takes around two to three hours, with breaks, and can be split across two shorter sessions where that would suit better. It begins with a conversation about background, education and what has prompted the enquiry, followed by a series of standardised tasks.

Those tasks look at underlying cognitive processing, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, phonological processing, working memory and processing speed, alongside attainment in reading, spelling and writing. It is the relationship between those areas, not any single score, that determines whether the profile meets the criteria for dyslexia.

Every assessment is carried out to the standards set by SASC, and the written report follows within an agreed timescale. It sets out the findings in plain English, explains what they mean day to day, and makes practical recommendations for school, college, university, work or home.