Knowledge Centre
A growing library of plain-English articles on dyslexia, assessment and support, written by Mark, a specialist dyslexia assessor, for parents, adults, students, schools and professionals. Browse by topic, or search for the question you came here with.
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For young peopleDyslexia and YouA separate hub written for children and young people themselves, not for adults, with pages for primary school, secondary school and sixth form or college.Open the young people’s hub Pathway
Clear guidance about evidence for school examinations, university and DSA, driving theory tests, professional qualifications, apprenticeships, workplace adjustments, DLA and PIP.
Looking for practical tools rather than paperwork? Our guide to technology and assistive tools for dyslexia covers reading, writing, speech-to-text, planning and study support for children, adults, students and professionals.
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Memory, processing time, writing, attention, change and anxiety can all be part of a wider learning profile — or have other explanations. Why it helps to look at the pattern, not one difficulty in isolation.
Read the articleMock exams can show where the real barriers appear under timed conditions. Here is why a dyslexia diagnosis does not automatically mean extra time, and how understanding a young person's learning profile helps more.
“They seem fine at school.”
For children and young people
Short, friendly pages a dyslexic child or teenager can read themselves: what dyslexia does and does not mean, strengths, people they may recognise, and practical ideas for each stage of school and college.
Article library
Showing 118 of 118 articles
Meeting someone new can feel daunting. Here is how I help children and young people become familiar with me and plan an assessment around their needs.
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Strong spelling can sit alongside slow, effortful reading or difficulty getting ideas onto paper. One skill cannot rule dyslexia in or out; the wider pattern matters.
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A private diagnostic report is professional evidence, but ‘accepting’ it can mean several things. Here is how to involve school and use the findings constructively.
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A child may cope through primary school, then struggle as secondary reading, writing and organisation demands rise. The difficulty is not new; the context has changed.
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A missing book, another drink, one more reason to leave the table: reading avoidance can be preference, tiredness, low confidence or genuine difficulty. The pattern offers useful clues.
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More people are being identified as dyslexic, particularly adults. That does not necessarily mean dyslexia itself is increasing. A balanced look at awareness, definitions, overdiagnosis concerns and why careful assessment matters.
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Dyslexia is neither a sign of low intelligence nor a guarantee of high intelligence. It occurs across the full range of ability, and strengths vary from person to person.
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A calm order of first steps for parents worried about reading: what to ask school, what to rule out, how to judge progress, and when a specialist assessment might help.
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For some dyslexic adults, the reading, writing and remembering built into everyday work takes extra effort, and that effort adds up. A look at why, what else might be involved, and what can help.
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A screener produces useful information. A specialist assessor must interpret the pattern around it, including how somebody works, their history and the effort behind a score.
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Phonics and phonological skills matter, but accurate decoding or one reassuring screening measure cannot describe a learner’s complete literacy profile.
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Late recognition often begins when a child is assessed or work and study demands change, making a lifelong pattern of effort and coping strategies visible for the first time.
Read the articleA nine-part study-skills series for dyslexic learners, parents and teachers: from understanding the question to checking work and managing exam time.
Read the articleWhy some dyslexic learners can explain ideas aloud but struggle to show them in writing, and practical ways to bridge the gap between knowing and showing.
Read the articleWhat describe, explain, compare, analyse and evaluate are really asking for, with a simple command-word routine and reference table for dyslexic learners.
Read the articleGive every paragraph a job, keep the question visible and use a simple skeleton plan so longer answers feel manageable for dyslexic learners.
Read the articleWhy relevance, explanation and structure usually matter more than length, and how dyslexic learners can match their answer to what the question needs.
Read the articlePractical ways to get moving when a blank page leads to a blank mind: three words, a tiny plan, verbal rehearsal and starting with the easiest point.
Read the articleA step-by-step checking routine — question, content, sense, missing words, punctuation, spelling — so checking is useful rather than overwhelming.
Read the articlePractical timing strategies for dyslexic learners: using marks to guide time, moving on when stuck, proportionate checking and making the most of the final minutes.
Read the articleThree simple questions — command word, instruction, key term — that help dyslexic learners unpack an exam or classroom question before they start writing.
Read the articleWhy a short, two-minute plan can take some of the juggling out of writing, with a simple four-step method dyslexic learners can use in class and exams.
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A change of plan can bring some children to a complete halt. This is rarely stubbornness. Cognitive flexibility, uncertainty and the effort of re-planning all play a part — and there is a lot parents and schools can do.
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Some children clearly know the answer but need much longer to get it out. Slow response is not the same as low ability. Processing speed, word retrieval, working memory and anxiety can all play a part.
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"If they can concentrate on Minecraft for three hours, they can concentrate on their homework." It feels logical, but attention does not work like that. Here is why — and how to borrow what games do well.
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They can name every dinosaur but not remember this week's spellings. It is not selective forgetting. Meaning, prior knowledge, interest and repetition make some memories far stronger than others.
Read the articleMemory, processing time, writing, attention, change and anxiety can all be part of a wider learning profile — or have other explanations. Why it helps to look at the pattern, not one difficulty in isolation.
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Dyslexia is different for everyone, so there is no single list of things that always works. These are practical ideas a child or young person can try, and keep only if they genuinely help.
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Adult life quietly involves a huge amount of reading, writing, remembering and organising. These practical strategies are options to try at work, in study and at home, not a list of things you are expected to struggle with.
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Searching an app store for something that will help is exhausting. CALL Scotland's free app wheels group tools by the task a learner is trying to do, which makes them a far more sensible place to start.
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University brings several modules, competing deadlines and a great deal of independent work. These realistic strategies can make the next step easier to see when organisation, time or motivation feel difficult.
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Your child can read the words, but afterwards they are wiped out. Accuracy alone does not show how automatic or sustainable reading has become. Here is what may be happening and what helps.
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You managed school, and now the reading volume, essays, note-taking and deadlines are a different proposition entirely. Here is a clear route through, from university support to assessment and adjustments.
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A diagnostic report explains why certain things have always been harder. It cannot know the detail of your job. A workplace needs assessment is the step that turns findings into role-specific support.
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Plenty of adults are trusted, skilled and effective in their role, and still find emails, reports, forms and record keeping take far longer than they should. Here is why that gap can exist, and what tends to help.
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Many adults assume dyslexia means being unable to read. In practice, adult reading is often accurate but slow, tiring and heavily dependent on re-reading. Here is how that is understood and assessed.
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Adult assessment considers developmental history, which worries people who remember very little of primary school and have no reports left. In practice there is usually more useful evidence than you expect.
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Disclosure is a personal decision with no single right answer. This guide sets out the reasons adults choose to share, the concerns that hold them back, and practical ways to have the conversation well.
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Adjustments work when they match the person, the role and the actual barrier. This guide sets out what can be requested, how reasonableness is judged in the UK, and where Access to Work and workplace needs assessments fit in.
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Dyslexia, ADHD and dyspraxia are separate profiles that frequently occur together. One diagnosis does not rule out another, and understanding where a dyslexia assessment stops is as useful as knowing what it covers.
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A plain guide to getting a dyslexia assessment in Sheffield, for parents wondering what school can offer and for adults and students who need clear diagnostic evidence.
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How dyslexia assessment works across Rotherham and its surrounding villages, for parents who have run out of answers at school and for adults who want to understand a lifelong pattern.
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For families across Barnsley and the surrounding South Yorkshire villages, a clear explanation of when school support is enough and when a diagnostic assessment is the sensible next step.
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Doncaster covers a lot of ground, and support can look different from one school to the next. Here is how dyslexia assessment works across the borough, for children and adults alike.
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Distance shapes everything in rural Derbyshire. Here is how dyslexia assessment works around Chesterfield and the Peak District, and why remote assessment is often the better option rather than the lesser one.
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Stamford sits where three counties meet, with an unusually concentrated mix of schools. This guide explains how dyslexia assessment works locally for children, students and adults.
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England's smallest county has limited specialist provision of its own. Here is how families and adults across Rutland arrange a diagnostic dyslexia assessment without a long journey.
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South Lincolnshire is a spread of market towns and villages rather than one place. This guide explains how dyslexia assessment works across the area, including in a county where the 11+ still matters.
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A plain guide to arranging a dyslexia assessment in Wakefield and across the district, for parents weighing up school support and for adults and students who need clear diagnostic evidence.
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I use Lumosity myself and enjoy it. Here is what the games actually involve, what they appear to draw upon cognitively, and what the research does — and does not — tell us about brain training and dyslexia.
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I use Elevate and enjoy it. Unlike purely abstract brain-training games, several of its activities involve functional skills such as reading, comprehension, vocabulary and writing — which makes it more interesting, and worth looking at carefully.
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A child can genuinely understand something and still struggle to retrieve it later. Working memory, cognitive load, attention and automaticity can all affect how reliably learning is available when it is needed.
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A thoughtful verbal answer can become only a few written sentences because writing places many demands on the brain at once. The gap may reflect a bottleneck in written production, not limited knowledge or ability.
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A complex or incomplete history does not necessarily make a dyslexia assessment impossible. It makes careful evidence gathering, professional judgement and multidisciplinary working particularly important.
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Home education can be the right choice for a child and still leave the question of dyslexia unanswered. Understanding your child's learning profile can be valuable however they learn.
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Dyslexia is developmental and often runs in families. Here is what is understood about genetics and the brain, what does not cause dyslexia, and how it is actually identified.
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Most people with dyslexia see text exactly as everyone else does. Here is what is really going on when reading is hard, what visual stress is, and why the two are not the same thing.
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Dyslexia can fall within the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability, though a diagnosis does not settle the question by itself. Here is how the legal test works and what it means at school, at university and at work.
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Mock exams can show where the real barriers appear under timed conditions. Here is why a dyslexia diagnosis does not automatically mean extra time, and how understanding a young person's learning profile helps more.
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Small amounts of the right support at home can make a real difference. Practical ideas for reading, spelling, KS2 and homework — with confidence at the centre.
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“They seem fine at school.”
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Your child is meeting expectations at school.
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Most people don't wake up one day and decide, out of nowhere, to look into a dyslexia assessment. Something usually prompts it. The trouble is, the moments people wait for aren't always…
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If you have decided to book a dyslexia assessment, you may be wondering how to choose the right assessor. A quick online search often brings up dozens of providers, all offering similar…
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It is a question that comes up often, particularly from parents whose child is managing in school but clearly finding things harder than they should. Can dyslexia be mild? And if it can,…
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It can be confusing when a child reads a passage confidently one day, yet struggles with similar words or text the next. Parents may wonder whether their child is rushing, not…
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Getting a dyslexia diagnosis for your child is often a relief. It gives a name to something you have been noticing for a long time, and it opens the door to proper support. However, many…
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When parents and adults start looking for a dyslexia assessment, the first search is usually some version of "dyslexia assessment near me." It feels like the most practical place to…
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It helps to understand what a formal assessment actually measures. It looks closely at reading, spelling, memory, and processing speed, alongside several other cognitive areas. Dyslexia…
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If your child has had a dyslexia assessment, you may have seen the term working memory in the report. It often comes up as an area of difficulty, and it can be one of the harder concepts…
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If your child goes quiet when the teacher asks the class to read aloud, you are not imagining it. For many children with dyslexia, reading aloud is one of the most difficult and exposed…
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If your child has been assessed with dyslexia, you may have heard the phrase exam access arrangements. It can sound bureaucratic, and many parents are unsure what it actually means in…
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Secondary school brings a step change in demands. There are more subjects, more teachers, more reading, and more writing under pressure. For a young person with dyslexia, that step…
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Dyslexia at primary school is often easy to miss. The child in question is usually bright, curious and full of ideas. Reading and writing simply do not click in the way they do for…
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If you have raised concerns about your child's reading, writing, or spelling and felt like you were talking to a wall, you are not alone. Many parents describe the same experience. A…
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Many people search for “types of dyslexia”, expecting there to be several distinct diagnoses. Whilst these terms are still widely used online, current understanding suggests that…
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If you are searching for a dyslexia assessment in Peterborough, you are probably feeling a mix of worry and frustration. Perhaps your child is struggling at school, and you are not…
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The cost of an assessment is one thing. How you pay for it is another, and it is a fair question to ask before you book. Most people pay for a private assessment themselves. There are a…
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A plain-English look at what makes up the cost of a diagnostic dyslexia assessment. It is a fair question, and you deserve a clear answer before you commit to anything. At Defining…
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If you've spent any time navigating the world of SEND support, you may have encountered a deeply frustrating experience, and being told by your local authority that dyslexia isn't…
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When parents receive a dyslexia assessment report, one of the first things they notice is the numbers. There are scores for reading, spelling, memory, processing speed, and more, and it…
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If your child is being assessed for dyslexia, or if you are exploring why they are finding learning harder than expected, you may have come across the term cognitive assessment. It can…
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For many people, dyslexia doesn't arrive alone. Around 40% of individuals with dyslexia also meet the criteria for ADHD, and yet the two are often treated as entirely separate…
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Remote assessment has become an increasingly common question, and for good reason. For many families and adults, the ability to access a qualified dyslexia assessor without travelling…
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Remote dyslexia assessment is simpler to set up than most people expect. This guide explains the equipment, space and materials needed, in plain English.
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Right to Choose is an NHS pathway in England, most often discussed for ADHD and autism assessment. A diagnostic dyslexia assessment is an educational assessment, so it usually sits outside that route. Here is what that means in practice.
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One of the most common misconceptions about dyslexia assessment is that you need a GP referral to access one. It comes up regularly, and it is understandable. Many specialist services…
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For many families living with dyslexia, homework is one of the most challenging parts of the day. What should take twenty minutes can stretch into an hour or more, ending in tears,…
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Of all the challenges that come with dyslexia, the impact on a child's self-esteem is perhaps the one that worries parents most deeply. Watching your child conclude that they are not…
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When families and adults decide to seek a dyslexia assessment, one of the first questions they ask is how long it will take. The honest answer is that it depends enormously on the route…
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One of the most common practical questions about dyslexia assessment is simply how long it takes. It is a straightforward question, and it deserves a clear answer, though the full…
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If you have started looking into getting your child assessed, you may have noticed that prices vary enormously, sometimes by hundreds of pounds. That can feel confusing, and even a…
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If you've raised concerns about your child's learning and been told by the school that they can't diagnose dyslexia, you're not alone. It's one of the most common things parents hear,…
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It is one of the most confusing and isolating experiences a parent can have. You know something is not quite right. You have raised your concerns with school. A screener has been carried…
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After a dyslexia assessment, you will receive a written report. For many families and adults, this is the document they have been working towards, and it can feel like a lot to take in…
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If you've been looking into support for your child's or your learning difficulties, you've probably come across the term SpLD and wondered exactly what it means. It's one of those pieces…
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When you start looking for a dyslexia assessor, you will quickly encounter a set of terms and abbreviations that can feel overwhelming. PATOSS, BDA, Dyslexia Guild, Level 7, practising…
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Once a dyslexia assessment is booked, it is natural to wonder whether there is anything you should do beforehand. The answer is yes, though the preparation involved is straightforward…
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When a parent suspects their child may have dyslexia, the instinct is to act quickly. That instinct is completely understandable, and in most respects it is the right one. Early…
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Going to university is a significant step for any student. For students with dyslexia, it can also bring a fresh set of questions. Additionally, it can bring relief, because university…
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If you've started looking into dyslexia, you may have come across the term SpLD. It can feel like yet another piece of jargon to decode. Additionally, understanding what it means can…
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If you are a student with dyslexia, or the parent of one heading to university, you may have come across the term DSA. It is one of the most significant sources of support available, and…
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If you've started looking into getting your child assessed for dyslexia, you may have come across the term Educational Psychologist (or EP) and wondered whether that's what you actually…
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If your child has dyslexia (or you suspect they might) you may already have noticed something beyond the reading and spelling difficulties. A reluctance to try. A child who says…
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You've been called in again. The school says your child is being disruptive, refuses to engage, and isn't trying hard enough. But something doesn't add up. At home, you see a curious,…
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As a parent, noticing that your child is struggling can be worrying and at times, isolating. You may have spent weeks or months observing difficulties at home, wondering whether to raise…
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Many adults living with dyslexia were never identified during their school years. Some developed coping strategies so effective that their difficulties went unnoticed by teachers and…
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If you've noticed that your child is struggling with reading, writing, or spelling despite working hard and receiving support, you may be wondering whether dyslexia could be a factor.…
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One of the questions parents ask most often before booking an assessment is a quietly anxious one. What if it comes back and there's nothing there? What if we've worried all this time…
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If you're an adult who has spent years suspecting you might have dyslexia, you'll probably recognise a particular pattern of thinking. You've managed this far. You've developed ways of…
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If you've been searching online for help with your child's reading or writing difficulties, you've probably come across both terms, dyslexia test and dyslexia assessment. They're often…
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Receiving a dyslexia assessment as an adult can be a genuinely life-changing moment. For many people it brings an enormous sense of relief, finally having an explanation for…
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Getting a dyslexia assessment for your child is a significant step, and for many parents, it brings a real sense of relief. Finally, having clarity after months or even years of…
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If you have concerns about your child's learning, one of the most important steps you can take is building a good relationship with your school's SENCo. Their Special Educational Needs…
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If you've found yourself searching for answers about your child's reading, writing, or spelling difficulties, you're not alone. Many parents reach a point where they know something isn't…
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Miss Calloway had been teaching for three years, which was long enough to feel competent and short enough to still feel uncertain about feeling competent.
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Laura knew before anyone told her. That was the thing she would say afterwards, when there was an afterwards to speak of.
Read the articleMore articles from the existing Knowledge Centre are being added here. In the meantime you can browse the full archive.
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