Guidance for adults
Dyslexia does not end with education. It simply changes shape: email instead of essays, meetings instead of lectures, deadlines instead of coursework. Many adults reach a point in their career where the effort of keeping up becomes hard to ignore, and a good number are identified for the first time then. This page is about understanding your own profile and having a practical conversation about support.
How it presents
Nobody is marking your spelling any more, but the reading and writing demands are often heavier and the consequences feel higher. Difficulty is frequently invisible, because so much of the effort happens out of sight.
Policies, contracts, technical documents and long email threads take longer to work through, particularly under time pressure.
Emails and reports can take several drafts. The thinking is quick; getting it onto the page accurately is the slow part.
Errors are hard to spot in your own writing, even when you know the rules perfectly well.
Listening, thinking and writing at the same time is demanding. Notes may be sparse, or attention goes to writing rather than the discussion.
Multi-part instructions given quickly, or numbers and names heard once, can be hard to hold onto.
Juggling several pieces of work, switching tasks and tracking what is outstanding can take disproportionate effort.
The other half of the picture
Most dyslexic adults have built an impressive set of workarounds over decades. Recognising them is not self-congratulation. It is useful evidence about what already works and what is costing you more than it should.
Support at work
Two things are worth knowing at a high level. Neither is legal advice, and both depend on individual circumstances.
Under the Equality Act 2010, employers may have a duty to make reasonable adjustments where a disability puts someone at a substantial disadvantage at work. What counts as reasonable depends on the role, the organisation and the individual situation, and whether the definition applies is a legal question rather than an assessment one.
In practice, adjustments are often modest and practical: software, extra time for reading-heavy tasks, written follow-ups, or a quieter place to work. For advice about your rights, speak to a suitably qualified adviser such as ACAS, a trade union or a legal professional.
Access to Work is a UK government scheme that can provide practical support and grants where a health condition or disability affects work. An application may lead to a workplace assessment and recommendations for equipment, software or support.
Eligibility and any award are decided by the scheme, not by Defining Dyslexia. Check the current rules on GOV.UK before making plans that depend on it.
If you would like specialist recommendations shaped around your actual job, a workplace needs assessment looks at the role itself rather than at whether dyslexia is present.
Free interactive resource
A structured way to prepare for a conversation about support at work. Work through it privately, tick what applies and print it to take with you. This is a thinking tool, not a formal workplace needs assessment, and it produces no report or recommendation.
Start here. A support conversation goes far better when it begins with what you do well.
Think practically and specifically. Small changes are the easiest to agree.
Your ticks are saved in this browser only. There is no sign-up and no email address needed. Take a copy with you if it helps for a meeting with school, university or work.
The download is a small branded file you can open, save or print on any device. “Email myself a copy” opens your own email app with the text already written, no address is collected, nothing is stored by Defining Dyslexia, and you are never added to any mailing list.
Also listed in Free resources.
Adult diagnosis
An adult diagnostic assessment gives you an explanation, a clear profile of strengths and difficulties, and practical recommendations. Some people want it for workplace or study support; many simply want to understand a lifetime of finding certain things harder than everyone else seemed to.
A full diagnostic assessment costs £495, including the session and a written report. Assessments are available remotely across the UK and face to face in the Sheffield and Peterborough areas. A report is evidence that may support a conversation about adjustments. It does not oblige an employer to agree to anything, and no assessor can guarantee a particular outcome.
Your assessor
Every assessment is carried out personally by Mark, working to current SASC standards, with time afterwards to talk the report through properly.
Knowledge Centre
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Read the articleThe journey
Needs change as education and work change. These are the points where the demands shift most, and what Defining Dyslexia offers at each one, guidance and free resources as well as assessment.
Reading and spelling are being learned. Some able children compensate well, so difficulty can be hidden behind good comprehension and strong spoken language.
Organisation, timetables, multiple teachers and heavier reading arrive together. A little planning in Year 6 makes the move considerably calmer.
Subject vocabulary, note-taking, coursework and timed exams place different demands on literacy, memory and processing speed.
Support is requested rather than arranged for you. Knowing your own profile and who to contact matters more than it ever did at school.
Reading volume, independent study and academic writing increase. Evidence of a specific learning difficulty may be needed for study support or a DSA application.
Dyslexia looks different at work: email, reports, meetings, deadlines and reading under pressure. Many adults are identified for the first time here.
Where are you on the journey?
Where people usually go from here.
