Dyslexia Screen for Children

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The Dyslexia Association can provide a dyslexia screening service for children and teenagers aged 5 to 16+. The screening appointment includes an advice session to discuss the results.

The purpose of the Dyslexia Screener is to give a reliable indication of the extent to which a child may be at risk of being dyslexic. The programme is a screener – a provisional indication - and the results may highlight the need for a more comprehensive diagnosis by means of a formal assessment.

Many parents and carers are worried that their children are struggling at school and feel that their difficulties may be caused by dyslexia. Schools are not always forthcoming in offering to test a child for dyslexia and therefore this computerised screening is a reasonably quick and inexpensive way to find out if a child is at risk of being dyslexic.

The Dyslexia Screener is a computerised series of short tests, which are non-threatening and presented in a fun, games-style format using pictures, words and sound.

The results gathered by these tests are reproduced in a clear and easy to interpret report, which may be used as supporting evidence for further investigation.

The Dyslexia Screener Test is suitable for children in the age range 5 to 16+, and the authors suggest that it might be adapted to suit other circumstances, for example colleges and prisons. The student should speak English as a first language or at least have been living in an English-speaking environment since early childhood.

Screening appointments take about one and a half hours. They are normally conducted in our welcoming premises in Nottingham and take place on certain weekdays, both in term time and during the school holidays.

What will happen in the screening appointment?

  • A dyslexia specialist teacher administers the test individually .
  • The specialist teacher will start the meeting by getting to know the child and accompanying parent.
  • She will then guide the child through the series of computerised tests which make up the screener. Parents usually stay in the room and observe the test process.
  • At the end of the test, a computer-generated report is printed.
  • The specialist teacher will explain the report to the parents and child and discuss its implications and possible future courses of action.

To discuss your needs, contact our Helpline on 0115 924 6888