Dyslexia Assessment
Understanding Your Child’s Reading and Spelling Difficulties
When a child continues to struggle with reading or spelling despite appropriate teaching and support, an assessment can help identify why.
A comprehensive dyslexia assessment looks beyond whether a child is simply “behind”. It examines the underlying skills involved in reading and spelling, identifies patterns of strengths and difficulties, and considers whether the child’s literacy profile is consistent with dyslexia.
At O-G Reading Clinic, our assessments are designed to give families and schools a clear understanding of a child’s literacy needs and practical recommendations for what should happen next.
What Does the Assessment Involve?
A dyslexia assessment examines several areas of literacy and the underlying skills that support reading and spelling. No single test determines whether a child has dyslexia. Instead, results across a range of measures are considered together to build a detailed picture of the child’s literacy profile.
Reading & Decoding
Word reading
Decoding unfamiliar and nonsense words
Reading accuracy
Reading fluency
Spelling & Written Language
Spelling accuracy
Spelling patterns and errors
Representing sounds in words
Understanding word and syllable structures
Underlying Processing Skills
Phonological awareness
Phonological processing
Rapid naming
Skills that support efficient reading and spelling
What Happens During the Assessment?
Before the Assessment
We gather background information about your child’s development, schooling, reading and spelling history, previous intervention, and any relevant reports or assessments.
During the Assessment
Your child completes a range of individual standardised assessments examining reading, spelling and the underlying skills that support literacy development. Breaks can be provided as needed, and the assessment is paced to suit the child.
After the Assessment
Results are analysed together to identify patterns of strengths and difficulties. A comprehensive written report explains the findings, whether the child’s literacy profile is consistent with dyslexia, and recommendations for appropriate support and intervention.
The aim is not simply to produce scores, but to understand why a child is experiencing difficulty and what should happen next.
What Will You Receive?
Following the assessment, you will receive a comprehensive written report that brings the results together and explains what they mean for your child.
✓ A clear explanation of your child’s literacy profile
✓ Standardised assessment results and interpretation
✓ Identification of patterns of strengths and difficulties
✓ An explanation of whether the profile is consistent with dyslexia
✓ Individual recommendations for school and home
✓ Recommendations for literacy intervention and appropriate adjustments
The report can be shared with your child’s school and other professionals involved in their learning.
Who Is a Dyslexia Assessment For?
A dyslexia assessment may be appropriate when a child has persistent difficulties with reading and/or spelling that are not resolving as expected with teaching and support.
✓ Reading is slow, effortful or inaccurate
✓ They rely on guessing rather than decoding unfamiliar words
✓ Spelling remains difficult or inconsistent
✓ They have difficulty hearing, identifying or manipulating sounds in words
✓ Literacy difficulties persist despite additional teaching or intervention
✓ There is a family history of reading or spelling difficulties
✓ Their literacy difficulties are affecting confidence, learning or participation at school
When Should a Child Be Assessed?
There is no need to wait until a child has experienced years of difficulty before investigating persistent reading and spelling problems.
An assessment may be appropriate when difficulties persist despite appropriate teaching and support, or when there is a significant concern about a child’s reading and spelling development.
For younger children, assessment can help identify areas of significant literacy difficulty and guide appropriate support. The timing of a dyslexia assessment will depend on the child’s age, learning history and the nature of their difficulties.
Who Conducts the Assessment?
Dyslexia assessments at O-G Reading Clinic are conducted by a specialist literacy assessor with postgraduate Level 7 qualifications in dyslexia assessment and intervention through Dyslexia Action (Middlesex University, UK).
The assessment is informed by specialist knowledge of reading and spelling development, structured literacy and the underlying skills involved in literacy acquisition. This allows assessment results to be considered alongside the child’s pattern of reading, spelling and phonological processing difficulties, rather than looking at test scores in isolation.
Our aim is to provide families with a clear, practical understanding of their child’s literacy profile and what the findings mean for their learning.
Scope of Assessment
O-G Reading Clinic dyslexia assessments specifically examine the literacy skills associated with reading and spelling difficulties and whether the resulting profile is consistent with dyslexia.
The assessment does not assess or diagnose ADHD, autism, dyscalculia or other developmental, psychological or medical conditions. Spelling is assessed as part of the child’s literacy profile; however, the assessment is not a separate assessment for dysgraphia.
Where results indicate that further investigation outside the scope of a dyslexia assessment may be helpful, this may be recommended in the report.
Assessment Details
$900
Assessment Fee
Includes the individual assessment, scoring and detailed interpretation of results, and comprehensive written report.
KIRRAWEE
Location
Assessments are conducted in person at O-G Reading Clinic.
Book a Dyslexia Assessment
Choose an available appointment to arrange your child’s assessment.