Does having a diagnostic assessment advantage a child in terms of how much support they will receive

In an ideal world, all students would have access to free dyslexia testing at school, and although some schools are able to offer a computerised screener (which can identify if dyslexia is likely), very few are unable to offer a full diagnostic assessment. Instead, if a screener indicates that a specific learning difficulty is probable, parents are often advised to seek a private assessment (at their own expense). Whilst schools are insistent that they will support a student’s needs regardless of whether they have been assessed or not, the help they can put in place is likely to be limited, off-the-shelf, interventions, rather than tailored/indiviualsed help.

Recently, I came upon this post on Facebook, which obviously resonated with a lot of parents, so I thought I would share both the post and the subsequent comments:

“Hi, Can someone tell me what differences a formal assessment and diagnosis will mean in terms of adjustments that the school will make? My daughter is in year 7 and so far she has only been screened, as apparently I need to pay for a private diagnosis (£500!)….but I’m just trying to understand what they will do differently with an official diagnosis…they seem be putting things like yellow books/backgrounds in place based on the screener…so just trying to weigh it all up as to what extra people interventions/support will come from? Is there any real advantage in paying out for a proper assessment and will it benefit my daughter? Thanks in advance”

“A full diagnosis is definitely invaluable. You wouldn’t expect a doctor to say I've looked at your leg and it looks like it's broken but we don't need to x-ray to see how bad it is as I've seen broken bones before. A screener shows whether someone is showing signs of dyslexia and should always be followed up with a full assessment just like a suspected broken bone should always be x-rayed to see the full impact of the break. A teacher is not an expert in what support your child needs as they are not trained to. Push again for a full assessment and if they refuse then pay privately if you can afford it.”

“I am a teacher, and I try to help all my students as best I can. Even though I am an experienced teacher, it can be hard to help someone if you don’t know exactly what’s wrong – it’s a bit like a mechanic trying to fix a car without knowing what the problem is. When I receive a diagnostic report, it gives tips and strategies on how to help that child learn, and what I can do in the classroom to remove any barriers to learning. It makes it sooooo much easier to give the child the best support and I can, as I can tailor the interventions to their particular needs”.

“Our school said they were dyslexic friendly and their support wouldn't change with a full report. The full report showed she was struggling far more than they ever thought, as she has developed coping strategies. She now has a reader and is entitled to a scribe for tests, things school initially said she didn't need.”

“I have 2 children who are both dyslexic. At the time my eldest was in secondary school, we couldn’t afford to pay for an assessment so he just had to muddle through. With my second, we pooled our resources and bit the bullet – and it’s the best money I ever spent. The report gave us a really good understanding of the difficulties he faces, and things we could do to help him, plus loads of information that his teachers/tutors could draw on. It also showed the things he was good at, and he was able to use this to help himself. He went on to achieve 3 A-levels and a university place!!! I will never stop feeling guilty that we didn’t do this for my eldest (who left education as soon as he was old enough) – I wonder if he would have had different outcomes if we’d done this for him also.”

“My Daughter is in Year 8 and she was screened the end of year 7 and showed signs of dyslexia, the school advised us to pay for a full diagnosis as we needed to know, glad we did as we now have a very detailed report, and the school has sorted out lots of help and support for her. It’s expensive but worth it for peace of mind.”

“A formal diagnosis is a legal binding document and will protect your daughter under the equal opportunities and disability acts. The school are obliged to put any reasonable adjustments that are recommended into action, or risk violating the law. It means that they also cannot withdraw support, if it has been proved to be needed. A report also covers her for life, so if she attends uni she can apply for extra funding and get extra time for exams. A screening is not a formal diagnosis so any help school give can be theoretically taken away.”

“First of all, your diagnostic report will provide recommendations that are detailed. Some of these will be easy adjustments that have no cost implications to a school. Other things will have cost implications or require specifically trained staff to deliver interventions. Each person is different. So is each school and how they respond. Some will have well trained staff and good interventions as well as assistive technology available. Others don't. Some schools have an excellent understanding and can interpret reports well. Reports should be written to a standard which make it easier for schools to put in place recommendations. Unfortunately report recommendations are only that. At this point it's not an enforceable document. It can't make schools put recommendations in place.”