About the Toolkit

This website is for all who work with pre-school and school-age children and young people in a professional educational setting, and seeks to reassure that dyslexia is not a mystical or mythical problem that only specialist highly trained individuals can deal with. Everyone has the skills and abilities to recognise early signs of dyslexia in children at all stages, and take appropriate action in response to support children and young people.

A key aim of the toolkit is to highlight to all class teachers that they are in the best position to identify early indicators of dyslexia and other literacy difficulties. The toolkit:

  • Provides up to date information on dyslexia for teachers and local authorities set within the context of Scottish education. 
  • Offers an identification pathway built on Curriculum for Excellence and which supports GIRFEC for all teachers to follow, enabling them to ensure that appropriate collaborative assessment and support are in place for learners with literacy difficulties such as dyslexia when they need it.
  • Offers guidance on the collaborative process of assessing literacy difficulties, which may be dyslexia.
  • Provides details of relevant approaches and strategies, using free sources wherever possible.

Click here to download the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit flier.

Background to the Toolkit

The toolkit has been produced by a specialist working group with the support of the Scottish Government. The toolkit is funded by the Scottish Government and is managed by Dyslexia Scotland.  

The first version of this toolkit, the groundbreaking online ‘Assessing Dyslexia’ toolkit, was officially launched on 1st June 2010 by Dyslexia Scotland’s President, Sir Jackie Stewart and Mike Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.

In 2012 the toolkit was renamed the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit and launched at the Scottish Learning Festival in 2012 by Dr Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages.

In March 2017 the Toolkit website was redeveloped to ease navigation experience for school and local authority staff.

Toolkit Presentation 

Click here for the Toolkit presentation – an introduction to the refreshed Toolkit. 

Click here for the Toolkit presentation notes.

To communicate with the Toolkit Team or to send suggestions, case studies and materials, please email: toolkit@dyslexiascotland.org.uk