Assessing and Monitoring

Assessing, Supporting and Identifying Dyslexia

 

Assessing dyslexia and providing appropriate support are symbiotic processes. Assessment and support are linked and planning should reflect this.

The assessment of dyslexia for learners in Scottish schools:

• Is a dynamic process rather than an end-product. The information provided in the assessment should support the learner’s next steps for learning.
• Should be a holistic and collaborative process which takes place over a period of time.
• Should include consultation and actively involve teachers/school staff, management, parents, pupils and other agencies when there are concerns about pupil progress.
• Should include the gathering of information from varied sources in order to identify the needs of a learner and to suggest appropriate interventions, support and planning.
• Should support learners to become successful learners and confident individuals

This approach reflects Scottish legislation and policy and is core to the  Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit’s Dyslexia Identification Pathway.  The pathway has been developed to provide guidance to schools and local authorities with a view to:

• establishing a common pathway for children and young people
• achieving consistency of approach across Scotland.

Select here to download the Dyslexia Identification Pathway. 

A single standardised assessment or a screener on its own is not considered to be an appropriate process to identify dyslexia. While the information can be helpful it must be recognised that it reflects a snapshot in time and that it cannot provide the in-depth analysis and quality of a learner centred holistic assessment which involves school staff, partners, the family and importantly the learner themselves.  Assessment acknowledges that children and young people develop as a result of an interaction between themselves and their environment.

Click here for some useful forms and templates which can support the process. 

Information in the Supporting learners and Families section on Initial steps and  Starting the process will also help the identification of dyslexia. 

The short animation below provides an overview of the pathway which may be helpful to share with the learner and familes.

Early Identification

When dyslexia is identified early, children, young people and adults report that it has been a very important positive factor in supporting their wellbeing, mental health and achievements.

“It is good being dyslexic. When I first found out I was dyslexic I was 8 years old. Once I found out it was actually good as all the strategies to help me could be put in place, which made everything so much easier. Before I knew I was dyslexic I thought I was rubbish at lots of things.”

Pupil, female, 9 years old, ‘Dyslexia and Us’ published by Dyslexia Scotland

The Additional Support for Learning  Act 2004 as amended does not prescribe a specific age or stage of school when an identification of dyslexia is expected to be started and completed. However, the Act does make clear that the early identification of need should be in place within the Staged level of intervention. It is important that educators and local authorities do identify and support additional support needs as they arise and do not wait until a specific age or stage  to identify and record needs. It is not appropriate practice to have a process that only records learners who have been identified with dyslexia when they are in Primary 7.

If there is agreement that the collaborative assessment evidence can provide an identification of dyslexia then it should be shared with the learner and their family as soon as the identification has been confirmed and recorded  appropriately. The age and stage for individual learners will vary; for some learners this may be when they are in Primary 2, 3 or 4, or it may be when they are older if the identification process began at an older age.

“When I was 5 a teacher told my mum I had problems and mum found out I had dyslexia. Its very important to get an early diagnosis and not to let it scare you”.

Rory, 13, Scotland, ‘Dyslexia is My Superpower (Most of the Time)’ by Margaret Rooke

Wellbeing and Early Identification

The impact of Dyslexia can manifest in a variety of ways and this should not be underestimated. When effective support and early identification are not in place, dyslexia often has a very negative impact on learners, parents and carers and staff supporting them.  This can commonly result in the learner’s frustration and stress and can lead to reduced motivation, achievement and attainment.

However we know that early identification with appropriate explanations and strategies can support both the learner and their family to understand their dyslexia and help reduce the negative impact of dyslexia. Importantly early identification can help the learner to develop their own strategies and resilience, which in turn helps them to approach difficulties in a more positive and effective way.

The following extracts and quotes from dyslexic adults in a 2024 Dyslexia Scotland publication, ‘Towards a Dyslexia-Friendly Scotland?’ highlight why it is important for schools to identify and inform learners who are dyslexic as early as possible.

Extracts from the report

“The average age of those being identified by an educator has also lowered through the generations, from age 20 in the 65+ generation to age 12 among the 16 to 25 generation. This trend could be attributed to a wide range of factors, including legislation such as the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004; a Scottish working definition of dyslexia agreed in 2009; the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit for all teachers; and increasing awareness of dyslexia as a result of campaigns by organisations such as Dyslexia Scotland. Furthermore, the Making Sense: Education for children and young people with dyslexia in Scotland report made a number of recommendations that have led to positive change such as increased career-long professional learning opportunities for teachers and an increased awareness and use of the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit.”

“An identification of dyslexia can help someone understand themselves better. Dyslexia can make learning difficult, which can damage a person’s confidence and affect their life choices. Being assessed for dyslexia can explain why someone has faced challenges and it can also identify both their weaknesses and their strengths. This can boost their confidence and provide a sense of relief. It helps someone move past any academic struggles and see new possibilities with the right support. Scotland needs to identify dyslexia in children and young people earlier in life to help them understand themselves better from a young age.”

A quote from one of the adults surveyed

“Schools push for literacy skills with children (which is absolutely needed) [but it] is often still difficult for dyslexic adults. I still feel uncomfortable in a library (even for Book Bug), I can struggle to read to my children (Mr Men and Thomas the Tank engine are so difficult to read) that I began to avoid reading to my children. There needs to be a culture change around this.  I am incapable of correctly filling out a form and all important life admin requires this and often has a financial penalty attached to it. I am literally fined for being dyslexic.   I would have picked 6 months of prison over the last 2 years of school, that’s how much I hated school. I don’t think I am alone in this.”

Who is responsible for identifying dyslexia? 

Everyone has the skills and abilities to recognise early signs of dyslexia in children at all stages, and take appropriate action in response.  Pupil support begins with the class teacher, but this does not mean that class teachers are responsible for the formal identification of dyslexia. It means that they play an important role in the initial stages and the continuing monitoring and assessment of learning – as they do for all their pupils. Further information on professional role is available here within the Toolkit. 

It is the responsibility of all who work with children to respond appropriately to their needs. Recognising early signs of difficulties and adapting learning and teaching approaches are a regular part of the daily routine for teachers supporting all children in an education environment. For those learners who may have additional learning needs such as those arising from dyslexia, it is important that these needs are met in the best possible way by accurate and timely identification – please refer to the information in the Supporting Learners section. 

Schools are well placed to provide a range of assessment information  which when combined together can provide a full picture of the learners’ strengths and areas of difficulties which has been gathered through a range of situations and experiences. The collation of evidence and information for a dyslexia identification  

An identification of dyslexia does not necessarily mean that a learner’s needs have been identified and addressed. Ensuring appropriate participation, planning and assessment across Curriculum for Excellence is in place will support educators, learners and parents to understand a learner’s strengths and areas of need.

Independent or private assessments

From time to time, however, parents may have their child assessed by an independent psychologist. This assessment will take account of the child’s history and the ‘one-off test’ described above is only one part of that assessment.

The Additional Support for Learning Act – Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 as amended – is very clear that education authorities must take account of independent assessments unless they have a good reason for not doing so. The Supporting Children’s Learning Code of Practice states the following:

“The education authority must also take account of any relevant advice and information provided to them by parents on behalf of their child, or the young person. For example, if the parents have privately commissioned an assessment or report on the child or young person, or the young person has commissioned the report, then the authority must take that report or advice into consideration if asked to do so. Also, the authority must seek and take account of the views of parents and, where appropriate, of children and young people themselves. Further information is provided in chapter 7 which considers working with children and families.”

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions by teachers and parents about assessment.

 Identification Pathway – Overview 

Though the Toolkit refers to ‘Steps’, no attempt has been made to match these to the stages of the Getting it right for every child approach and the staged levels of intervention which are set out elsewhere on this website. Most children with dyslexia will continue to be accommodated through Universal Support which in many local authorities may be known as Stage 1 level of intervention. 

Disabled Student Allowance – Higher Education

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is a fund to support disabled students and those with additional learning needs who are studying higher education and may have extra costs because of their disability. Support is available for a range of disabilities or learning difficulties including dyslexia and dyscalculia.

Further details are available at the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) website: https://www.saas.gov.uk/guides/dsa

Evidence

In the first year students apply for DSA, they will be asked to provide supporting evidence to confirm their disability or learning difficulty. For Dyslexia or Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), they require a diagnostic assessment report or written statement from one of the following:

• Psychologists who are registered with Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC)
• An appropriately qualified professional – this includes those who:
• Hold an SpLD Assessment Practising Certificate (APC); or
• Hold a suitable Postgraduate qualification of a level which would be acceptable for Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA), Level 7; or:
• are a General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) registered teacher working in or supporting the school in Scotland which the student attended and who has completed the Dyslexia Scotland and Open University ‘Dyslexia: Identification and Support’ (Module 3).

The student’s assessment must have taken place while they were at school within the context of the local authority’s Collaborative Assessment Pathway for Dyslexia and Literacy Difficulties – available on the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit.

Statements or reports provided by a psychologist or appropriately qualified individual (as described above) must contain a clear conclusion or summary which confirms formal identification of dyslexia or SpLD.

If the student is unable to provide the evidence described above, they can accept a written statement from a previous educational establishment. The statement must confirm formal identification of dyslexia or a SpLD and that identification was carried out by a psychologist or appropriately qualified professional (as described above).