Dyslexia Testing
Dyslexia is a common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties in both children and adults. It can also affect confidence, self-esteem and, at times, behaviour or wellbeing.
Our Dyslexia assessments provide a qualified diagnosis and a full report outlining strengths, weaknesses and personalised recommendations for support. Each assessment includes a tailored learning plan designed to meet individual needs. Whether for a child, young person or adult, our team offers clear guidance and ongoing support to help you navigate the learning journey with confidence.
Adult Assessment Definition
For ongoing assistance, you are welcome to email us with any questions, join our Facebook support group, or subscribe to our mailing list. If relevant, we may recommend trusted opticians or other professionals. These referrals are entirely optional, and the choice is yours.
We recognize that assessments can be both physically and emotionally demanding. It’s normal to feel a mix of emotions—relief, frustration, or even uncertainty. To make the experience as smooth as possible, we recommend getting plenty of rest beforehand and avoiding work commitments on the day. The process involves focusing on areas that may have been challenging in the past, which can feel uncomfortable. Our assessors are experienced in recognizing when you may need a break, so please trust their guidance.
We strongly encourage you to take advantage of the feedback call and keep in touch with us. Processing a diagnosis takes time, and we are here to support you every step of the way. With our experience and network of resources, you are never alone in this journey.
Child Assessment Definition
Following a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, your child may receive a dyslexia diagnosis if appropriate. If this is the case, we aim to ensure you have the knowledge and resources to support them effectively. We offer a follow-up feedback phone call to discuss the assessment results in detail.
To help your child understand their diagnosis in a positive and reassuring way, we include a link to a free child-friendly book that explains dyslexia in an accessible and encouraging manner. Additionally, we provide ongoing support—whether through email, our Facebook support group, or our mailing list, where you can stay informed about helpful strategies, resources, and community support. If relevant, we may recommend trusted opticians or other professionals who specialise in related areas.
To help your child feel their best on the day of the assessment, we recommend ensuring they get a good night’s sleep, eat a nutritious breakfast, and stay well-hydrated before the session. The assessment process can be mentally tiring, and since it may 3 hours, we advise planning for a restful afternoon rather than expecting them to return to school immediately afterward.
We understand that this process may bring up a range of emotions for both you and your child—relief, curiosity, or even uncertainty about what comes next. Our team is here to guide and support you every step of the way. Please don’t hesitate to reach out; you’re not alone in this journey, and we are committed to helping your child thrive.
Included
Included in the dyslexia diagnostic assessment
An assessor must have the additional award of APC (Assessment Practising Certificate) in order for the report to be used for disability allowances. All assessors at Toucan Education have this award.
Pre-assessment screening call for adults and pre-assessment questionnaires for children
Assessment carried out at our dedicated hub, school, workplace or *virtually (*10+ only)
Additional follow-up tests if required
Easy to understand full written diagnostic report
Feedback call to discuss if needed
Suggestions and strategies irrespective of the result
Feedback given to schools or employers if requested
The Dyslexia Assessment Journey
Below describes what would be a typical process for a dyslexia assessment, it may vary depending on you and your needs, but we’ll keep you up to date with what’s next, and of course you can ask us any questions you may have.
Step 1: Initial Enquiry and Call
Reach out to us via our contact form or by calling 0191 6031005. We will discuss your needs and provide an overview of our process. We’ll ask you to complete an assessment referral form.
Step 2: Pre-assessment
For children there are a number of forms to complete, including a family, school and eye screening questionnaire. For adults you’ll have a call to discuss your history and current issues.
Step 3: Assessment takes place
The assessment takes place at one of our hubs, school, place of work or virtually. We’ll try to make you as relaxed as possible, but do take the rest of the day off as it can be quite an intense few hours.
Step 4: Assessment report
Within in 4 weeks we’ll have written the full report, along with recommendations and next steps. If you would like a feedback call to go through the report or to speak with school or your employer, this is available.
Frequent Asked Questions
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How long will the assessment take?
Everyone is different when it comes to assessments for dyslexia, so there’s no absolute answer to this, but on average you can expect it to last 3-4 hours. We will take several breaks during the process, and we recommend that you bring lunch with you, although some snacks and refreshments will be available.
On some occasions we may request that you return for a follow-up additional test which would be much shorter in length.
When can the assessment take place?
The wait time for dyslexia assessments can vary, and we occasionally have some late availability, please contact us and we recommend that you don’t delay so that you can get your preferred date.
When will I receive the results?
While our assessors can sometimes get a general feel for what an outcome may look like, it’s not possible to give any indications on the day. To see the full picture we must wait until all the assessments have been reviewed and scored, and this worked in with the unique history of the person being assessed.
Following this the basis of your individually written report begins. This is a process that cannot be templated as everyone is unique with their outcomes and onward recommendations – so we normally say this part of the process will take around 4 weeks.
From what age do you assess for dyslexia from?
Dyslexic traits can be identifiable in children as young as 5-6 years. Should children continue to show difficulty with reading, spelling and writing at age 8, then a formal dyslexia assessment should be considered. In light of the pandemic and the missed schooling that many children experienced, in our professional opinion we have increased the age from 7 to 8 in order that the results are accurate. We believe that any younger than this it may not give a true reflection of your child.
There is no upper age limit for dyslexia testing, and we regularly assess adults who are significantly through their adult life and careers, from all walks of life. Indeed for many adults it can be a very emotional and useful process to go through, shining a light on prior struggles and helping answer questions they have had their whole life.
What happens if the results are inconclusive or negative?
In the event that the results of the assessment are inconclusive, we may invite you back for some additional tests, but this does not apply to everyone.
If this is not the correct course of action, or the assessment indicates that you are not dyslexic, we’ll discuss with you what the outcome means, and in your report there will still be some guidance as to what can be done to assist with your specific needs. For children there is some further options available, which can include accessing our specialist alternative provision on a part-time basis during the normal school week, you can read more about this here.
Can the dyslexia test identify dyscalculia?
As standard, no, the dyslexia assessment will not identify dyscalculia, however we do have an assessor that can offer standalone dyscalculia assessments.
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If the result is positive, what next?
Receiving a positive result that dyslexia has been identified can be an emotional time, but overall people find it a liberating experience, and with the right direction and help, dyslexia can be an extra string to your bow.
Included in your report will be strategies that you can use to assist in your day to day life, and assist in learning environments. We are also happy to answer any questions you may have.
For children we offer access to our Toucan Hub, this is what’s know as an alternative provision, where children spend part of their normal school week with our specialist teachers. This does carry a cost, but we can also accept childcare vouchers which can help offset this.
Who will deliver the assessment?
Your dyslexia test will be carried out by one of Toucan Education’s dyslexia specialists who are trained in this speciality and have continual professional development in order to maintain the highest standards.
All our assors are APC and AMBDA registered, meaning assessments are lifelong and delivered by a specialist approved to do so.
Can the dyslexia assessment results be used for extra time in exams?
The report / results alone cannot be, but in conjunction with a child’s school we can assist in preparation of what’s known as a Form 8. It’s essential the the child’s school is notified and agree to this BEFORE the assessment takes place. There is an additional fee for the preparation of a Form 8 on behalf of the school.
Can the result be used as a workplace needs assessment?
On it’s own, no, but along with a dedicated workplace assessment for dyslexia and co-occurring needs, the information from the dyslexia report would normally be referred to.
Toucan can provide standalone workplace assessments for dyslexia and co-occurring needs, irrespective as to where a dyslexia assessment may have been carried out. Contact us for more information about these.
What payment options are there?
We have easy payment methods to suit everyone, from bank transfer, to credit & debit card or even spread your cost over four payments by Direct Debit.
Your assessment date is secured once you have either paid a deposit or the full amount.
- Bank transfer – we’ll issue you an invoice, and it’s simply a case of transferring the amount due.
- Credit / Debit card – again we’ll issue you an invoice, but this time there’s a payment button to use your card (inc. Apple Pay or Google Pay).
- Direct Debit (4 part payment) – your first payment is due upon booking, this is by credit or debit card. Following this we’ll automatically collect the 3 remaining payments each month there afterwards.
Where will the assessment take place?
For school or business funded assessments, we may be able to offer these in school or the workplace.
For older children and adults we also offer remote virtual assessments, which subject to timezone can be offered to those anywhere in the world.
Pricing
Book Your Assessment Today
A standard dyslexia test is £690
Spread the cost over 4 payments
Spread the cost over four payments. Pay a deposit now to secure the assessment date (bank transfer, credit or debit card), with the balance spread over three further monthly payments by Direct Debit.
Pay using credit or debit cards
Pay a deposit now to secure the assessment date, with the balance due before assessment takes place (bank transfer, credit or debit card).
Together we can
Over the years we have assessed hundreds of children and adults, here are just a few of the many testimonials we’ve received.
We have worked with Toucan Education for over a year now. Philippa has screened and profiled over 10 children for us. We have always found her to be professional and thorough in her assessments with an appropriate manner for the children. Feedback to the parents has been excellent. The training given to TA’s and programmes left for them to deliver have allowed some of our pupils with the most profound reading difficulties to make progress.
Thank you so much Philippa. Wehave both read through the report a few times and couldn’t agree more with
everything that’s written. I feel like it was definitely the right decision to get it done and the right timing. It’ll give her the best chance to succeed now. I don’t know what I would have done without all your support and guidance over the years. Thanks so much.
Initially we were questioning whether we had done the right thing getting him diagnosed. I knew he would have likely been fine without the diagnosis and struggled through. Now I am so glad we did. If nothing else his change in attitude will take him where he wants to be. He believes he can achieve and that is the biggest asset he has.
Thank you so much for today, we are both relieved today to understand ourselves more and the paths we have taken in life and why we get so tired because we work so hard and others make it look easy . ***** was over the
moon and we are both so interested to know what we are good at and our difficulties.
Thanks again for your time, patience and
making it pain free , I enjoyed it !! Spend all my time dealing with other people’s struggles so nice to look at my own for once. You are lovely and so calming
I found the service to be excellent
from start to finish. I was anxious
that I may not have time to get my
support in place ahead of my
September start date but was
pleasantly surprised to find that
within 24 hours of contacting via
email I had been booked in for my
assessment.
On the day Philippa was mindful of
the fact that the assessment may
have been challenging in parts. I
was very impressed with the way
she took the pains to understand
my experiences and issues to date
and how they may impact me in the
future.
Just wanted to drop a quick email to say
thanks! We’ve had time to go through **** report and it is so so informative. It’s hard to explain but you’ve managed to highlight and explain all of the struggles that we’ve noticed ****** experiencing but have been unable to articulate. I can only see her situation improving not only with the recommendations that you’ve provided but with ***** being aware that she isn’t ‘thick’ (as she’s said before) or that she isn’t as good as her peers which again she has said before.
I can’t express my thanks enough, throughout this whole process your commitment, dedication and expertise has shone through and it’s all been so seamless, what was a daunting prospect has actually been made so much less so.
I don’t know what else to say other thank you, you’ve made a tricky and worrying situation that much easier for us as a family and for that we’re truly grateful.