What does a dyslexia assessment involve?

The dyslexia assessment should be conducted by an experienced child Psychologist (Educational and Developmental) with training in assessing dyslexia and learning difficulties.

Parent & Teacher Interviews in the Process of Assessing

The process needs to include an interview with parents that addresses the child’s overall development; family history of learning difficulties; teachers’ and parents’ observations, and previous evaluations if any by other health professionals (speech therapist, occupational therapist, other).

Dyslexia Test and Report for your Child

The evaluation needs to include the child/teenager’s cognitive abilities (IQ test/intelligence), reading, spelling and writing skills, as these are used to assess whether he/she meets the diagnostic criteria for a “Specific Learning Disorder in Reading and Written Expression commonly known as dyslexia”, as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5^th Edition (DSM-5). This criteria needs to be met for a diagnosis, and which is supported by the Victorian Education Department.

Report with Intervention Recommendations to assist your Child

The dyslexia evaluation and written report should provide intervention recommendations that addresses the specific difficulties experienced by the student, including school accommodations, assistive technology, and other suggestions to help the student learn to read, spell and write more effectively, as dyslexia is a treatable disorder with supportive research that a MultiSensory Learning approach is the most appropriate intervention, and the gold standard in countries such as the US, Canada, and others.

Why is an Educational and Developmental assessment important?

At a minimum a Dyslexia Screening assessment is vital to provide an understanding as to why a student is having difficulties with the fundamental building blocks of reading, spelling, and writing, providing a profile of areas of strengths and weaknesses that can be used by teachers and schools to create an individual learning plan and most importantly, to create a plan of action addressing the specific difficulties experienced by that student.

The evaluation may also recommend individualised assistance by a trained dyslexia specific tutor, or, one trained in MultiSensory Literacy to be provided outside school, that can also liaise with the school to assist in the modification of the curriculum for that student.

Specialised Tutoring support for Dyslexic Students

MSL tutors should be specialised teachers trained by qualified MSL trainers and mentors with the ability to diagnose and provide targeted interventions. Not all tutors or tutoring agencies have staff with specialised training to work with individuals experiencing dyslexia and provide programs that target the specific needs of a dyslexic student.

Dyslexia Assessment provided by Martha Mack

Martha is a registered Psychologist with over 20 years experience in assessing and diagnosing dyslexia.

MultiSensory Literacy and Numeracy Learning is offered by Alexie Better

Alexie is a Specialist Dyslexia Educator with a Masters in Teaching and over 7 years experience providing Tutoring to individual with dyslexia, autism spectrum, attention difficulties and speech delays.

Do not allow your child’s education to be at risk. Dyslexia, if diagnosed early and addressed actively, can be assisted, mitigated and even overcome through a structured program of MultiSensory Learning.