Dyslexia- Where to Start
Whether you are a parent, a school or an adult who thinks you may be dyslexic, this page helps you take the next step.
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a common learning difference. It mainly affects reading, spelling and writing, though it can also affect memory, organisation and how quickly someone processes information.
Dyslexia is not linked to intelligence. With the right support, dyslexic people do well at school, at work and in life.
Signs to look out for
- Finding it hard to learn letter sounds
- Spelling the same word in different ways
- Reading slowly, or losing their place
- Being tired after reading or writing
- Trouble remembering multi-step instructions
- Difficulties with organisation and time management
- Frequently experiencing ‘tip-of-the-tongue’ moments or struggling to find the right word
Types of support
Dyslexia assessment
A dyslexia assessment can be an important step towards understanding how a child or adult learns and identifying the support they need to reach their full potential.
For children, an assessment can help explain why they might be struggling with reading, spelling or writing enabling parents and schools to make informed decisions about appropriate teaching approaches and specialist support.
For adults, an assessment can provide clarity about lifelong difficulties, help build self-understanding and confidence, and identify strategies to support learning, work and everyday life.
A formal dyslexia assessment can provide a clearer understanding of an individual’s strengths and areas of difficulty. It leads to clear recommendations enabling individuals to access appropriate support and reasonable adjustments. Dyslexia assessments can help replace frustration and self-doubt with understanding, empowering individuals to recognise their strengths, overcome barriers and fulfil their potential.
Specialist teaching
For children with dyslexia, everyday classroom teaching alone may not be enough to develop the literacy skills they need to become confident, independent learners.
Specialist dyslexia teaching provides targeted, structured and systematic instruction that addresses the specific difficulties a child may experience with reading, spelling and writing. Using evidence-informed approaches, specialist practitioners break learning down into manageable steps, explicitly teach the relationships between sounds and letters, and help children develop the phonological awareness, decoding, spelling, and word recognition skills that underpin literacy development.
Teaching is carefully tailored to each child’s individual strengths and difficulties, with regular opportunity to practise, consolidate and build on previous learning. Crucially, specialist teaching helps children to understand how they learn best by teaching strategies to overcome challenges and experience success.
Early, appropriate intervention is particularly important during the primary years, when foundational literacy skills are being established. Without targeted support, difficulties can become more entrenched, potentially affecting not only academic progress but also a child’s confidence, motivation and enjoyment of learning. Specialist teaching does not replace quality classroom teaching; it complements it, providing the additional expertise, individualised instruction and focused practice that dyslexic pupils may need to make meaningful progress and reach their potential.
Parent advice and guidance
It can sometimes feel difficult knowing how to best support a child with dyslexia. Many of our specialists give advice to parents and schools. Use the filters to find them: specialists who give parent advice.
School staff training
Some of our specialists run training for teachers and schools. Use the filters to find them: specialists who train school staff.
Taking the next step
Look through our directory. Then contact a specialist to talk about your needs, their availability and whether they are right for you.
Common questions
Can you arrange an assessment for my child?
No, but our directory helps you find local assessors. Talk to them directly about your child’s needs.
Can adults be assessed?
Yes. Contact a specialist to check that they assess adults.
How do I find a specialist teacher?
Choose “Teaching” under “What are you looking for?” on our home page. Then contact the teacher about their approach, experience and availability.
Can schools use the directory?
Yes. Schools can use it to find local specialists for assessment and teaching.