Dyslexia: what it is, signs, assessment and support

The NHS describes dyslexia as a common learning difficulty where your brain works differently to most people. It mainly affects things like reading, writing and using numbers. There is no cure, but there are things you can do to help manage the condition.

The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) says dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty which primarily affects reading and writing skills, but that it is actually about information processing. Dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills, and can also affect organisational skills.

The BDA describes difficulties as existing on a continuum, experienced to various degrees of severity, and says dyslexia frequently occurs alongside other developmental difficulties, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD and developmental coordination disorder. It also stresses that there are positives to thinking differently.

The NHS says dyslexia mainly affects reading, writing and spelling, and can also affect understanding and remembering information, using numbers, planning and organising. The signs differ with age.

The NHS says children living with dyslexia may become frustrated, which can sometimes lead to disruptive behaviour, or make a child withdrawn at school and at home. That can make dyslexia easy to mistake for a behaviour or confidence problem.

If you think your child may have dyslexia, the NHS says a useful first step is to talk to the school's special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). The SENCO may suggest you contact your GP, and can arrange a dyslexia screening test at school, looking at your child's behaviour to see if they show signs. Your child may be offered extra support if they need it.

Dyslexia is often first recognised in adulthood. The NHS says that if you think you may have dyslexia you can have a dyslexia diagnostic assessment, which is usually done by an educational psychologist or a specialist in dyslexia, who will look at your abilities around reading, writing and using numbers.

You can request an assessment from the British Dyslexia Association or a private dyslexia assessment service. The NHS says most people need to pay for an assessment.

The NHS says a GP cannot diagnose dyslexia. For children, a GP can check for other conditions that may affect school performance, such as problems with hearing, and may suggest an eye test to check vision. This helps rule out other explanations.

A dyslexia assessment is the route to a diagnosis. The NHS says it may be useful if your child continues to find school difficult with extra support. It can give a detailed picture of your child's abilities and help identify more effective ways to support them. An educational psychologist or specialist teacher will usually do it, not a doctor, and you can ask for it directly from the British Dyslexia Association or an assessment service, or your child's school may help refer.

There is no cure, but the NHS says support can help. For children, it says some ways of teaching reading and spelling can work well, including visual aids or technology (for example making screens easier to read), and learning in smaller groups or one-to-one sessions. The school's SENCO can give more information.

If your child needs more support than the school can offer, you can apply to your local authority for an educational health and care plan (EHCP). If a child's needs cannot be met at a mainstream school, an EHCP sets out the support the local authority should provide.

The NHS says parents and carers can support a child by helping build their confidence and self-esteem: help them try different activities to find what they enjoy, make learning fun, and help them to be physically active, as exercise can improve mood and self-confidence.

The NHS says you may be able to get support if you are working or at college, university or on an apprenticeship. Talk to a teacher or learning support officer about what your college, apprenticeship or university can offer.

If you have had a diagnostic assessment you may be able to apply for financial support such as Disabled Students' Allowance. If you work, the NHS says it is recommended that you tell your employer so they can make changes, such as providing screenreaders or offering information on video, and you may be able to apply for an Access to Work grant to buy things that help.

Dyslexia is not a medical emergency and there are no red flags in the usual sense. The NHS advice is to start with the school SENCO if you are worried about a child, or to arrange a diagnostic assessment as an adult.

See a GP if you are worried that something else is going on, such as hearing or vision problems in a child, or if difficulties with reading and writing come on suddenly or change over time in someone who previously read well. The NHS says a GP can check for other conditions that may affect school performance.

Dyslexia assessment sits mostly outside the NHS. The NHS says most people have to pay for a diagnostic assessment, which is done by an educational psychologist or a specialist teacher or assessor rather than a doctor. Schools can arrange screening and may help refer for a full assessment.

The BDA and private assessment services also carry out assessments. If you are choosing an assessor, the British Dyslexia Association has information on how to find a good assessor, and it is worth checking what the report will include and whether your school, college, university or employer will accept it.