Dyslexia Test with Assessment - sample from the Dyslexia Test 7-16

Dyslexia UK testing, reports and independent advice for both children and adults. Advice for parents about their children's problems with spelling, reading and learning at school, and adults with possible dyslexia.

Our test is designed to be extremely accurate, yet simple enough to be easily given by parents at home to children and young people aged 7 to 16.

It consists of reading, spelling and drawing tests, along with puzzles for memory and left/right. There is also a questionnaire asking you and your child about schooling, health, left and right, getting things in the right order, and some other areas which cause special difficulty to children with dyslexia. The test also scans for possible attention deficit and delayed learning. The reading, spelling and drawing tests will indicate how your child's achievement compares with the average for his or her age-group, and the questionnaire focuses on specific areas.

When you return the test to us, a thorough analysis will be made of all the information you have provided, and we will mail you your child’s full Assessment Report and recommendations of ways in which he or she can be helped to come up to the average level for his or her age-group. Children with learning problems such as dyslexia almost always suffer from low self-esteem, and we will suggest ways in which your child’s self-confidence can be raised, so that they can progress to a successful future in school and beyond. We will also include a certificate of achievement made out to your child for his or her drawing work.

The entire assessment is conducted in total confidence, and your child's anonymity is safeguarded by the use of the mail service rather than the Internet. Although conducted at a distance, the whole process is designed to be as personal as possible, allowing you to add your comments on the questionnaire.

Begin by reading through the whole test and, if possible, discussing the different parts with a partner or friend. You may find it easier for a close relative or friend to give the tests to your child, but a lot of the questions can be easily answered by the parent/s alone. It might be best to spread the activities over a couple of days, for example a weekend, and to be sure to do the test when your child is not tired, for example not straight after a day at school.

A lot of the questions can be answered without your child being present, and it would be a good idea to fill those in first. When you come to the activities, try to make them a fun experience for your child, like doing puzzles together, but not helping with the answer! Maybe a little reward could be promised at the end to help your child's motivation.

We have tried to make the test instructions as clear as possible, but if you are confused over any point, please feel free to e-mail us with your question.

1. Was your child's birth unusual in any way (e.g. premature or lack of oxygen)?
YES NO If so in what way?

2. What was your child's weight at birth? .......................................

3. Is there anything unusual (beyond the normal childhood illnesses) in your child's medical history?
YES NO If so, in what way?

3. Has your child suffered any long absences from school - longer than two weeks?
YES NO If so, what was the reason?

4. Has your child had a recent eyesight test - say, in the last year or so?
YES NO

5. Are there any eyesight problems?
YES NO If so, please describe, and say if your child has to wear glasses, and whether this is working out satisfactorily. (E.g. Is your child actually wearing them in school, or avoiding wearing them because of embarrassment or being called names because of having to wear them?)

6. Ask your child if he or she has ever had any difficulty copying what the teacher has written on the board at school.
YES NO PROBLEMS

7. Have you ever noticed that your child does not hear what is said to them - beyond the usual absorption in their play?
YES NO

8. Has your child suffered from repeated ear infections, or had been to hospital to have tubes (grommets) inserted in the ear at any time?
YES NO If so, please give details (and at what age).

2. Has your child ever been reluctant or unwilling to go to school, or experienced a nervous stomach ache on a school day?
YES NO If so, please say when, and the reason if you found it out (e.g. on Fridays when there is a spelling test).

6. Does your child get confused about following two-step instructions? (e.g. Go to my bedroom and bring me the bag that's on the floor by the window.)
YES NO

7. Are there any concerns which have been expressed by a teacher about your child’s learning, either in school reports or on parents’ evenings?
YES NO If so, what were they?

8. Has your child ever said that he or she finds any part of school work hard?
YES NO If so, please describe (e.g. doesn't like spelling tests).

9. Is your child slow to finish his/her work in school?
YES NO

10. Have there been any changes of school beyond the normal (e.g. if you moved house)?
YES NO If so, at what ages, and how many moves?

11. Has your child ever been referred to a psychologist or similar agency?
YES NO If so, please give details.

16. What is your child’s attitude to physical education?
ENJOYS NORMAL DISLIKES

18. Have you noticed that your child sometimes misses out words when reading?
YES, OFTEN YES, OCCASIONALLY NO

1. Is your child left-handed or right-handed?
LEFT-HANDED RIGHT-HANDED NOT CLEARLY LEFT- OR RIGHT-HANDED

2. Is anyone else in the (blood-related) family left-handed?
YES NO If so, who?

4. Give your child a rolled-up piece of paper - and ask them to look at you 'through the telescope'. Note which eye your child uses.
LEFT RIGHT

This page is just a sample from part of the Dyslexia Test 7-16.
It is not a dyslexia test.
To order the full test booklet,
click here

A sample from the Dyslexia Test 7-16