Assessment
Parents who suspect a problem should take action. If left undiagnosed and untreated, dyslexia may stop a child from mastering the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, damage self esteem and self confidence and have negative long-term effects.
The assessment is called a psycho-educational assessment. It is done by an educational psychologist and is the only way to get a definitive diagnosis of dyslexia. The assessment includes testing of cognitive abilities as well as literacy skills (and sometimes numeracy skills if maths difficulties are reported). The psychologist also needs to get relevant background information from parents, individuals, schools, colleges or any other relevant sources. A diagnosis is made based on a combination of the history reported and the performance on the tests.
The assessment session varies in length, but on average you can expect to be with the psychologist for between
3 and 3½ hours. A detailed written report is supplied normally a few weeks after the assessment, which contains relevant history, test results, conclusions and most importantly recommendations for addressing any areas of difficulty which emerged.
Parents who suspect a problem should:
- Contact the child’s school, which may agree that a problem exists.
- Have the child’s hearing and sight tested to ensure that there are no acuity problems.
- Arrange for a psycho-educational assessment with a qualified psychologist. This should describe the nature and extent of the problem and provide recommendations for useful help. Before attending for assessment, make a list of the child’s earlier and current problems and take it along. A teacher’s report is always very helpful in this process.
There are generally 3 ways to get an assessment done in Ireland – in school with NEPS, with the Dyslexia Association or with an independent private educational psychologist.
1. School-going children may be tested free by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS). School Principals will have information on this. Schools are only allowed a limited number of assessments each year, so in practice, only students with very severe difficulties are likely to be seen through the school service.
2. The Dyslexia Association of Ireland arranges psycho-educational assessments at our Dublin Office. The assessment fee is €400. In very exceptional circumstances, a reduced rate may be available for people on social welfare or very low income; please ask if you feel that you may need assistance. A subsidy of up to €200 towards the assessment fee may be granted in such exceptional circumstances. Applications for a reduced rate assessment must be submitted to DAI at least 2 weeks in advance of your assessment date. Late applications cannot be accepted. Applicants are encouraged to save up some money each week towards the assessment while they wait for an appointment.
DAI is a charity, and we are only able to offer these limited subsidies due to fundraising and donations.Unfortunately, there is a waiting list for DAI’s assessment service of approximately six months. We do occasionally get cancellations so if there is a particular urgency and if people are flexible to come at very short notice, it can sometimes be possible to get an assessment more quickly. To place your child’s name on our assessment waiting list, please phone or email us.
3. There are also many independent private educational psychologists, throughout the country. A list of registered psychologists can be obtained from the Psychological Society of Ireland’s website at www.psihq.ie, by emailing the Society at info@psihq.ie or by writing to the Psychological Society of Ireland, Floor 2, Grantham House, Grantham Street, Dublin 2. Charges vary between €400 and €700 on average.
NOTE: Tax relief on the assessment fee of a dependent child is allowable via the MED1 Form. Visit the revenue website www.revenue.ie and see the section on tax relief for health expenses for further information. You can download a MED1 form from the revenue website or get one from your local tax office.
Preparing a Child to Have an Assessment
Having an assessment with a psychologist should be a pleasant event in a child’s life. Some common-sense points to help ensure a good assessment experience are listed below.
- Choose your psychologist carefully to ensure that s/he is familiar with specific learning difficulty.
- Find out as much as you can about the assessment procedure in advance, the more informed you are the more relaxed you will be and this will be beneficial to the child.
- Be as honest and frank as you can.
- Tell the child why you are visiting a psychologist, i.e. because the child is having some difficulty with reading, writing, spelling, maths, etc.
- Present it in the most positive way you can – as something you have arranged especially so that you can help.
- Explain what the psychologist will do, i.e. she will talk to the child about school, ask questions, do certain tasks like jigsaws, finding missing parts, do some reading and spelling.
- Explain that this is not an exam. The child cannot fail. The psychologist will only be interested in finding out how the child thinks and learns.
- Tell your child where you are going, at what time and how long it will take.
- Try to ensure that the child is well rested.
- Bring a nutritious snack if necessary.
- If possible, build in a little treat afterwards.
- After the assessment the psychologist will probably give you some brief feedback. Using your own good judgement, tell the child, as simply as possible, what the psychologist said, always stressing the most positive things. If you are anxious or upset about what you have been told, wait until you are feeling more positive before saying very much to your child.
Preparing a Child to Have an Assessment Through The School System
If your child is being assessed by a psychologist from the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), you will be assigned a specific person and the assessment will take place in the child’s school. Therefore, some of the points above will not be relevant.
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