Screening and Assessment
If you suspect you have dyslexia, take action. If left undiagnosed and untreated, dyslexia can limit one’s ability to achieve in education and may damage self esteem and confidence. However, if dyslexia is identified and appropriate interventions put into place, students can be enabled to achieve their potential.
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 individuals, parents, 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 it takes between 3 and 3½ hours as it is quite comprehensive. 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.
Students who suspect they have dyslexia should discuss it with parents, teachers or relevant personnel in your school or college, e.g. the Guidance Counsellor or Learning Support Teacher at second level or a member of the Disability Support service in your college. A screening test may be performed if available in your school/college. Screening tests help to identify how ‘at risk’ a student is of having dyslexia. If a student scores highly a risk then a diagnostic assessment is advisable. If there are strong indicators of dyslexia, then you will need a diagnostic psycho-educational assessment which is done with an educational psychologist. This should describe the nature and extent of the problem and provide recommendations for useful help.
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.
- 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.
- The Dyslexia Association of Ireland arranges psycho-educational assessments at our Dublin Office. The fee for a psycho-educational assessment is normally €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 6-12 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. Please phone or email us if you want to place your name on our list.
- 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 P.S.I., Floor 2, Grantham House, Grantham St., Dublin 2. School principals or college disability support staff may also know some private psychologists in your area who accept referrals.
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