Many adults have had bad experiences at school and think they are just poor readers, bad spellers and rubbish at writing.
Jamie Oliver, a dyslexic himself, says he felt “thick, worthless and dumb”.
Other dyslexics have told me their teachers told them they were the “dummy class” or worse.
Diagnosis can help you to know what you are good at as well as what you struggle with.
It can give you a clear picture of what happens when you read, write or spell.
I was the first in my family to go to university and had to work to fund it myself.
All my life I have been passionate about education – I know education changes lives for the better.
Andrea Green
Why Leicester Dyslexia?
Diagnosis
Support
Advice
FAQ
How do I know if I'm Dyslexic?
Dyslexia can make reading accurately, at speed or understanding what you read difficult. It can make it hard to spell words correctly – you might find you get the order of the letters wrong sometimes. You might “go blank” when you try to spell words.
In writing you might find it hard to “get going” or know how to start. When you are writing, you might find it hard to write carefully, remember what you were going to write or to use punctuation and grammar properly. You might find your writing goes from one topic to another and then back again rather than being organised.
Dyslexia can also make it hard to follow instructions you are given if there is more than one part to it – e.g. turn right then proceed up the hill, then turn left. You can find it hard to remember phone numbers, mix up words and put things in the right order. You might find it hard to find the right word when speaking to someone or lose track when talking – talking about several things at once.
Dyslexia affects maths too – things like times tables, converting times, knowing the order to do calculations in can all be signs of dyslexia.
Do I need an assessment?
Assessment will give you as an adult:
- A detailed report to share with your employer
- Recommendations for your employer to better assist you at work.
- Outline of key strengths – What you are good at and a clearer understanding of what you struggle with and why.
- Oppurtunity to talk confidentially about your experiences and the chance to put them into perspective
How does the assessment work?
The assessment is a selection of reading, writing, spelling and memory tasks along with a couple of games such as repeating back letters/numbers, manipulating tiles into shapes etc. Importantly, this is done at your own pace.
These tasks get progressively more complex until a “score” is established. These scores are compared to a baseline, from which a report can be drafted better outlining strengths & difficulties.
I won't be able to do any of it...
The assessment starts off at a younger age and progresses from there, all that’s asked is you try.
Do I have to read out loud?
One of the tests requires reading aloud, it is a short excerpt and will provide a more accurate report at the end.
I find spelling in front of others stressful...
The activities are done at your own pace, they’re simply an assessment, not a test. Writing and spelling is a vital technique to discover your brains connection with sounds.
What if I don't have Dyslexia?
You’ll still receive a full report with the findings from the assessment, included within this will be advice on what can be done to better help you, above all, it aims to provide peace of mind.
What happens once I have the report?
A formal diagnosis can mean that your employer and others will need to make “reasonable adjustments” to help you.
This is covered by the 2010 Equal Opportunities Act. There are lots of ways they can do this if they know what will better assist you.
Do I need to be in full time work?
No, LeicesterDyslexia can be utilised by students also, if you are due to start university, it can be beneficial to be assessed so that you can let your lecturers know. They will be able to provide the right support for you to access your lectures. Also, universities have Academic Advisors who are trained to support a range of needs, including dyslexia. With a diagnosis, the Government also provide a Disabled Students Allowance to support those with dyslexia and other disabilities. This enables you to fund extra resources you might need to access your course.