Definition
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty affecting accurate and fluent word reading and spelling, independent of intelligence. The Rose Report (2009) is still the working definition used by most English schools and exam boards.
In context for parents
Key checkpoints
- Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty affecting accurate and fluent word reading and spelling, independent of intelligence.
- Diagnostic assessment is by an APC-holding specialist teacher (AMBDA / ATS) or an HCPC-registered Educational Psychologist.
- Structured, cumulative, multi-sensory phonics (Orton-Gillingham-derived) is the strongest evidence base.
- Assistive technology (text-to-speech, voice typing, Immersive Reader) is provision under the Equality Act 2010.
- Dyslexia alone rarely meets the EHC needs assessment threshold without severity at the 2nd centile or co-occurring needs.
A dyslexia diagnostic assessment in the UK is carried out by either a specialist assessor holding an Assessment Practising Certificate (APC), usually AMBDA or ATS-certified, or an HCPC-registered educational psychologist. The assessment looks at phonological processing, rapid naming, working memory, single-word reading and spelling under timed and untimed conditions, and comprehension. A diagnostic report should set out standardised scores, a profile, and recommendations, and is what JCQ accepts as evidence for exam access arrangements (Form 8 / equivalent).
In a Year 4 classroom, dyslexia often shows up as the child who knows the answer in discussion but produces three sentences of writing in 20 minutes. Or the child who reads aloud word-by-word, with no expression, because every word is being decoded from scratch. The intelligence is intact; the route from print to meaning is slow.
What actually works: structured, cumulative, multi-sensory phonics teaching (Orton-Gillingham–derived programmes such as Sounds-Write, Read Write Inc, Hickey, Toe by Toe all build on this). Frequency matters more than programme: 15 minutes a day, every day, beats 45 minutes twice a week. Assistive technology (text-to-speech, voice typing, Immersive Reader) is not a workaround, it is provision under the Equality Act 2010 and should be in Section F of an EHCP if relevant.
Dyslexia alone rarely meets the threshold for an EHC needs assessment unless severity is at the lower 2nd centile or there are co-occurring needs (DCD, SLCN, SEMH). Most cases sit in SEN Support with named, quantified intervention.
Related terms
The terms parents most often see alongside Dyslexia.
Dyscalculia
A specific learning difficulty affecting the understanding of numbers and mathematical reasoning. Children may struggle with number sense, time, and mental arithmetic despite typical ability elsewhere.
Dysgraphia
A specific learning difficulty affecting written expression: letter formation, spacing, spelling, and getting ideas onto the page. Often co-occurs with dyspraxia or dyslexia.
Working Memory
The ability to hold and manipulate information in mind over short periods, for example following multi-step instructions or doing mental arithmetic. Often a key area of need in SEND.
Spiky Profile
A pattern of unusually uneven strengths and difficulties across cognitive or learning domains. Common in neurodivergent learners and often visible across WISC index scores.
Where parents ask about this
Parents usually find this page after a school has said "we don't diagnose dyslexia here", after a Year 6 SATs result that does not match what the parent sees at home, or in the run-up to GCSEs when access arrangements are about to be decided. Searches include "private dyslexia assessment cost UK", "school refusing dyslexia screening", and "JCQ extra time evidence". A Beaakon specialist (an AMBDA-qualified specialist teacher or an EP) can carry out a full diagnostic assessment, write a report the school's exams officer can use, and tell you whether a 25% extra time arrangement or assistive tech is the better fit.
References
The primary legislation, statutory guidance, research, and clinical tools this page draws on.
- Rose Report (2009): Identifying and Teaching Children and Young People with Dyslexia and Literacy Difficulties
- British Dyslexia Association: assessor accreditation (AMBDA, ATS)
- JCQ Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments: Form 8 equivalent
- Equality Act 2010
- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, UK edition (WIAT-III UK): Pearson