If your child is finding reading or spelling difficult, you may wonder whether a formal dyslexia assessment must come first. A diagnosis can provide useful information, but your child does not need a diagnostic label to explore literacy support with me.
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Finding the right starting point
I use the Dyslexia Action Literacy Programme (DALP). I begin with an informal placement screening to explore secure skills and gaps in learning. This is used to plan literacy teaching. It is not a diagnostic dyslexia assessment or a separate standardised test.
The aim is to build from what your child already knows, revisit what is not yet secure and introduce new learning in manageable steps. Activities are structured and cumulative, and I check progress so I can adjust the teaching.
What DALP adds to the teaching plan
Dyslexia Action describes DALP as a flexible literacy programme that can be adapted to an individual learner. It uses structured, cumulative learning points and encourages learners to notice, explain and check what they are learning.
For your child, the starting point matters more than simply beginning at the first page of a programme. A placement screening helps me decide where teaching should begin, while later checks help me decide when to revisit a point or move on.
A gap does not mean starting everything again
For example, a child may recognise a word when reading but find it difficult to spell independently. That is a reason to look more closely at the skills involved, rather than assume all their reading and spelling need to restart at the same level.
When you tell me what you are noticing, examples are useful: which tasks feel manageable, where your child needs help, and what happens when the work becomes difficult. School feedback and any existing assessment reports can add context.
Support and assessment have different jobs
A diagnostic assessment may help explain a child's difficulties and inform recommendations. Targeted literacy support focuses on developing reading and spelling skills. Starting support does not prevent you from pursuing an assessment if that is something your family needs.
An informal placement screening does not confirm or rule out dyslexia. It answers a different question: what should we work on in literacy teaching? If you need diagnostic advice, that can be discussed separately from the teaching plan.
Questions to ask before starting support
- How will you identify my child's starting point?
- What will the first teaching priorities be?
- How will you check that new learning is becoming secure?
- What information would be useful from school?
- What practice would be manageable at home?
You do not need to arrive with all the answers. A few examples of reading or spelling difficulties, an outline of support already in place and your child's own view of what feels hard are a useful starting point for a conversation.
Keep time for enjoyable stories alongside any agreed practice. The British Dyslexia Association's reading guidance includes shared reading and audiobooks, which can help your child stay involved with stories while reading skills are developing.
What this means for families
You can begin by talking with school about what your child finds difficult, what support is already in place and how progress is being reviewed. If you would like to explore additional support, a free consultation call gives us a chance to discuss your child's needs.
I work with children aged 7–16 within 20 miles of Pocklington. School liaison is included with your agreement, so we can discuss how support fits alongside school provision.