Dyslexia · Dyscalculia · Dysgraphia
Aged 7 and up · In-clinic assessment · From £500
Dyslexia Assessment
We offer dyslexia assessments for children and young people who are experiencing ongoing difficulties with reading, spelling, writing or learning.
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that primarily affects the development of accurate and fluent reading, spelling and written language. It is linked to differences in how the brain processes phonological information (the sounds within words), verbal memory and the speed at which information is processed.
Dyslexia exists across a wide range of ability levels and is not related to intelligence. Many children and young people with dyslexia have clear strengths in areas such as reasoning, creativity, problem‑solving and oral language, but find that literacy‑based tasks require significantly more effort.
How can dyslexia be a barrier to learning?
In a school environment where learning is heavily dependent on reading, writing and timed tasks, dyslexia can create ongoing barriers, including:
- Slow, effortful reading and reduced comprehension due to cognitive overload
- Difficulties with spelling, written expression and organising ideas on paper
- Reduced working memory for written instructions or multi‑step tasks
- Slower processing speed affecting task completion and confidence
- Fatigue, frustration or avoidance linked to repeated experiences of difficulty
Over time, these challenges can impact academic progress, self‑esteem and emotional wellbeing, particularly if the child’s needs are not recognised or supported appropriately. A clear assessment helps to identify how dyslexia is affecting learning and what adjustments or strategies are needed to reduce these barriers.
All assessments are carried out in our calm, welcoming clinic space, designed to help children and teenagers feel safe, settled and supported.
Two assessment pathways are available:
Standard Dyslexia Assessment – £500
Delivered by James Turley
This assessment is carried out by James Turley, a qualified teacher and specialist assessor with training in dyslexia assessment. His work is professionally supervised by Dr Tamasine Black, Consultant Educational and Child Psychologist and Founder of Tabla Psychology.
This pathway is suitable for children and young people who are able to engage with assessment tasks without significant emotional, sensory or anxiety-based barriers.
Specialist Dyslexia Assessment (Complex Presentation) – £1,000
Delivered by Dr Tamasine Black
Dr Black offers a specialist dyslexia assessment for children and young people whose learning profile is shaped by additional factors such as:
- Anxiety or heightened emotional sensitivity
- Sensory sensitivities
- School trauma or negative educational experiences
- School avoidance or difficulty engaging with formal tasks
- Demand sensitivity, shutdown or task avoidance
These assessments take a specialist, highly experienced approach, adapting the assessment process to the child or young person rather than expecting the child to adapt to the assessment.
Additional, specialist-level information is gathered from parents, teachers and the child or young person themselves, allowing the assessment to be carefully planned so that:
- the child or teenager feels comfortable and emotionally safe
- the assessment can be completed meaningfully
- the learning profile is accurately understood in context
This pathway is appropriate where a standard assessment approach may not fully capture a child’s needs or where engagement itself requires clinical skill and flexibility.
All assessments include:
- A detailed developmental and educational history
- Standardised assessment measures (adapted where appropriate)
- Observation of learning strengths and difficulties
- A clear written report describing the individual learning profile
- Practical recommendations for school and home
Which option is right for my child?
- If your child has literacy difficulties without additional emotional or sensory needs, a standard dyslexia assessment with James Turley (£500) is usually appropriate.
- If your child experiences anxiety, sensory sensitivity, school trauma, school avoidance, or difficulty engaging with assessment tasks, the specialist dyslexia assessment with Dr Black (£1,000) is more appropriate, as it allows for a flexible, trauma-aware and clinically informed approach.
If you are unsure which pathway is the best fit, we are happy to advise.
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