Unfortunately, the Adult support group is not able to meet at the moment.  We are hoping to resume at some point during the year. Please contact Cathy, Roy or Hazel at shropshiredyslexia@gmail.com  or visit our Facebook page 'Shropshire Adults Dyslexia Group' for up-to-date information.

1. I’m not at school any more so why would I want an assessment?

A dyslexia assessment is recognised in law and gives you legal rights against discrimination.

• It can help in understanding what’s happening and gives you a chance to identify and manage your own issues.
• It can often take away the negative feelings and labels left over from school which helps build self esteem.
• The report will give you a list of recommendations to help in the workplace or at home and will also allow your employer to get the funding to put these in place through Access to Work.

2. What is going to happen?

A full assessment will look at reading, writing and spelling as you would expect but it will also look at underlying ability, memory and language skills. It will look at your processing speed and if there is any other issue that affects your learning such as coloured overlays or dyspraxia. It will be a mixture of tests, activities and talking so it is a useful place to ask questions. It is a good idea to jot down concerns or difficulties beforehand so that you remember to follow them up during the assessment. It will also help the assessor get a better picture of what your needs are.

3. Who will do my assessment?

The Shropshire Dyslexia Association is keen to ensure that only people who are fully qualified as practising assessors carry out assessments. Most are teachers and all have completed post graduate training in dyslexia. They will be registered with professional bodies such as PATOSS or AMBDA.

4. What about the cost?

The cost is usually between £300 and £350 for a full assessment but often employers are willing to help fund some or all of the assessment. There may be bursary help available for people in receipt of certain benefits. Some assessors are also willing to spread payments over a few months if it means someone is able to access an assessment.  There is a small bursery fund that allows the Shropshire Dyslexia Association to subsidise assessments, where extenuating circumstances exist.

5. If I’m paying out all this money, how long does it last?

Assessments carried out over the age of 16 last for life. Sometimes an employer may feel they want it updated but then it is up to them to pay for it!

6. How long will the assessment take?

A full assessment usually takes somewhere between 3 and 5 hours to do. Sometimes it is done over 2 sessions but usually it is done on a single day. If there are extra tests needed then it can take longer but the cost should remain the same.

7. What happens after I’ve had my test?

The assessor will write a full and detailed report. The aim is that this should be written and sent to you within 2 weeks. It is a long and wordy document that may feel a bit overwhelming but it will have a summary and the assessor will talk through any points you don’t understand. It will look at your learning strengths and difficulties in depth and will identify if you are dyslexic.

8. If I’m dyslexic can my employer sack me?

Dyslexia is recognised as a disability under the Equalities Act of 2010 and so is covered by disability discrimination laws. Most employers are keen to help understand their workers and usually look at a diagnosis as a way to help them manage work better. They have a duty of care to put in place Reasonable Adjustments in the Workplace which are often supported by Access to Work.

9. What is Access to Work?

Access to Work is a government funded scheme that helps organise individual support in the workplace. Often they will fund training or tuition, provide specialist software and ensure that employers are aware of individual needs. They may look at the work place and recommend better ways of working. For full information and contact details see  http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/employee-factsheet-atw.pdf

10.What help is available afterwards?

Knowing you are dyslexic is the first step on a journey. You may want to go to college and usually this will be supported by their learning support department. There’s a great deal of software that can help many dyslexics. Things like speech to text software can help with writing, whilst text to speech software supports reading. Joining an adult support group keeps you in touch with fellow dyslexics and organisations such as the BDA give you the bigger picture. For dyslexics it really is true that knowledge is power!