Frequently Asked Questions

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There is an additional cost if the assessment takes place in school as I have to factor in travelling time and expenses. The assessment also takes up more time in my diary as I have to accomodate the structure of the school day. I am available during weekends and school holidays for a lower price.

Some people experience visual discomfort or disturbance when they read. Common symptoms that may significantly impair reading ability, or make reading very tiring, include:

• headaches and eyestrain associated with reading and/or other near work
• text appearing blurred or going in and out of focus
• text appearing double or alternating between single and double
• difficulty keeping place in text
• difficulty tracking across lines of text
• discomfort with brightness of the page or contrast between text and background
• text that appears to shimmer or flicker

Symptoms such as these have a variety of different causes, some of which may be due to disease or abnormality, so they must be investigated by a professional who is qualified to diagnose them correctly and give appropriate treatment. Anyone who experiences such difficulties associated with reading should consult a registered optometrist for a full assessment of eye health and visual function.

I do have a coloured overlay testing kit and am able to complete a test. However, I am not a qualified optometrist.

 The earlier a child with dyslexia is diagnosed, the more effective educational interventions are likely to be, but identifying dyslexia in young children can be difficult for both parents and teachers because the signs and symptoms are not always obvious. If you're concerned about your child's progress with reading and writing, first talk to their teacher or SENCO and discuss your concerns and ask about any interventions that may have already been tried. If your child does not have any obvious underlying health problems (vision problems, hearing problems) to explain their learning difficulties, it may be that they're not responding very well to the teaching method and a different approach may be needed.

If there are still concerns about your child's progress after they have received additional teaching and support, it may be a good idea to have a dyslexia diagnostic assessment. This can be carried out by a qualified specialist dyslexia teacher such as Sarah at Dyslexia Coventry. She'll be able to support you, your child and your child's teachers by helping to improve the understanding of your child's learning difficulties and suggesting interventions that may help them.