Although I have been dyslexia assessing for a number of years, this month has been my first month where I have truly dedicated some time to the role.  In the last six years I have had two children, juggled various teaching role and truthfully not had the chance to do many assessments, apart from the odd word of mouth request.  So, this month I have started my business and have been busy assessing.

This is what I have learnt so far:

1. A bottle of water and some snacks are vital!  My assessments take three hours and I sometimes do two in a day so it can be thirsty and hungry work.
2. Magistrates are volunteers. I found this out after a session with a student who was one – fascinating stuff
3. Some dyslexic university students are still being called stupid.  I thought this had died out but one student described how her lecturer called her this in front of her peers.
4. Dyslexic students are great at creating and using their own coping strategies.  This can however, make it difficult during assessments as they are so adept at using them that this sometimes hides their true ability.
5. The response to an assessment result is unpredictable.  Some are relieved, some are upset and this goes for being told they are dyslexic or not.  I make a conscious effort to feedback the results of the assessment in person and be on hand for any questions.  It can sometimes take someone a while to process this information and come to terms with it.

No doubt I will learn a lot more and I’m looking forward to that.

To book an adult dyslexia assessment (South East Wales region):

Email: rebecca@wildassessments.com

Phone: 07790 666650

Facebook: Wild Assessments