Adult Dyslexia Assessment
Understanding your learning profile and identifying the right support.
A dyslexia assessment is more than determining whether you meet the criteria for a diagnosis. It is an opportunity to better understand how you naturally process information, learn, and approach everyday tasks.
My assessment process combines specialist knowledge of Specific Learning Difficulties with over 20 years of experience supporting adults across education, Higher Education, and workplace settings. Rather than looking at test results in isolation, I bring together your developmental history, current experiences, assessment findings, and professional observations to build a comprehensive picture of your learning profile.
Understanding cognitive processes, interpreting assessment findings, recognising lifelong patterns, and explaining them in a way that makes sense to you are what make the assessment meaningful. The aim is not simply to answer “Am I dyslexic?” but to help you understand why certain tasks require greater mental effort and what can be done to reduce that effort.
Whether you are studying, in employment, returning to work, or considering a career change, the assessment will help identify your strengths, areas of difficulty, and practical recommendations that can support you in education, the workplace, and everyday life.
Where appropriate, it may also provide the evidence required to access reasonable adjustments or other sources of support via Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) and Access to Work.
The assessment follows the professional standards set by the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC), ensuring that it is thorough, evidence-based, and completed by a suitably qualified assessor.
Why have a diagnostic assessment?
A diagnostic assessment can help if you, your child, or someone you support experiences difficulties with:
The assessment helps to explain why certain tasks may feel more challenging, and points towards the strategies and support that make learning and working easier.
What does the assessment involve?
The assessment begins with a discussion about your background, learning experiences, strengths, and any concerns you may have. A range of recognised assessment activities are then used to build a complete picture of your learning profile. These may look at areas such as:
The assessment is not a test that you pass or fail. It is an opportunity to understand how you learn best.
What happens after the assessment?
Following the assessment, you will receive a detailed report explaining:
Recommendations may include strategies for learning, adjustments in education or the workplace, and suggestions for helpful resources or technology.
Who can benefit from an assessment?
Assessments are for adults aged 18 and over. An assessment can be valuable at any stage of adult life:
Students aged 18 and over
Who need evidence for support arrangements in further or higher education, including Disabled Students’ Allowance.
Adults
Who want to understand lifelong learning difficulties, access workplace adjustments, or develop strategies to support their strengths.
Whoever you are, the goal is the same: a clearer understanding of how you learn, and the support that helps you thrive.
What will you gain?
A positive approach to learning
Everyone has a unique learning profile. A diagnostic assessment is not about focusing only on difficulties, it is about recognising strengths, building confidence, and finding approaches that allow individuals to reach their potential.
Understanding how you learn can be the first step towards accessing the right support and achieving success.
Book a SASC-approved diagnostic assessment to gain a clearer understanding of your learning profile and the support that can help you thrive.
Book an assessment →The assessment follows a clear, structured process, from initial contact and preparation through to the assessment itself and your written report.
Fees and payment details are discussed during your initial consultation.
Before your assessment
A little preparation helps everything run smoothly. Before your assessment:
Being well-prepared and well-rested means the results truly reflect how you learn.
During the assessment
The assessment takes place on a 1:1 basis at a venue agreed by both parties. The assessor will provide all necessary equipment.
A series of standardised tests will explore specific areas, including:
Every activity is there to build a fuller, fairer picture of how you think and learn.
After the assessment
Once the assessment is complete:
Understanding how you learn and process information is the first step towards accessing the right support.
Qualifications & references
I hold a Level 7 qualification in dyslexia assessment. I am a member of the Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (PATOSS) and hold my Assessment Practising Certificate (APC). I am guided by the PATOSS Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
I have an Enhanced DBS check. I am more than happy to share references with you if requested.
Ready to book, or have a question about the process?
Get in touch →When difficulties extend beyond dyslexia
Sometimes, a dyslexia assessment can reveal patterns that suggest there may be additional factors influencing your learning profile. Dyslexia often co-exists with other neurodevelopmental differences such as ADHD, DCD/dyspraxia and autism, and vice versa. If your experiences extend beyond what dyslexia alone can explain, this does not mean you are being diagnosed with another condition.
A SASC-informed assessment looks at your whole profile, not just reading and writing. Where appropriate, it may explore traits of co-occurring neurodevelopmental difficulties using approved screeners and structured diagnostic interview questionnaires. These tools help clarify your profile; they do not diagnose ADHD, DCD/dyspraxia or any other neurodevelopmental condition.
If the findings suggest that some of your experiences may be better understood through additional specialist assessment, this will be explained clearly.
When might further exploration be considered?
Further exploration may be appropriate when:
Every assessment is individualised. Additional exploration is only considered when relevant to your profile and the purpose of the assessment, and this will be discussed with you during the process.
What Inclusive Ally Solutions provides
Inclusive Ally Solutions helps you understand the patterns identified during your assessment and how they may affect learning, work and everyday life.
Where your profile suggests that further specialist assessment may be helpful, this will be clearly outlined in your report, along with guidance on appropriate next steps.
Understanding before labels means recognising your experiences without assuming every difficulty needs a diagnosis. Even without a diagnosis, the assessment process can offer practical recommendations to support the difficulties you’ve reported.
What this assessment does and does not provide
Where appropriate, SASC-approved screeners and structured diagnostic interview questionnaires may be used to explore traits associated with ADHD or DCD/dyspraxia.
These elements are exploratory and non-diagnostic. They do not provide a diagnosis of ADHD, DCD/dyspraxia or any other neurodevelopmental condition.
Instead, they help identify patterns that may contribute to your difficulties and indicate whether further specialist assessment may be appropriate. Findings can also inform practical recommendations for education, employment and everyday life, within the scope of the assessment.
Where a formal clinical diagnosis is required, an appropriate onward referral will be recommended.
Not sure whether this describes you? A consultation is the place to talk it through.
Get in touch →Interested in an assessment?
Please note that a diagnosis of dyslexia is not guaranteed.
The assessment explores your reported difficulties using standardised measures, background information, qualitative observations and professional judgement, guided by SASC guidance. A diagnosis is only made where the relevant criteria are met.
Your report will clearly outline your strengths, areas of need and practical recommendations. Even where a diagnosis is not indicated, the findings can provide valuable insight for you, your workplace or place of study.
Where other underlying needs may require further exploration, this will be discussed with you.
If you are considering a dyslexia assessment for yourself, the next step is simply to get in touch. We will arrange a short, no-obligation consultation to talk through your experiences, answer your questions, and decide together whether a full diagnostic assessment is the right route for you.
Fees, payment arrangements, and the full terms and conditions of the assessment are discussed during that consultation, so you have everything you need before committing to anything.
What the consultation covers
Ready to talk it through? Get in touch to arrange your consultation.
Contact me →Geetha Narayanan SpLD APC (PATOSS)
Specialist Dyslexia Assessor