For many, a diagnostic assessment may come after an extended period of discussion and concern over their child's or their own learning. There may be many questions and queries and I am happy to advise parents and adults on the suitability of testing.

What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty which affects reading, writing and information processing. An individual with dyslexia may have difficulty remembering and processing information, this leads to the learning of literacy skills being affected. Other area such as organisation may also be affected. Although a dyslexic person may experience challenges in these areas, many have strengths in reasoning and visual and creative skills.
Every person with dyslexia will experience different patterns of strengths and difficulties, making it unique to each person.

Definitions of Dyslexia

The Rose (2009) definition of dyslexia:

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed. Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. It is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and there are no clear cut-off points. Co-occurring difficulties may be seen in aspects of language, motor co-ordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation, but these are not, by themselves, markers of dyslexia. A good indication of the severity and persistence of dyslexic difficulties can be gained by examining how the individual responds or has responded to well-founded intervention.

The new 2024 definition of dyslexia is as follows:

Dyslexia is primarily a set of processing difficulties that affect the acquisition of reading and spelling.
In dyslexia, some or all aspects of literacy attainment are weak in relation to age, standard teaching and instruction, and level of other attainments.
Across languages and age groups, difficulties in reading and spelling fluency are a key marker of dyslexia.
The nature and developmental trajectory of dyslexia depends on multiple genetic and environmental influences.
Dyslexic difficulties exist on a continuum and can be experienced to various degrees of severity.
Dyslexia can affect the acquisition of other skills, such as mathematics, reading comprehension or learning another language.
The most commonly observed cognitive impairment in dyslexia is a difficulty in phonological processing (i.e. in phonological awareness, phonological processing speed or phonological memory). However, phonological difficulties do not fully explain the variability that is observed.
Working memory, orthographic skills and processing speed problems can contribute to the impact of dyslexia and therefore should be assessed.
Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with one or more other developmental difficulty, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD, and developmental coordination disorder.
Carroll, J., Holden, C., Kirby, P., Snowling, M. J., & Thompson, P.A. (2024) https://osf.io/preprints/osf/tb8mp