Direct Learning provides dyslexia testing, professional assessment and independent advice for both children and adults. We advise parents with concerns about their children's problems with spelling, reading and learning at school, and adults with difficulties at work or college.

I am a Mom of an eight year old daughter who is demonstrating quite distinguishable signs of dyslexia. I have known this for a few years, and we have been managing well with helping her to see that dyslexia is a unique gift. (Fortunately, her school has been very supportive, and they are beginning to collaborate with my initial suggestion of the possibility of dyslexia two years ago.) Unfortunately, it is time to help her get more creative help so that she won't get frustrated at school and in the day-to-day extra work and time she must put in so as to keep up with the class.
We are in the process (as per her teacher's encouragement) of seeking testing for her. Is testing for dyslexia available as an entity unto itself, or does the testing given to the children nowadays seek to define children as ADD or ADHD when perhaps they are simply dyslexic? Any suggestions you may have would be greatly appreciated.
Your website is a great help to families dealing with this issue in their lives; thank you for providing it!
The Direct Learning Dyslexia test assesses for dyslexia and would be suitable for your requirements. There are questions about possible ADHD, as it is occasionally associated with dyslexia, but the symptoms are completely different.
You will find a further list of research articles on dyslexia on our web-page - Research into Dyslexia.

My son is 7 years old and he was recently diagnosed as dyslexic. I have a family history of learning disabilities - my brother and my cousin from my mother's side of the family. There are no left-handed family members that I know of. Currently my son goes to the regular local school and he is not doing well. He will be entering class one and I don't think he will be able to keep up with the other children. He writes very slowly and never completes a topic. I am thinking of transferring him to a school that caters for children with learning disabilities. Do you think that I am doing the right thing?
The decision to send your son to a special school is a difficult one, as he would have to start building a new social circle. The best place for a dyslexic child is usually in a normal (mainstream) school, with support being provided by the school to help keep him up to the average level for his age-group. How does he feel about it? It might be quite traumatic changing schools because of his learning difficulty, and he could regard it as a punishment.

I have a daughter aged 17 who is bright but often seems quite vague. She was slow to master reading but finally mastered it at about age 12. She still has huge problems with spelling to the extent that she spends hours every day on her homework. We have bought her a 'Dragon' voice recognition program for her computer but its response is so variable that she spends hours correcting its mistakes every night. Her hand writing is quite scrawly, but usually fairly phonetic and inconsistent. Both of her parents are successful and are tertiary qualified but both have trouble with "left and right". Her mother is not a good speller but gets by. Her father is a slow reader but also gets by. One of her uncles is left handed. We have tried many treatments including the crawling, cross-crawling exercises, etc. They did not have a noticeable effect. She hates these exercises and now refuses to do them. It is also a constant struggle to get her to sit upright and 'square' to the desk when working. Is there anything that you can suggest? She is desperate to do well in life but watching her struggle with her disability is heart breaking.
Some of the indicators of dyslexia include a history of learning difficulties in the (blood-related) family, confusion over left and right, and left-handedness in the family. However, on their own these are not conclusive. It does sound as if there is a possibility that your daughter may be dyslexic, and this can be clarified if she takes our Dyslexia Test for Adults.
I would relax a bit about her sitting upright at her desk or table, as dyslexic readers often use odd angles for reading and writing. It has to do with overcoming difficulties reading the text and writing. Like color blindness, dyslexia is a life-long handicap: there's no 'cure' for it. However, the person can find alternative approaches which work for them, and recommendations will be made in your Assessment Report about strategies that she can use. These will include a more appropriate computer program.

My son is 8 years old and in 3rd grade. At the end of last year the school tested him to "rule out" dyslexia. They found that he was a moderate case and had put him in Alpha Phonics program to help him. Since starting this class he now goes to the nurse at least 3 out of the 5 days because of headaches and stomachaches. It is always after this class. His teacher says that he becomes withdrawn and quiet when he returns. He is usually a happy and well adjusted child. He has quit eating lunch at school ( which is right after this class) He is an A and B student. Last week his teacher approached me and said that she doesn't understand why he is even in the Alpha Phonics program. He doesn't show any signs in her classroom of being a dyslexic. His school work is at grade level or above. He reads in class, and sometimes he reads words that some of the other children can't. I am confused as to whether my child is really dyslexic. He has a late birthday, which means he is a young 3rd grader. Could it be that he is now "catching up"? In 1st and 2nd grade he hated reading. Now I can't get him to stop! Sometimes he reads a book a night!
It certainly does not sound as if your son is dyslexic: reading a book a night at his age would not be the normal pattern for a dyslexic child. Also, his teacher's comments suggest there is no problem.

My son is 7 yrs old. His father and two uncles were diagnosed as being dyslexic as children and received treatment. I consider him very imaginative and very curious about how things work. His learning problems starting last year in 1st grade. His self confidence fell, and homework was a nightmare for both of us; he was very aware that the other kids could read better than him (he was in a special reading class). He has a difficult time sounding out words phonically or putting sounds together. He knows left from right and his younger brother is left-handed. He avoids reading to me and he has a difficult time with sight words or remembering them even after we go over them several times. He became very emotional (crying) when he had to write sentences in school. We have had him at a Sylvan learning center and he had progressed slowly. When he was in kindergarten he experienced stomach aches and was very tired at the end of school (mentally taxed). We were told by the school system to retain him in 1st grade because they felt he was immature. My husband and I decided to continue him on to 2nd grade. I searched on the Internet and came around to the possibility that my son may have some symptoms and I wanted to know your opinion.
I am sorry to hear of all the worries you are having . Your son sounds very bright! Have you had his vision and hearing tested - to make sure that he is able to see the page clearly and hear what the teacher is saying? Also, do remember that children develop at different rates, and his reaction to kindergarten may be because of his being a late developer.
A history of learning difficulties in the family is certainly a common indicator of dyslexia, and his reactions to school do seem to indicate that he may be dyslexic. To clarify matters, the Dyslexia Test 7-16 will give you a very thorough diagnosis, a detailed report and recommendations.
Remember that your son's self-esteem will be suffering through all this, and it is important to help him build up his self-confidence.

I have a nine year old little girl who is having a lot of trouble with reading and spelling. I am left-handed and there are learning difficulties in our family with a first cousin being diagnosed dyslexic. My daughter is going into grade four and still confusing b's and d's. We have noticed as well, through her telling us, that when she is reading a word with 'ch', and the next two words are 'au', they are confusing to her. My question is should I request an assessment from our local doctor who tests for dyslexia? And what does left-handedness have to do with this? I am anxious to hear from you.
From what you say it does sound as if there is a possibility of dyslexia. Left-handedness in the family is just one of the indicators which have been found to be common in a lot (but not all) of dyslexic people. Confusion with letters 'b' and 'd' at her age is another indicator that she has difficulties with perception and laterality.
An assessment for dyslexia from a doctor will give you a medical assessment of whether she is dyslexic or not. You might prefer an educational assessment with specific recommendations for bringing your daughter's educational achievement up to the average for her age. Your daughter could do our online test which will provide you with a full diagnosis and detailed recommendations. We will send you a full Assessment Report which can be shown to your daughter's school. Seeing a report like this should ensure that your daughter receives appropriate support in school.

I appreciate all the information that you had given me when I originally wrote to ask you about specific tests for dyslexia. We are now in a full-fledged battle with our eight-year old daughter's school district, just to be able to get her tested properly. It appears, and as we are just learning, that there are more than a few special educators who would prefer to believe that dyslexia does not exist. I have spent the past two months filing for "due process" after the school handed us an automatic denial of evaluation at a planning meeting, and well after our written request, and in spite of substantial teacher input and worsening grades. We are learning now just how to begin to protect our daughter's rights while trying to correct the school district's open policy of breaking the law, and in our daughter's regard. I'm shocked now to discover that there are thousands and thousands of families going through the same nightmare!
I'm sorry to hear about all your troubles with the school. It can be quite a battle fighting for your child's entitlement to support in school. I hope it works out well in the end. Have you thought of using our Dyslexia Test 7-16 to present to the school as independent assessment of your daughter's learning problems? Many parents use our test for this purpose.

I have a 10-yr old son and husband who have both been diagnosed with dyslexia. I am now suspicious that my 8-yr old daughter may also have dyslexia. The test that you offer sounds financially quite reasonable compared to what we have paid to get my son and husband diagnosed. However, I am concerned about the accuracy and validity, and whether this test will be accepted at the school as proof of a dyslexia diagnosis. I have enjoyed reading the articles on this site, and have found them quite informative.
With a family history of learning difficulties and delayed speech when she started kindergarten, as well as difficulties with direction and organization, there is a high likelihood that your daughter may be dyslexic.
Regarding the accuracy and validity of our Dyslexia Tests, we provide an assessment using valid, standardized tests for dyslexia from two major universities. Our page About Us lists comments we have received from the hundreds of parents who have had their children assessed by us. Our test makes an extremely thorough analysis of all of the indicators of dyslexia. 85% of a sample of parents who had shown our Assessment Report to their child's school reported a positive response, with the school frequently changing its attitude to the child - from someone who 'could try harder' or 'with a few problems with spelling' to someone in need of extra support.

Dyslexia news, resources and research in our
Dyslexia Newsletter
delivered by e-mail