Getting a formal dyslexia diagnosis 

When to seek an assessment

If your child is provided effective in-class instruction along with targeted intervention and continues to experience difficulties, you may want to consider a more in-depth assessment.

Who can perform a dyslexia assessment?

A formal diagnosis of dyslexia requires a psychoeducational (psych-ed) assessment done by a licensed psychologist, except in Quebec, where speech-language pathologists (SLP) can also diagnose dyslexia.

What is involved?

A psych-ed assessment includes a series of tests to understand elements of a child’s learning profile, including their cognitive skills, academic achievement, and attention. It starts with a review of the child’s background, including their medical, school, and family history. During the assessment, tests measure skills in reading, writing, and math, as well as cognitive abilities like language comprehension and working memory. Parents, teachers, and the child may also be asked questions to gather more information, and the child’s behaviour can be observed. After the tests are completed, the results are analyzed to identify the child’s strengths and weaknesses, diagnose any learning disabilities like dyslexia, and create recommendations for support and strategies that fit the child’s specific needs.

Should I pay for a psychoeducational assessment for my child?

As a parent, you will need to decide if you want to have your child formally assessed for dyslexia. Due to long waitlists, limited resources, and eligibility requirements within the public education system, parents are sometimes encouraged by the school to pay for a private assessment. Private assessments range in cost from $1,200 to $4,000. If cost is a factor, skipping the psych-ed assessment and investing instead in high-quality tutoring or advocacy support may be a better choice. There are several factors to consider when deciding whether or not to invest in a formal assessment.

Benefits of investing in a formal assessment

A diagnosis of dyslexia, while not always necessary for accessing interventions or accommodations, can be helpful for several reasons. First, it can help your child understand their learning challenges and reduce feelings of frustration or confusion. Knowing what is going on can boost a child’s self-esteem and make them feel more in control. Second, a diagnosis can be a useful tool in advocating for the right accommodations and support at school. Although schools legally must provide access to interventions and accommodations without a diagnosis, having one can speed up the process.

Common problems with the assessment process

1. Use of assessments as a delay tactic

Sometimes, schools will place a child on a waitlist for an assessment in an effort to show parents that some action has been taken. However, the school may continue to delay providing the child with immediate support. For example, a parent might be told that the teachers need the assessment results before starting an intervention or providing accommodations. This is not acceptable. Human rights guidelines require that while students are waiting for an assessment, they should be provided with the same supports available to students with a formally identified learning disability. 

2. Age-related delays

Diagnosing dyslexia often involves establishing that a child is struggling with reading and spelling despite receiving effective instruction. In schools that don’t provide evidence-based reading instruction, it can be hard for psychologists to tell if a younger child’s difficulties come from poor instruction or dyslexia. It is sometimes suggested that assessments should not happen until grade 3 or later. However, if students are receiving effective instruction and they continue to struggle, they can be assessed sooner. To understand if your school is providing effective reading instruction, see Effective reading instruction.

3. Practical usefulness

Much of the information in a psych-ed assessment is not useful for planning instruction and intervention.  Many areas assessed in a psych-ed assessment, like working memory, visual processing, and rapid naming, can’t be effectively improved through intervention. While these underlying issues may explain why the child is struggling, they don’t provide practical information for planning instruction and intervention.    

Classroom teachers or interventionists can perform simple diagnostic assessments that provide the information necessary to plan effective interventions for your child.     

Important notes on assessment results

Cognitive (IQ) testing

Many Canadian provinces and territories require that a student have average or above-average intellectual abilities to be identified with a “Learning Disability.” That is why psych-ed assessments in Canada often include IQ tests like the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). However, this approach doesn’t match the current research on dyslexia.

IQ tests are controversial and do not measure the full range of every child’s intelligence. They also do not predict whether the child will respond to an evidence-based reading intervention. For these reasons, the Ontario Human Rights Commission recommended that Ontario revise its criteria for identifying students with dyslexia.

If your child is having difficulties with reading and spelling but was not officially diagnosed with a learning disability because of their score on a cognitive test, they have the right to receive the same support as a child who received a formal diagnosis. If your child is denied support for this reason, please reach out to our team for help.

Dyslexia subtypes

You may encounter the concept of dyslexia subtypes such as “surface dyslexia,” “phonological dyslexia,” or “visual dyslexia.” These terms were first used to describe adults with acquired brain injuries that affected their reading skills. While some psychologists may use these labels to describe different patterns in dyslexia, this way of describing dyslexia isn’t widely used or accepted.

Parents should be aware that these subtype labels do not change how their child should be helped. A structured literacy approach is the best strategy for helping children with dyslexia, regardless of their reported subtype.

Visual Processing

Even if you are told your child’s learning disability is caused by a visual processing deficit, be very cautious about alternative treatments such as vision therapy and coloured lenses.

Beware of treatments that lack scientific evidence since they waste time and resources.