Can It Still Be Dyslexia if Extra Teaching Helps?
Updated: Oct 28
Extra teaching has helped your child read more words or spell a practised list. That is welcome progress. But perhaps homework still takes a long time, or the improvement is harder to see when they work independently.
You may wonder whether progress means dyslexia is no longer a possibility. It helps to ask exactly what has improved and what still needs support.
Improvement does not settle the diagnosis by itself
The Delphi assessment research treats response to teaching and support as useful evidence. It also cautions against ruling out dyslexia simply because a child improves following intervention. An assessor needs to understand the learning history and present difficulties together. Equally, limited progress does not prove dyslexia: the teaching and its suitability need consideration too.
What does “response to intervention” mean?
An intervention is a planned piece of additional teaching or support aimed at a particular need. “Response” means what changes while that help is provided. For a parent meeting, ask for a concrete description: what skill was taught, how often sessions happened, how progress was checked and what the child can now do independently.
Imagine a learner who spells a small set of practised words more accurately but still finds spelling those words within a sentence demanding. The teaching may have produced a useful gain.
The next question is how to help the learner use that knowledge during ordinary writing. This example illustrates a discussion about learning; it is not a diagnostic test.
Look at accuracy, pace and independence separately
Ask whether improvement is visible in unfamiliar material as well as practised work. If reading is more accurate, is it also becoming easier to sustain? If spelling is better, how much checking or prompting is still needed? Describe the demands rather than setting an arbitrary speed target at home.
One practical record might say: “She now reads the school book more accurately, but asks for help with unfamiliar words and needs someone beside her for the written questions.”
Another might say: “He completes the same work independently now and rarely needs the earlier prompts.” Both accounts are useful because they describe a change rather than relying on the word progress alone.
What information should you keep?
Keep a manageable record: the broad dates of support, its focus, school feedback and a few examples of work. Note whether the work was independent, read aloud by an adult or completed with spellings supplied. You do not need to test your child repeatedly or produce a perfect dossier before speaking to school.
At a review meeting, useful questions include: “Which skill has changed?”, “What remains difficult in class?”, and “What will we try or review next?” If the school and home accounts differ, compare the tasks and amount of help available. A short classroom exercise and a long evening assignment may place different demands on the learner.
Should support stop while assessment is considered?
The Delphi practice paper emphasises responding to literacy needs without making a detailed diagnosis a precondition for help. Discuss ongoing teaching and adjustments with school while considering assessment. There is no need to withdraw helpful support to make a difficulty more visible.
If concerns remain, bring the support history to the introductory conversation. If little formal support has been available, explain that too. Do not assume that you must first complete a fixed waiting period before asking for advice. The appropriate next step depends on the individual circumstances.
Discussing next steps
Mark Trewby’s diagnostic assessment costs £400, including a personalised report within seven working days and feedback. Online assessments cover ages 11–21 across the UK; face-to-face assessments cover ages 8–21 in Bournemouth. The separate £50 online screening service covers ages 8–21 and does not provide a diagnosis.