How to Read Your Child’s Dyslexia Assessment Report
Updated: Oct 28
Begin with the conclusion and summary
A diagnostic report can be long and full of unfamiliar terms. You do not need to understand every test name before finding its main message. Start with the diagnostic decision or summary: does the assessor identify a pattern consistent with dyslexia, and what evidence supports that conclusion?
The explanation should bring together background information, literacy attainment and relevant processing findings. It should not rest on a single score or a simplistic comparison with intelligence. If the conclusion is unclear, ask the assessor to explain it in ordinary language.
Find the everyday learning difficulties
Next, look for the report's description of how difficulties affect learning. A child might recognise many words accurately but read so slowly that they cannot complete longer tasks comfortably. Another may express ideas fluently in discussion but lose those ideas while trying to spell and write.
These are different patterns, and the recommended support should reflect them. Notice whether the report describes what happens during independent reading, note-taking, written answers, homework or timed work. These practical details help teachers translate findings into classroom adjustments.
Understand scores without turning them into labels
Standard scores compare performance on a particular test with the performance of people in the test's reference group. On many commonly used tests, 100 is the average, but not every test uses the same scale. A percentile is a rank within that reference group, not the percentage of questions answered correctly.
A confidence interval reflects statistical uncertainty around an estimated score. Do not treat a score of 85 in one skill as meaning that the child is '85% able' or as a measure of their overall potential. Scores are useful evidence only when interpreted alongside the test demands, observations and background.
Look for contrasts within the profile
Reports often show uneven performance. A pupil may have relatively strong spoken reasoning alongside weaker spelling, or stronger comprehension than speed of word reading. Such contrasts can help explain why a child appears capable in conversation yet struggles to finish written work.
They are not proof of dyslexia by themselves. Ask what each contrast means for teaching. For example, strong oral explanation might support verbal rehearsal before writing, while slow reading may justify providing access to audio for complex subject material alongside direct reading instruction.
Separate teaching recommendations from access adjustments
Recommendations usually include both ways to develop skills and ways to remove barriers. Structured teaching in decoding or spelling aims to improve literacy. A laptop, accessible worksheet or text-to-speech tool may help a child demonstrate knowledge while skills develop.
Neither approach replaces the other. If the report mentions examination access arrangements, remember that a private report does not automatically grant extra time or other arrangements. The school or examination centre must establish eligibility and follow the relevant JCQ rules for the examination concerned.
Turn a long report into a short plan
You do not need to implement every recommendation immediately. Identify the two or three difficulties having the greatest impact. For each, agree an action, the person responsible and how progress will be checked.
For example: 'Long written answers are incomplete because handwriting is slow; trial typing in extended classwork for six weeks and review independence and quality.' Another plan might focus on explicit vocabulary teaching before new science topics. A precise trial is easier to evaluate than a general promise to 'make lessons dyslexia-friendly'.
Questions to ask the assessor and school
Ask the assessor which findings were most important, whether any results require cautious interpretation and which recommendations are highest priority. Ask school what can begin immediately, what requires further assessment, and how support will be recorded.
Keep the report accessible but share it thoughtfully: the child should understand its main messages in an age-appropriate way, and teachers need the relevant practical information. A good report should lead to a conversation about teaching and access, not sit unread in a folder.
Reading a report with purpose
Mark three passages: the main conclusion, the explanation of how results fit together, and the practical implications. If a recommendation is broad, such as providing writing support, ask what that would look like during a normal lesson. Keep the original report intact and make a separate one-page summary for discussions.
Discussing an assessment
Mark Trewby offers diagnostic dyslexia assessments online across the UK for ages 11–21 and face-to-face in Bournemouth for ages 8–21. The £400 fee includes a personalised report within seven working days and feedback. An introductory conversation can help you discuss suitability; a diagnosis cannot be promised in advance.