Concerned about your child?

Concerned about your child's reading? Read our advice on how to liaise with their school to get support

Parents are always a child’s first teacher. While schools are very familiar with reading challenges and dyslexia, it may be that you think you have spotted signs your child is dyslexic before this has been picked up by an educational practitioner. Equally, your child’s teacher may  have brought up concerns over your child’s progression with you. Whether you are instigating the discussion or not, it can feel a little overwhelming knowing how to broach these topics with your child’s school, and how to best access support. In this blog, we’ll share our best advice for doing so, based on common questions parents have.

I think my child might be dyslexic, what do I do?

If your child’s school hasn't yet picked this up, now would be time to discuss this with them. The first port of call will always be your child’s teacher - don’t feel like you need to wait until a parent’s evening. Ask for a specific meeting and sit down with your reasoning, and your child’s teacher will either be able to reassure you of your concerns, or escalate them to the appropriate member of staff (usually a special educational needs coordinator, or SENCO). 

I feel my concerns haven’t been met by my child’s school, what is the next step?

Perhaps you have brought up your concerns, but your child’s teacher doesn’t agree with you. If you feel your child still isn’t progressing and are concerned, you can escalate to the school SENCO, or failing this, school governors. You will typically be expected to share your evidence along with why you feel this hasn’t been met.

Can I get an independent assessment?

You most certainly can! While schools should expedite a dyslexia assessment for your child, there may be times where there is a delay in accessing this support. You are free, at this point, to access an independent assessment for your child and pass on the information to the school. We would advise letting your child’s school know that you are doing this, in case they are working through getting one organised their end too. Our sister site, Dyslexia Decoded, offers dyslexia assessment services with a qualified assessor. 

I think my child would benefit from a particular intervention, what do I do?

You know your child best. Schools will typically have set dyslexia interventions when they believe a child is dyslexic, but you may have found alternatives that you think would better suit your child. Always try to work in partnership with your child’s school if you feel you have a better intervention to use, so that it doesn’t conflict with any work your child is doing in their school day. It may be that your child’s school is happy to use a new intervention on your behalf, or they ask you to use this outside of school hours as a supplement. 

We hope this blog answers some of your questions - we are always on the end of an email though! Feel free to contact us if you have any further queries or questions around your child’s reading. We’re happy to help!