No, a diagnosis of dyslexia is not needed to be a client of mine. This is a common question I get, even from CEOs. “Do I need to be officially diagnosed with dyslexia to work with you?”
I typically follow that up with a question of my own. “How do you feel about testing?” or “What might be the value of being tested?”
People are surprised by their answers. My favorite answer was from the CEO of a company in Australia, “My son got tested and we think almost alike.”
My response: “What did you learn about your son from being tested?” He went on for about five minutes about all of the things he learned and understood better about his son. My follow-up question was, “Well then, why wouldn’t you want to know that about yourself?”
Testing for an adult, who does not need it for school or for job reasons, is a personal choice and often needs to be looked at in context of the specific situation and the goal of learning more.
What Will the Test Evaluate?
Key areas assessed and potential results:
- Phonological Awareness: Evaluates the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken language, crucial for reading development. Results may show strengths or weaknesses in rhyming, blending sounds, and segmenting words.
- Phonological or Language-Based Memory: Assesses the ability to recall sounds and sequences of sounds, which is important for learning letter-sound relationships and decoding words.
- Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN): Measures the speed of naming objects, colors, or letters, which can impact reading fluency.
- Receptive Vocabulary: Evaluates understanding of spoken words.
- Phonics Skills: Assesses the ability to connect letters to their corresponding sounds.
- Decoding: Measures the ability to sound out words using letter-sound knowledge.
- Reading Fluency: Evaluates reading speed, accuracy, and expression, both with single words and connected text.
- Spelling: Assesses spelling accuracy and consistency, often revealing patterns of errors related to phonological awareness and orthographic knowledge.
- Reading and Listening Comprehension: Compares reading comprehension with listening comprehension to identify potential reading difficulties.
- Writing: Evaluates written expression and organization of ideas.
- Overall Index/Severity: Some tests, like the Dyslexia Index from GL Education, provide an overall score indicating the degree of dyslexic profile (e.g., A – no signs, E – severe).
- Standard Scores and Percentiles: These scores compare performance to peers and indicate relative strengths and weaknesses.
- Recommendations: Test results often lead to recommendations for specific interventions, accommodations (e.g., extra time, assistive technology), and strategies for home and school.
If you are over 25 years old, this information is still useful. I use people’s test results to help them confirm job choices, career choices, employee hires, and places they need support in their current career. If they already have it, I use it. If they don’t, I have been doing this so long I can spot a lot of these things and guide them to their strengths.
How to Get a Diagnosis of Dyslexia
Getting properly diagnosed with dyslexia can be life-changing for some people and of no value to others. It can provide clarity, open doors to support, and help explain lifelong struggles that may have been misunderstood.
Here are several paths to explore:
- Online Screeners (as a First Step)
While not diagnostic, online screeners can help identify signs of dyslexia and give you a sense of whether further testing is worth pursuing.
Examples include:
- International Dyslexia Association screeners
- Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity self-tests
- Davis Dyslexia Association checklists
- Talk to Your Primary Care Provider
Start with your doctor. They may not provide the diagnosis themselves, but they can:
- Rule out hearing or vision issues
- Refer you to a psychologist, neurologist, or learning specialist for further testing
- You want them to know that this is an issue and that you need support.
- Psychoeducational Evaluation by a Licensed Psychologist
A full evaluation by a clinical or educational psychologist is one of the most thorough ways to receive a diagnosis. This process often includes:
- Intelligence testing (IQ)
- Reading, spelling, and writing assessments
- Phonological processing tests
- Interviews about developmental and academic history
These evaluations can be done privately (often faster) or through a school system (for students).
- Neuropsychological Assessment
This is a more detailed cognitive evaluation, often recommended when multiple learning or neurological issues (like ADHD or processing disorders) are suspected.
These are performed by neuropsychologists and can provide deep insight into how the brain processes language, memory, and focus.
- Adult Diagnosis through Learning Specialists
Adults who suspect they have dyslexia can seek testing through:
- Learning and literacy centers
- University disability services
- Private educational consultants or psychologists
(some may offer sliding-scale fees or payment plans)
- NOT REAL School-Based Testing (for Children and Teens)
Important Note: There is a common and harmful myth that schools routinely test for dyslexia. In reality, most public schools do not test for dyslexia PERIOD.
When I asked AI to help me make a list they added this in and I am keeping it in to help people understand that almost NO school is going to test for dyslexia.
This gap in the system is the BIGGEST breakdown in why children are not identified as being neurodiverse sooner resulting in many children with dyslexia are overlooked or misidentified.
If the individual is in K–12 education:
- Parents can request an evaluation in writing from the school to go with the testing from an outside source
- FALSE – NOT REAL – The school psychologist or special education team will assess learning differences
- Once you have gotten testing, the results determine eligibility for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan (access to assistive technology, tools, and resources)
Note: Not all schools like to use the label “dyslexic”- they may use broader terms like “specific learning disability in reading.”
Important Tips:
- Early diagnosis is ideal, but it’s never too late. Many adults discover they are dyslexic later in life and finally get answers that make sense of their past.
- Keep copies of all test results. You may need them for accommodations in school, work, or testing environments. And they tell a lot about you.
- Ask about follow-up support, once you have received your test results ask to have a follow-up later, once you have had a chance to process all of the details in the report. That way you can learn more about tutoring, coaching, or assistive technology.
The most important part of the dyslexic- or any neurodiversity- testing journey, is to stay open and curious through the process and the months after receiving the results. Don’t be surprised if you have more questions than answers six months after receiving the results. Keep track of your questions and seek out the answers. It could be transformative for you.
I would love to hear your testing story. Please comment or send me a video.
Thanks for learning more about testing with me,
JoyGenea