Many adults come to this site in a very unsure fashion. They may have realised that one of their children has specific difficulties, and have begun to see their own difficulties in a new light. Often the adults who contacts us are under the impression that they are breaking new ground; they ask is it possible to assess adults for Dyslexia (SpLd). The answer is 'yes' - it is very common and usually very effective in terms of outcome. In fact, thousands of adults are assessed each year by Educational Psychologists in the UK.
With adults, I include anyone beyond the age of statutory education (16 years); there are many routes by which they can be assessed. Colleges and Universities should have a list of EP's, and there is likely to be a system whereby the student can have the fee paid, or receive a heavily subsidised diagnostic assessment with an EP. This is particularly true in Higher Education.
Often a person will have been highly successful, but just feels that their learning is impeded. An assessment will often shed light as to why the client feels that way, and offer ways around the highly subtle SpLd; leaving the client to go on and achieve to their fullest potential. Planning difficulties often surface, as do complex language processing difficulties, along with a whole host of other subtle SpLd's that interfere with seamless learning and cause underachievement. With the extensive array of teaching and technological solutions available today, an EP familiar with adult assessment can usually put together a complex solution that leads to the client going forward and learning in an unimpeded way, perhaps for the first time in their life. Underachievement and the consequent emotional effects on self esteem are slowly left behind.
If you would like to arrange for an assessment of an adult contact The Dyslexia Centre
See also: DSA assessment for those in adult education