How do I get my child tested for dyslexia?

Dyslexia is diagnosed by trained professionals, not by parents, teachers, websites, or apps. The people qualified to evaluate it include educational psychologists, school psychologists, neuropsychologists, and some reading specialists or speech-language pathologists with specific training in reading disorders. A proper evaluation tests several areas - phonological awareness, decoding, reading fluency, spelling, and usually cognitive ability - to build a complete picture.

Anything you do at home, including noticing warning signs or using a screening checklist, is useful for *deciding to seek* an evaluation - not for making the diagnosis itself. Treat home observations as the reason to start the process, then let a qualified professional do the actual assessment. (See [signs of dyslexia in kids](/en/blog/signs-of-dyslexia-in-kids) for what those warning signs look like.)

In the United States, your public school is required to evaluate a child who may have a disability that affects learning, at no cost to you, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This is usually the first path to try.

The key step: **put your request in writing.** A verbal mention to the teacher is easy to lose. A dated, written request starts the legal clock. Address a brief letter or email to the principal and/or the school's special education coordinator stating that you're concerned your child may have a reading disability such as dyslexia, and that you are formally requesting a comprehensive evaluation. Keep a copy.

After your written request, the school has a legally defined window to respond and, with your consent, to evaluate. If your child qualifies, they may receive an IEP (Individualized Education Program) or a 504 plan with services and accommodations. If the school declines to evaluate, they must explain why in writing - and you can challenge that decision or pursue the private route.

You can also pay for a private psychoeducational or neuropsychological evaluation, done by an educational psychologist or neuropsychologist in private practice or at a clinic or university center. Many families do this when the school has a long waitlist, declines to evaluate, or when they want a more comprehensive, independent report.

Private evaluations are typically more detailed and faster to schedule, but they cost money - often a significant amount - and aren't always covered by insurance (though it's worth asking, since some testing is billable). A private report can also be brought back to the school as documentation to support services. To find a qualified evaluator, ask your pediatrician for a referral, contact a local International Dyslexia Association branch, or check university psychology or education clinics, which sometimes offer reduced-cost assessments.

A little preparation makes the assessment more accurate and the report more useful. Before the evaluation, gather:

**Examples of your child's work** - reading samples, spelling, writing - that show the difficulty. **A timeline** of your child's reading development and any concerns, including when you first noticed trouble. **Family history** - dyslexia is highly heritable, so note any relatives with reading or spelling difficulties (this is genuinely useful information for the evaluator - see [is dyslexia hereditary](/en/answers/is-dyslexia-hereditary)). **Teacher input** - notes or report cards mentioning reading, and the school's record of any support already tried. **A hearing and vision check** - rule these out first, since uncorrected sensory issues can mimic or worsen reading difficulty.

It also helps to prepare your child gently: explain that they'll do some reading and thinking games with a specialist to figure out the best way to help them learn, and that it's not a test they can pass or fail.

When you request testing, ask specifically for a **comprehensive reading evaluation** that includes phonological processing, decoding (including nonsense-word reading), reading fluency, and spelling - not just a general screening. If you suspect attention issues too, ask whether they'll also screen for that, since dyslexia and ADHD often co-occur. (See [dyslexia vs ADHD in kids](/en/blog/dyslexia-vs-adhd-in-kids).)

Once you have the report, the diagnosis is the start, not the finish. The valuable part is the recommendations: the goal is to translate the results into the right intervention - structured-literacy instruction such as an Orton-Gillingham-based program - plus school accommodations. Ask the evaluator to walk you through what the findings mean and what specific instruction your child needs. If it came from a private evaluator, share it with the school to inform an IEP or 504 plan.

Evaluations can take time to schedule and complete. While you wait, you don't have to do nothing - you can support your child's reading with daily practice, as long as you're clear about what that practice is and isn't.

Daily oral reading at the right level helps any developing reader build fluency. A listening tool like Readigo can make that practice consistent: a child reads aloud, the app scores accuracy, fluency, pace, and clarity, and you can see which words are still effortful. But be clear on the boundary - this is practice support, not a diagnosis. It does not test for or identify dyslexia, and it isn't a substitute for the professional evaluation or for the structured-literacy instruction a dyslexic child needs. (See [signs your child needs a reading coach](/en/blog/signs-child-needs-reading-coach).) Pursue the evaluation, and use daily practice to support reading in the meantime.