DEFINITIONS
Diagnostic Assessors: Educational Psychologists (EP) and OCR Level 7 Assessors
​
Diagnostic Assessors may be qualified as either an Educational Psychologist or an OCR Level 7 Assessor in teaching and assessing learners. Educational Psychologists hold a three-year degree in Psychology and are the preferred choice for evaluating children with severe or complex learning needs due to their advanced expertise.
​
In contrast, OCR Level 7 Assessors are individuals who have completed two prior OCR Diploma courses, regardless of their previous professional background. Notably, a Diagnostic Assessor does not need prior experience in education to qualify.
​
Both EPs and OCR Level 7 Assessors administer a selection of licensed psychometric tests to evaluate specific cognitive functions. These tests aim to determine whether a child has a specific learning difficulty. However, Educational Psychologists have access to a broader range of cognitive ability tests that are unavailable to Level 7 Assessors, making them better suited for assessing children with significant or complex learning differences.
​
Depending on the tests administered, the resulting multi-page diagnostic reports may highlight areas of strength and weakness in domains such as awareness, information processing, attention, phonological processing, visual-motor integration, memory, reasoning, judgment, and problem-solving. These reports offer a detailed understanding of the child’s intellectual development and provide actionable recommendations for schools to better support the child.
Depending on their findings, it may be used to support an application for Access Arrangements in public examinations, to support an Educational Health Care Plan application from a Local Authority or to support disciplinary/dismissal or tribunal activities.
​
Their evaluation is based on the child’s knowledge and skills in learning and cognitive ability using a selection of licensed psychometric tests and educational assessment methods, so that a programme of support can be put in place by school.
​
For many younger Primary children, using the same battery of diagnostic tests can lead to vague results - often without a formal diagnosis nor specific teaching direction.
​
​Educational Psychologists cannot diagnose Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), as these are medical conditions and require assessment by the appropriate health professionals.
​
*Cognitive ability is defined as a general mental capability involving reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract thinking, complex idea comprehension and learning from experience (Gottfredson, 1997)
​
**The average dyslexic child does not qualify for specialist help under the Special Educational Needs Act 2001 if they sit within the mild-moderate range of the dyslexia spectrum.
New Definition of Dyslexia by SASC
(SpLD Assessment Standards Committee)
SASC have announced a long-awaited new definition of dyslexia on 15th May 2024:
The correct version of the new definition of dyslexia is as follows:
-
Dyslexia is primarily a set of processing difficulties that affect the acquisition of reading and spelling.
-
In dyslexia, some or all aspects of literacy attainment are weak in relation to age, standard teaching and instruction, and level of other attainments.
-
Across languages and age groups, difficulties in reading and spelling fluency are a key marker of dyslexia.
-
The nature and developmental trajectory of dyslexia depends on multiple genetic and environmental influences.
-
Dyslexic difficulties exist on a continuum and can be experienced to various degrees of severity.
-
Dyslexia can affect the acquisition of other skills, such as mathematics, reading comprehension or learning another language.
-
The most commonly observed cognitive impairment in dyslexia is a difficulty in phonological processing (i.e. in phonological awareness, phonological processing speed or phonological memory). However, phonological difficulties do not fully explain the variability that is observed.
-
Working memory, orthographic skills and processing speed problems can contribute to the impact of dyslexia and therefore should be assessed.
-
Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with one or more other developmental difficulty, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD, and developmental coordination disorder.
For more information about the Delphi study, through which the definition was developed, can be downloaded from the SASC website: https://www.sasc.org.uk/
Information on the Patoss website can be found here: https://www.patoss-dyslexia.org/n
Special Educational Needs & Disability Code of Practice:
0 to 25 years
Statutory guidance for organisations which work with and support children and young people who have
special educational needs or disabilities | January 2015
​​
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
​
xiii. ​ A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
xiv. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:
-
has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
-
has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institution
xv. For children aged two or more, special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children or young people of the same age by mainstream schools, maintained nursery schools, mainstream post-16 institutions or by relevant early years providers. For a child under two years of age, special educational provision means educational provision of any kind.
xvi. A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if he or she is likely to fall within the definition in paragraph xiv. above when they reach compulsory school age or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them (Section 20 Children and Families Act 2014).
xvii. Post-16 institutions often use the term learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD). The term SEN is used in this Code across the 0-25 age range but includes LDD.
Assessments vs. Screening
by The British Dyslexia Association
​
'The only way that dyslexia can be formally diagnosed is from a Diagnostic Assessment carried out by a qualified assessor. Screening tests can be a really useful tool as long as they are carried out with the understanding that they can only give an indication of possible dyslexic difficulties.
There are many different types of screening tests; some have to be carried out by a trained SENCo whereas others can be taken online. The BDA would always advise that if a screening test indicates that there is a moderate to high probability of dyslexic difficulties that this is followed up with a Diagnostic Assessment. This assessment will determine the precise nature of the difficulties, and how they can best be supported.'
​
Many Non-UK based companies are trying to monetise on this service by offering online screening tests. These screeners may not be based on the UK curriculum expectations.'
What happens in an EHC needs assessment?
by IPSEA
'Independent Provider of Special Education Advice'
registered charity (number 327691) operating in England
​
'An Education, Health and Care (“EHC”) needs assessment is an assessment of the education, health care and social care needs of the child or young person.
​
Who will carry out the assessment?
The local authority (“LA”) must seek information and advice on a child or young person’s needs, the provision required to meet those needs, and the outcomes expected to be achieved by the child or young person. This advice must come from a range of different people, described below.
​
The LA has the legal duty to carry out the assessment process. They cannot ask a school or college to carry out the assessment for them, and they cannot require the school or college to pay for any part of the assessment (such as the educational psychologist’s report).
​
Who should be asked for advice?
The LA must seek advice from a range of people. The list is set out in Regulation 6(1) of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 (the “SEN Regs”):
-
the child’s parent or the young person;
-
educational advice (usually from the head teacher or principal);
-
medical advice and information from a health care professional;
-
psychological advice and information from an educational psychologist;
-
advice and information in relation to social care;
-
advice and information from any other person the local authority thinks appropriate;
-
where the child or young person is in or beyond year 9, advice and information in relation to provision to assist the child or young person in preparation for adulthood and independent living; and
-
advice and information from any person the child’s parent or young person reasonably requests that the local authority seek advice from.
The LA is legally required to seek all of this information as a minimum.
​
If a child or young person is hearing impaired and/or visually impaired the educational advice must come from a suitably qualified person (SEN Reg 6(2)).
​
The LA should consider whether a social care assessment or health assessment is also needed. There is some debate as to whether health and care assessments are automatically triggered when a request for an EHC needs assessment is made. In practice, it is best to request social care and health assessments independently to ensure the request is received.'
