The Department for Education has announced an assessment for a specific learning difficulty (which includes dyslexia) undertaken at any age will allow people with dyslexia to apply for support right through to higher education, ending the need for post-16 assessments from February 2019 for those applying for Disabled Student Allowance (DSA). Young adults past the age of 16 will, however, still be able to access a dyslexia test should they need one.
The compulsory post-16 diagnostic dyslexia assessments to qualify for support during higher education have long been an issue for young people with dyslexia and those who care for them. These normally cost between £600 and £800 but in some cases they can run into thousands of pounds. The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) has been lobbying for the change after discovering the vast majority of dyslexic students have been assessed multiple times.
Read more
