S.L.D. Assessment

Assessment of Specific Learning Disability (S.L.D.), including dyslexia, dyscalculia, or both, at All Kinds of Minds is completed by a P.S.I. Chartered Clinical Psychologist with relevant training and experience in cognitive assessment, academic attainment assessment, developmental and educational formulation, and the assessment and diagnosis of dyslexia and dyscalculia.

Clinical Psychologists and Educational Psychologists may undertake S.L.D. assessment where it falls within their professional competence. The D.A.R.E. criteria for dyslexia and dyscalculia recognise an appropriately qualified psychologist as the appropriate professional for a psychological report diagnosing dyslexia or dyscalculia.

The assessment considers the child or young person’s cognitive and learning profile, developmental and educational history, standardised attainment findings, learning opportunities, response to teaching or support where known, everyday functioning, and any relevant linguistic, sensory, attentional, emotional, medical, neurodevelopmental, or contextual factors. The resulting formulation identifies strengths, learning needs, functional impact, and appropriate recommendations. It also determines whether the diagnostic criteria for dyslexia, dyscalculia, or both are met.

Formal psychological assessment is not required for every educational support or external scheme considered on this page. It may nevertheless be valuable where a child or young person and their family wish to understand the nature of persistent literacy or numeracy differences, clarify whether the diagnostic criteria for dyslexia or dyscalculia are met, identify strengths and support needs, or inform educational planning and advocacy.

Diagnostic criteria and the eligibility criteria applied by an external scheme are not the same. A child or young person may have a clinically meaningful Specific Learning Disability without meeting the particular numerical or documentary requirements of a scheme. Conversely, attaining a low score or meeting an external scheme’s numerical threshold does not, by itself, establish a diagnosis.

The diagnostic conclusion remains based on the assessment as a whole. It will not be altered because a particular outcome may assist an application.

The Clinical Psychologist can also consider whether the learning profile may be influenced by, coexist with, or be more coherently explained by other neurodevelopmental, emotional, mental-health, language, medical, or contextual factors. Where indicators of Autism, A.D.H.D., anxiety, depression, or another relevant presentation emerge, they may inform the formulation and recommendations. An S.L.D. Assessment does not automatically include formal assessment or diagnosis of every potentially co-occurring or alternative presentation.

Further assessment by All Kinds of Minds or another appropriately qualified professional may be recommended. Where further work is offered by All Kinds of Minds, it must be separately accepted and agreed.

A formal assessment may support the child or young person’s self-understanding, help families and schools understand their learning profile more accurately, and provide a clearer basis for appropriate support, educational planning, and advocacy.

A psychological report does not have a universal expiry date. It may remain clinically and educationally relevant as part of the child or young person’s developmental history and diagnostic evidence. External bodies may nevertheless require current attainment scores, current evidence of functional impact, specified documentation, or an updated assessment. Such a requirement does not, by itself, invalidate an earlier report.

Families and applicants remain responsible for checking the requirements currently applying to the particular support, scheme, institution, or purpose.

Neither undertaking an assessment nor receiving a diagnosis guarantees eligibility for an exemption, accommodation, grant, reduced-points place, educational support, or another external provision. Decisions concerning external schemes remain with the relevant school, examination body, higher-education institution, public authority, or scheme administrator.

Educational Supports and External Schemes

A diagnosis of dyslexia or dyscalculia and eligibility for a particular educational accommodation, grant, or external scheme are related but distinct matters. A formal diagnosis can provide important clinical and educational clarity, but it does not automatically establish eligibility for a particular provision.

Many educational supports can be provided on the basis of identified need without a formal diagnosis or Psychological Report. Other provisions require specified professional evidence, current attainment findings, school documentation, evidence of educational impact, or a combination of these.

An exemption from the study of Irish is determined through a school-led process under the applicable primary-school criteria or post-primary criteria. R.A.C.E. accommodations relating to learning difficulties are also determined through a school-led process. Both may be accessed without a psychological assessment or formal diagnosis of dyslexia.

The Assistive Technology Grant requires a recent, comprehensive assessment by an appropriately qualified professional. Depending on the nature of the student’s needs, this may be a psychological, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, medical, or other relevant professional assessment. A psychological assessment is therefore not required in every case.

Under the current D.A.R.E. criteria for dyslexia, an applicant may apply using a Psychological Assessment Report identifying dyslexia or through the alternative Significant Literacy Difficulties route using the prescribed school-based documentation. A Psychological Assessment Report is required for the dyslexia diagnostic route but not for the alternative school-based route.

Under the current D.A.R.E. criteria for dyscalculia, a full Psychological Assessment Report completed by an appropriately qualified psychologist is required. Each D.A.R.E. route also has additional attainment, educational-impact, and documentary requirements.

A psychological assessment can provide a clinically coherent and individualised understanding of the child or young person’s learning profile, identify their strengths and functional learning needs, provide diagnostic clarification, and support appropriately tailored educational recommendations. Where a particular accommodation or support is professionally justified by the assessment findings, it will be stated clearly in the Psychological Report. A professionally justified recommendation will not be withheld merely because another organisation ultimately controls access to that support.

Reports issued by All Kinds of Minds Assessments are accepted by the Health Service Executive (H.S.E.) and Department of Education and Youth (D.E.Y.) as professional psychological reports. They may be used to support educational planning and relevant applications. Acceptance of a report as professional evidence is distinct from the outcome of any application. All Kinds of Minds Assessments does not administer external schemes or determine their outcomes. Decisions remain with the relevant school, public body, educational institution, or scheme administrator.

External eligibility criteria, evidential requirements, application procedures, and deadlines can and do change. Families should consult the current official requirements of the relevant scheme before arranging an assessment primarily for that purpose. The sections below explain the principal arrangements but do not replace the criteria in force when an application is made.

A psychological assessment or formal diagnosis of dyslexia is not required to apply for an exemption from the study of Irish. Eligibility is determined through a school-led process under the applicable Department of Education and Youth criteria. A diagnosis does not automatically establish eligibility, and the absence of a diagnosis does not prevent a child or young person from being considered.

The governing arrangements are set out in Circular 0054/2022 for primary schools and Circular 0055/2022 for post-primary schools. These circulars specify the circumstances in which an exemption may be considered, the evidence required, the school’s decision-making responsibilities, and the applicable appeal process.

Where an application is based on significant and persistent literacy difficulties, the school considers whether those difficulties present an obstacle to learning across the curriculum and have persisted despite differentiated language and literacy teaching and support. The applicable criteria include a standardised score at or below the 10th percentile on a discrete test of Word Reading, Reading Comprehension, or Spelling. At primary level, the pupil must also have reached at least second class.

The circulars provide a separate ground for a child or young person who experiences a high level of multiple and persistent needs that significantly affect their participation and engagement in learning and school life. The evidence required depends on the particular ground under which the application is made.

A parent or legal guardian must apply in writing to the school principal. The principal, acting on behalf of the school’s board of management, considers the application, completes the required consultation and evidence-gathering process, and determines whether the applicable criteria are met. Where an application is refused, the decision may be appealed through the process set out in the relevant circular.

A Psychological Report may provide valuable information about the child or young person’s learning profile, standardised attainment, functional learning needs, and appropriate supports. Where the assessment findings are relevant to a possible Irish exemption, they will be reported clearly. The Psychological Report does not replace the prescribed school-led process or determine whether an exemption will be granted. Families considering an assessment solely to support an application for an exemption from the study of Irish should therefore first discuss the current criteria, available school-based evidence, and application process with the school principal.

The Assistive Technology Grant provides funding to schools towards specialist equipment that is essential for an eligible student to access the curriculum. The scheme operates under Circular 0010/2013, with applications reviewed by the National Council for Special Education (N.C.S.E.) and funding decisions made by the Department of Education and Youth. The grant is not a general entitlement arising from a diagnosis and does not provide a personal computer or other device to every student with dyslexia, dyscalculia, or another Specific Learning Disability.

Specific Learning Disability is among the categories that may be considered under the scheme in certain circumstances. Eligibility depends on evidence that the student’s individual needs are such that specialist equipment is essential for curriculum access and that the school’s existing resources are insufficient to meet those needs. The relevant question is not simply whether technology would be useful, beneficial, or likely to improve performance, but whether the student requires the equipment to access their education effectively.

An application must be supported by a recent, comprehensive assessment from an appropriately qualified professional. Depending on the nature of the student’s needs, this may be a psychological, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, medical, or other relevant professional assessment. The evidence must describe the nature and extent of the student’s needs, identify the equipment considered appropriate, explain how and when it would be used in school, and establish why it is essential for curriculum access.

Before applying, the school must demonstrate that appropriate teaching interventions, reasonable accommodations, adaptations, and existing technological resources have been considered or used. The school must also explain why its existing equipment is insufficient, how the proposed equipment would be used during the school day, and the educational needs and outcomes it is intended to address. School management submits the application to the Special Educational Needs Organiser assigned to the school, who reviews it against the applicable criteria and decides whether to recommend funding to the Department. The school must receive Department approval before purchasing equipment under the scheme.

Where a Psychological Report forms part of an application, the Clinical Psychologist will describe the relevant assessment findings and clearly recommend assistive technology where that recommendation is professionally supported. The report can explain how the child or young person’s learning profile affects curriculum access and identify the functional features required of suitable equipment or software. The school remains responsible for documenting the interventions already provided, its available resources, the intended classroom use of the equipment, and the insufficiency of its existing provision. The Psychological Report and the school’s evidence therefore perform distinct and complementary roles within the application process.

Where a particular item or type of software is clinically justified, its relevant functional features may be described in the Psychological Report. The scheme may approve equipment or software that provides those features without funding a particular brand or model. This does not alter the professional basis of the recommendation or the child or young person’s identified need.

Equipment funded through the scheme generally remains the property of the school. Where a student changes school, the schools should consult the relevant S.E.N.O. or Visiting Teacher about transferring equipment that remains appropriate for the student’s assessed needs. Communication, medical, or therapy-related devices that are not specific to educational access may instead fall within the remit of H.S.E. disability services, depending on the nature of the child or young person’s needs and the applicable service arrangements.

The R.A.C.E. Scheme is administered by the State Examinations Commission. It is intended to provide reasonable accommodations that allow eligible candidates to access the Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate examinations without changing the standard at which they are assessed. Applications are based on evidence of an ongoing need that materially affects the candidate’s ability to access or demonstrate their knowledge under ordinary examination conditions.

For applications relating to learning difficulties, a formal diagnosis is not generally required. The process is school-led and requires the school to complete the prescribed application procedures, undertake the relevant standardised testing, document the candidate’s educational needs and functional impact, and provide any other evidence required under the applicable scheme criteria.

Depending on the candidate’s needs and the criteria met, available accommodations may include reading assistance, writing assistance, use of a word processor or other approved technology, a waiver from the assessment of spelling and grammar in specified examinations, a separate examination centre, or additional time where the applicable requirements are satisfied. The availability of a particular accommodation depends on the candidate’s demonstrated need, the nature of the examination, and the rules governing that accommodation.

Where accommodations were approved at Junior Cycle, the school may be able to reactivate them for Leaving Certificate where the relevant need remains and the current scheme requirements are met. Approval at one examination stage does not remove the school’s responsibility to complete any required reactivation, review, or application process for a later stage.

A Psychological Assessment Report can nevertheless provide important evidence where a child or young person has a complex learning profile, where the nature or extent of their difficulties requires diagnostic clarification, or where an individually reasoned professional recommendation would assist educational planning. Where a particular examination accommodation is supported by the assessment findings, the report will identify the relevant functional need and state the recommendation clearly. The recommendation forms part of the available professional evidence, while the school remains responsible for the application and the State Examinations Commission determines eligibility.

Families should discuss possible accommodations with the school sufficiently in advance of the relevant application deadline. As scheme criteria, procedures, and deadlines may change, schools and families should consult the State Examinations Commission for the requirements applying to the relevant examination cycle.

Planning for the transition from school to further or higher education should begin sufficiently early to allow the young person to explore suitable courses, understand entry requirements, identify likely support needs, and contact the relevant access or disability service where appropriate. An Assessment Report can assist this process by providing a clinically coherent account of the young person’s learning profile, functional educational needs, established supports, and recommendations for their next educational setting.

Supports available after school are determined within a different educational framework and may not correspond directly with supports provided at school or accommodations approved through R.A.C.E. Further education providers and higher education institutions apply their own procedures when considering reasonable accommodations, assistive technology, learning support, examination arrangements, and other forms of participation support. Students may be able to access these supports whether they enter through an alternative admissions route or through the standard admissions process.

The D.A.R.E. scheme is an alternative admissions route for school-leavers whose disabilities have materially affected their second-level education. Eligible applicants may compete for reduced-points places in participating higher education institutions, provided that they also meet the minimum entry requirements and any specific requirements for the course concerned. D.A.R.E. eligibility, the award of a reduced-points place, and the supports subsequently provided by an institution are related but separate decisions.

Under the published D.A.R.E. criteria for dyslexia, an applicant may provide a report identifying dyslexia or apply through the alternative Significant Literacy Difficulties route using the prescribed school-based documentation. Both routes require the applicant to satisfy the applicable literacy-attainment and educational-impact requirements, and a diagnosis of dyslexia does not replace the other evidence required as part of the application.

Under the published D.A.R.E. criteria for dyscalculia, a full report completed by an appropriately qualified psychologist is required. The applicant must also provide the qualifying numeracy-attainment evidence, Educational Impact Statement, and any additional documentation required under the scheme. Where an assessment is being arranged for this purpose, sufficient time should be allowed for completion of the assessment, issue of the final report, any school-based testing or documentation, and submission of the complete application.

A report issued by All Kinds of Minds Assessments may provide the required professional evidence where it addresses the applicable published criteria. The assessment will describe the young person’s learning profile, relevant standardised findings, diagnosis where supported, functional educational impact, and professionally justified recommendations. The applicant and school remain responsible for ensuring that all required forms, current attainment evidence, and supporting documents are completed and submitted correctly.

D.A.R.E. requirements, forms, application procedures, and deadlines are reviewed periodically. Families and young people should therefore consult the current application guides and forms well in advance of the intended year of entry and should seek guidance from the school or the access service of a prospective institution where clarification is required.