Understanding Dyslexia

Every child deserves to be understood and supported. At Clarity Dyslexia Assessments, I provide compassionate, expert dyslexia assessments for Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey. My assessments don't just provide answers, they open doors. With clear guidance, practical recommendations and a caring approach, I help children, families and schools move forward with confidence knowing the next steps are clearer, and the future is brighter.

What is Dyslexia?

The Delphi Definition of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a set of processing difficulties that affect the acquisitions of reading and spelling.

In Dyslexia, some or all aspects of literacy attainment are weak in relation to age, standard instruction, and level of other attainments.

Across languages and age groups, difficulties in reading fluency and spelling are a key marker of dyslexia.

Dyslexic difficulties consist on a continuum and can be experienced to various degrees of severity.

The nature and developmental trajectory of dyslexia depends on multiple genetic and environmental influences.

Dyslexia can affect the acquisition of other skills, such as mathematics, reading comprehension or learning another language.

The most commonly observed cognitive impairments 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, processing speed and orthographic skills can contribute to the impact of dyslexia.

Dyslexia frequently occurs with one or more other developmental difficulties, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD, and developmental coordination disorder.

Carroll, J.,Holden, C.,Kirby, P.,Snowling, M.J., & Thompson, P.A. (2025). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry