Individuals suspected of having a learning disability, in this case dyslexia, should have a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation done by a registered psychologist. In addition, academic tests should include test of oral reading, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, handwriting, and composition. The psychologist should then be able to determine whether there are additional learning disabilities, make recommendations for teaching methods, and specify whether additional services are needed. Parents should expect that the diagnosis will be followed by a full written report that includes a recommendation of an appropriate educational plan. The report should be clear and understandable.
Schools can often provide an appropriate diagnosis.
There are also educational clinics at universities, hospitals and in the private sector. If a child is diagnosed as having dyslexia, it is important for parents to ask exactly what the problem is, what method for teaching reading is recommended, and why it was selected. There are many approaches to teaching children with reading disabilities to read. Recent research on beginning reading skills indicated that many children having difficulty benefit from direct instruction in phonological processing and a multi-sensory phonics approach to reading. There is, however, no single method that will be effective with every child.