£580 (from 1st September 2025 onward) - this price include the gathering and processing of background information, the diagnostic assessment session itself and the writing of the 20+ page diagnostic assessment report that you will be provided with.

All assessments are carried out by a SASC-registered Specialist SpLD Teacher Assessor with a valid SpLD Assessment Practising Certificate, an Enhanced AccessNI Certificate and professional indemnity insurance. All diagnostic assessment reports are written in full accordance with SASC regulations.

Simply send us a message using the contact form on this website (found at the bottom of this webpage) stating what you would like an assessment for and your age/the age of the person that you're looking to book an assessment for.

We then reply with a range of available dates and times so that you can then let us know which one suits you. We work hard to keep waiting times to a minimum.

Approximately two hours but rest assured, breaks can be taken.

You will receive your diagnostic assessment report within one week.

We are located in comfortable and professional private premises in rural Limavady, County Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Dyslexia can be classified as a disability under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Order (Northern Ireland) 2005. Therefore, you may decide to inform your child's school that they have been diagnosed with dyslexia.

Schools do their best, with the resources that they have, to ensure that a child with dyslexia is not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to a child that does not have dyslexia.

Ultimately, it is down to the Principal and/or SENCo of your child's school (if you decide to inform them of your child's dyslexia, of course) to decide what steps they need to take to support your child. The Principal and/or SENCo may decide that the school can meet your child’s dyslexic needs without any external support or in time they may wish to ask the Education Authority for some support.

Many children and young people with dyslexia receive access arrangements in tests and examinations (e.g. extra time) such as the SEAG Entrance Assessment, GCSEs, A Levels and vocational qualifications such as Essential Skills.

Looking further down the line, a diagnosistic assessment report confirming dyslexia can provide access to funded support at any of Northern Ireland's FE colleges through the Department for the Economy's Additional Support Fund.

A diagnostic assessment report confirming dyslexia enables a person to apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (up to £25,000 of support a year) at university or even if just enrolled on an eligible Level 4, 5 or 6 course at college.

A diagnostic assessment report confirming dyslexia can even entitle a person to apply for access arrangements (e.g. extra time) in their driving theory test or support through the Access to Work (NI) scheme.

A diagnostic assessment report confirming a diagnosis of dyslexia, authored by a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holding an Assessment Practising Certificate, is accepted by SEAG as supporting evidence for an application for 25% Extra Time in the SEAG Entrance Assessment.

Under the SEAG's criteria for 25% Extra Time, the diagnostic assessment report essentially counts as "an assessment confirming learning disability during Key Stage 1 or 2 carried out by a specialist teacher qualified to do so" (SEAG, 2025. p. 23). Indeed, SEAG's Access Arrangements Policy clearly states that 25% Extra Time "may be appropriate if a child has, for example: Dyslexia".

However, please note that when you're making your child's SEAG Entrance Assessment application you also need a letter from the school Principal stating your child's current stage on the SEN register and confirming that 25% extra time is your child's normal way of working in school. A copy of a current IEP/PLP from your child's school also needs submitting with the application. 

SEAG's Access Arrangements Policy can be found here.

Yes - a copy of a diagnostic assessment report confirming a diagnosis of dyslexia from Ulster Assessments entitles a student on a Level 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 course to apply for the Disabled Students' Allowance.

You can get an application form for the Disabled Students’ Allowance here. Simply complete the application form and send it off along with a copy of your diagnostic assessment report.

Did you know that through the DSA, a student could receive up to £25,000 a year worth of support?

This support includes specialist equipment (e.g. an 8GB laptop with specialist dyslexia-friendly software installed and various accessories, digital voice recorder, printer/scanner/copier with annual cartridge/ink and paper allowance), weekly one-to-one sessions with a Dyslexia Tutor and even the services of a Proof Reader to check assignments.

Please be cautious of individuals offering dyslexia assessments online who are not either 1) a psychologist registered with the HCPC or 2) a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holding a valid Assessment Practising Certificate. Only these professionals' diagnostic assessment reports can be used as evidence to apply for the Disabled Students' Allowance.

You can check whether a psychologist is registered with the HCPC by searching for their surname here and you can check whether a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holds a valid Assessment Practising Certificate by searching for their surname here.

Yes - Dyslexia can be classified as a disability under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and an employer should thus make "reasonable adjustments" in light of an employee’s dyslexic difficulties.

Within the diagnostic assessment report itself, there is actually a specific ‘Recommendations’ section that you can provide to your employer for perusal. You may also wish to seek assistance through the Access to Work (NI) scheme; more information on the Access to Work (NI) scheme can be found here.

Yes - a copy of a diagnostic assessment report confirming a diagnosis of dyslexia from Ulster Assessments entitles a person to apply for double time (i.e. 100% extra time) for the multiple choice part of the Driving Theory Test. You can also ask for a 'voiceover'.

A 'voiceover' lets you hear the Driving Theory Test instructions and questions through headphones. The questions will be read out to you automatically. You can hear the possible answers by clicking on the text on the screen. You can hear the questions as many times as you like – just click on the text of the question again.

To arrange any of the above you must provide a copy of your diagnostic assessment report to the Driving Theory Test customer services section at the point of application. Further information on applying for extra time and/or a 'voiceover' in your Driving Theory Test can be found here.

Yes - a copy of a diagnostic assessment report confirming a diagnosis of dyslexia from Ulster Assessments entitles a student enrolled in one of Northern Ireland's FE colleges to support from the Department for the Economy's Additional Support Fund.

Don't forget that if you are enrolled on an eligible Level 4, 5 or 6 course at an FE college (not just at university) a diagnostic assessment report confirming a diagnosis of dyslexia enables you to apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (up to £25,000 of support a year).

Yes - we can assess children (8+) and adults from the Republic of Ireland for dyslexia. We are conveniently located in Limavady, Northern Ireland, 25 minutes from the Derry-Londonderry/Donegal border.

In Northern Ireland (as throughout the UK) either a psychologist or specialist SpLD teacher assessor holding a valid APC can diagnose a child with dyslexia. The diagnosis provided by Ulster Assessments is from a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holding a valid APC.

If your child goes to school in the Republic of Ireland, then you will need to independently check and verify that a diagnostic assessment report from a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holding a valid APC would be accepted by the relevant educational/government bodies in the area of the Republic of Ireland that you live in.

For example:

You may be able to seek an exemption from Irish for your child with a diagnosis from Ulster Assessments but please peruse the relevant document available here and please check with your child's school first that a diagnostic assessment report from a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holding a valid APC would be acceptable to them as evidence of dyslexia.

You may be able to apply for extra time, etc. for your child in exams via RACE with a diagnosis from Ulster Assessments but please check with RACE and your child's school first to confirm that a diagnostic assessment report from a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holding a valid APC would be acceptable to them as evidence of dyslexia.

You may be able to apply for Assistive Technology equipment and/or software for your child, via their school, through the Republic of Ireland's National Council for Special Education (NCSE) but please check with your local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) from the NCSE first to confirm that a diagnostic assessment report from a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holding a valid APC would be acceptable as evidence of dyslexia.

**Please note that access to one of the four specialist reading schools in the Republic of Ireland still currently requires a diagnostic assessment report from a psychologist rather than a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holding a valid APC**

Dyslexia is a neurological difference and can have a significant impact during education, in the workplace and in everyday life. The SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC, 2024) 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.
• Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with one or more other developmental difficulty, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD, and developmental coordination disorder.

In Northern Ireland and across the UK, dyslexia can be officially diagnosed by either 1) a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holding a valid Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) or 2) a psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Either professionals' diagnoses are equally valid.

Please be cautious when choosing an assessor. You can check whether a psychologist is registered with the HCPC by searching for their surname here and you can check whether a specialist SpLD teacher assessor holds a valid Assessment Practising Certificate by searching for their surname here.

ADHD is unusual in that it can be classified as both an SpLD (specific learning difficulty) and a medical condition.

Here at Ulster Assessments we can carry out a diagnostic assessment to identify characteristics of ADHD, as a specific learning difficulty (SASC, 2025, p.41) for adults aged 18+.

This is not a medical diagnosis and is primarily for the purposes of enabling an adult to qualify for support at university (including the Disabled Students' Allowance) and/or within the workplace. It does not enable an adult to access medication or therapy.

Frequently we see clients who are on the NHS waiting list for an ADHD assessment but who want an assessment from Ulster Assessments in the interim, to enable them to access much-needed support at university.

Yes - we can carry out a diagnostic assessment of Dyspraxia/DCD (SASC, 2020, p.12) for adults aged 16+. Ours is not a medical diagnosis and is primarily for the purposes of enabling an adult to qualify for support at university (including the Disabled Students' Allowance) and/or within the workplace.

Dyspraxia is a term used by some in the United Kingdom to describe problems with motor coordination that are not caused by other medical conditions or illnesses. Internationally, however, the term Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is much more common.

Before seeking an assessment for Dyspraxia/DCD from Ulster Assessments, it is vital to ensure that alternative medical explanations for difficulties experienced have been ruled out.

Yes - sometimes a person may display no literacy, cognitive or motor coordination difficulties other than a history of difficulty in acquiring specific fine motor skills, including slow and/or illegible handwriting. This presentation can be described as 'dysgraphia' (SASC, 2020, p.9).

Dysgraphia is a term used to describe "those individuals who, despite exposure to adequate instruction, demonstrate writing ability discordant with their cognitive level and age" (Chung et al., 2020, p.1).

Student Finance NI lists dysgraphia as a qualifying disability for the Disabled Students' Allowance (SFNI, 2025, p.12).