Ben aged 16 years

My son Ben is an able pupil who was predicted to gain high grades in his GCSE exams, although he had major doubts about his ability to produce the quality of work that was expected of him, and was worried that he might let his teachers and us, his parents, down in not fulfilling people’s expectations of him.

He thought that his problem was with planning, organisation and speed of work processing, and that these weaknesses would let him down in examination situations. His teachers dismissed this as lack of self-belief, some even suggested laziness, and urged him to think more positively about his prospects, and apply himself more to his work.

I thought there was more to it than this, and after reading a magazine article about dyslexia and how it can seriously affect academic performance decided to seek an independent psychological assessment to explore if this might be the case.

I approached Dyslexia North on the advice of my GP, the outcome of which was a diagnosis of moderate to severe dyslexia. This provided strong evidence which the school was able to use to negotiate with the exam board requesting special arrangements to compensate for his dyslexic problems. He was given an extra time allowance in all of his exams which allowed him that extra flexibility to finish the exam papers.

As a consequence he achieved a range of excellent results that enabled him to continue into the 6th Form, and he is now well on course for university next year.

Should you need any questions answering or further information please telephone Rick Portsmouth on 07742 597208 or use the contact sheet.