What Families and Adults Say About Working With This Is Dyslexia

Choosing a dyslexia assessor is not like choosing a plumber. The decision carries real weight. For parents, it often comes after months of worry, school meetings that went nowhere, and a growing sense that something is being missed. For adults, it can follow years of quietly compensating for difficulties they never had a name for.

That weight is exactly why what other people say about their experience matters so much. Not marketing copy. Not credentials listed on a webpage. The real account of what it felt like to go through the process, and what changed afterwards.

According to the NHS, dyslexia affects up to 1 in 10 people in the UK. Most will never receive a formal diagnosis unless they or someone close to them actively seeks one out.

This article brings together genuine client experiences from families and adults who have worked with This Is Dyslexia. What they share is not just that the assessment was good. It is what the assessment gave them: language, understanding, and a clear path forward.

What Parents Say: Clarity, Understanding, and Practical Support

For most parents, the journey to a dyslexia assessment is long before it even begins. There are the teachers who say "he'll catch up", the reading schemes that don't quite work, and the persistent feeling that your child is working twice as hard for half the result.

What parents consistently say they need is not just a diagnosis. They need someone to explain what is actually happening, in terms they can use, and to give them practical tools to help at home and at school.

"Working with Laura has made a real difference for our family. Her expertise and guidance have helped us understand our child's dyslexia better and provided us with practical strategies to support their learning. We are grateful for the ongoing support."Claire, London

Many families arrive at assessment unsure of what to expect, or even whether it will be worth it. That uncertainty is completely normal - and it is something clients mention directly.

"To be honest, we didn't know what to expect and wasn't sure if the diagnosis was going to work. However, Laura was fantastic! Laura carried out an assessment after giving us plenty of information and emails along the way (and post assessment). Very detailed report and again explained the results there and then. Thoroughly recommend anyone seeking to go through this process contact Laura at the earliest opportunity."Google review

What these experiences reflect

Claire's feedback captures something that comes up repeatedly in parent accounts of specialist dyslexia assessment: the shift from confusion to comprehension. Before assessment, many parents describe knowing something is wrong without being able to name it. After a thorough assessment, they have a framework, a report, and language they can use with schools and teachers.

The NHS confirms that a diagnostic assessment should provide a clear report outlining a child's strengths and weaknesses, with recommendations for what could be done to improve areas of difficulty. In practice, the quality of that report, and the support offered around it, varies considerably between providers.

What parents typically gain from a specialist assessment

• A full diagnostic report that schools can act on, including evidence for additional support or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan

• Practical strategies tailored to how their child processes language, memory, and reading

• Language to advocate for their child in school settings, with SENCOs and class teachers

• Reduced anxiety from finally having an explanation, not just a label

• Ongoing support beyond the assessment itself, where needed

The ongoing support element is particularly significant. A one-off assessment that leaves families without any follow-through rarely produces lasting change. What parents describe valuing most is the sense that someone remains in their corner.

What Adults Say: Diagnosis, Confidence, and Moving Forward

Adult dyslexia assessment is a different kind of decision. There is no school pushing for it, no SENCO raising concerns. The adult who seeks assessment has usually spent years developing their own workarounds, quietly managing difficulties with reading, organisation, written communication, or memory, often without knowing why those things feel so much harder than they seem to for others.

The emotional stakes are high. Many adults describe a mix of relief and apprehension going into assessment. Relief that they might finally get answers. Apprehension about what those answers might mean, and whether anything will actually change.

"Before my assessment, I had no idea that my struggles with reading and organisation were due to dyslexia. The assessment not only provided me with a diagnosis but also gave me the confidence to seek the necessary accommodations at work. I highly recommend their services to anyone who suspects they may have dyslexia."Josh, Kent

For many adults, the anxiety is not just about the outcome. It is about the process itself: being assessed as a grown adult, not knowing how it will feel, and worrying about whether it will be handled with sensitivity. That concern comes up directly in other client accounts.

"Laura was fantastic, right from the first introduction. She explained the nature of the assessment and how things would work. When it came to the assessment, I didn't feel rushed at all. Laura is extremely professional but is also able to explain things in a way that puts you at ease."Google review

What these experiences reflect

Josh's account highlights something the British Dyslexia Association makes clear in its guidance: formal diagnosis is not just about identification. It is about unlocking the legal and practical support that follows. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers are required to make reasonable adjustments for employees with dyslexia. Without a formal diagnosis, most adults have no grounds on which to request those adjustments.

But the confidence element Josh describes is equally important, and often underestimated. Understanding why certain tasks are difficult, rather than assuming you are simply less capable, changes how you approach your work and your sense of self.

What adults typically gain from a diagnostic assessment

Outcome	What it enables
Formal diagnosis	Legal basis for workplace or university adjustments
Detailed written report	Evidence for DSA funding or Access to Work applications
Cognitive profile	Understanding of specific strengths alongside difficulties
Tailored recommendations	Practical strategies for day-to-day working life
Coaching follow-up	Ongoing support to implement what the assessment identifies

The report is the key deliverable. A high-quality diagnostic report from a qualified assessor, such as Laura Gowers (AMBDA, APC), is recognised by employers, universities, and examination boards across the UK. It is not a document that sits in a drawer. It is the evidence that opens doors.

What These Experiences Suggest About Working With This Is Dyslexia

Taken together, the client experiences above point to three consistent themes. These are not claims made by This Is Dyslexia about itself. They are the patterns that emerge from what clients actually describe.

Theme	What clients say	Why it matters
Clarity	Understanding their child's or their own dyslexia better, in terms they can use	Most people arrive without language for what they are experiencing. Leaving with that language is transformative.
Practical support	Receiving strategies they could apply immediately, not just a report	A diagnosis without direction leaves people no better equipped than before.
Confidence to act	Feeling able to approach schools, employers, or universities with the evidence they need	The assessment becomes a tool, not just a conclusion.

Laura Gowers brings over 25 years of specialist experience to every assessment. She holds AMBDA and APC qualifications, is featured in national press including The Times and The Daily Telegraph, and has won multiple national awards for her work. That professional standing matters, but it is the client experience that makes it credible. Credentials tell you someone is qualified. Testimonials tell you what it is actually like to work with them.

This Is Dyslexia offers assessments both in person at its Canterbury base and online across the UK and internationally, making it accessible regardless of location.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you recognise yourself or your child in the experiences described above, the next step does not have to be complicated.

1. Visit thisisdyslexia.co.uk to explore assessment options for children, adults, and international students

2. Book a free discovery call to talk through your concerns before committing to a full assessment

3. Choose in-person or online depending on what works for your situation, both deliver the same thorough diagnostic process

A note on independent reviews: This Is Dyslexia is a specialist, practitioner-led service. Client feedback is collected directly from those who have gone through the assessment process. If you have worked with This Is Dyslexia and would like to share your experience publicly, leaving a Google review helps other families and adults make an informed decision.

The decision to seek a dyslexia assessment is rarely a small one. But as Claire, Josh, and others have found, the clarity and practical support that follows can make a significant difference, not just in learning or work, but in how people understand themselves.

FAQs

What do parents say about working with This Is Dyslexia?

Parents consistently describe the assessment as bringing clarity they had not been able to find elsewhere. The most common themes are a better understanding of their child's dyslexia, practical strategies they could use immediately, and a detailed report that gave them language to advocate for their child at school. Many also value the support that continues after the assessment, rather than being left to interpret the results alone.

What do adults say about their dyslexia assessment experience?

Adults often arrive with a mix of relief and apprehension. What they describe afterwards is a process that felt calm, unhurried, and clearly explained from the start. The outcomes most commonly mentioned are a formal diagnosis, greater confidence in understanding their own difficulties, and a report they could use to request adjustments at work or access funding such as Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA).

Are the testimonials on this page real?

Yes. All client feedback on this page comes from genuine clients who have been through the assessment process with This Is Dyslexia. Quotes are reproduced as written, including those sourced from publicly visible Google reviews. No testimonials have been fabricated or anonymised beyond first name and location where that was the original format.

Why do reviews matter so much when choosing a dyslexia assessor?

Choosing an assessor is a high-trust decision, often made at a point of real worry or uncertainty. Credentials confirm that someone is qualified. Reviews tell you what it is actually like to work with them: whether the process feels clear, whether the report is genuinely useful, and whether you will feel supported rather than left to figure things out alone. That human dimension is what most people are really trying to assess before they book.

Can I book an assessment online, or does it have to be in person?

Both options are available. This Is Dyslexia offers assessments in person at its Canterbury base and online across the UK and internationally. The same diagnostic process applies to both formats, and the resulting report carries the same legal recognition regardless of how the assessment was conducted.