Specialised Assessments
Expert evaluations for dyscalculia, DSA & Exam Access Arrangements
DSA (Disabled Student Allowance) Assessments
For learners starting university, DSA assessments can be conductified to identify strengths and weaknesses in maths learning/ dyscalculia as well as as challenges in attention & concentration or motor coordination difficulties.
Exam Access Arrangement Assessments
Comprehensive assessments designed to identify dyscalculia and provide tailored recommendations for educations, and workplace.
Assessments are governed by regulatory body SASC guidelines and can be used as evidence of need towards a DSA application or exam access arrangements.
Dyscalculia Assessments
Support for schools in assessing for exam access arrangements including completion of form 8's
FAQ's
For more information including pricing please email nichola.ata@gmail.com
If you/ your child is struggling in maths and you think there may be an underlying cause, a diagnostic assessment for dyscalculia may be of benefit. The assessment is detailed and utilises a variety of cognitive assessments along with informal tasks to determine the underlying reason for those difficulties.
The assessment and any diagnosis is based around the UK definition of Dyscalculia, and follows guidance from regulatory body SASC.
"Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It will be unexpected in relation to age, level of education and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities.
Mathematics difficulties are best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and they have many causal factors. Dyscalculia falls at one end of the spectrum and will be distinguishable from other maths issues due to the severity of difficulties with number sense, including subitising, symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparison, and ordering. It can occur singly but often co-occurs with other specific learning difficulties, mathematics anxiety and medical conditions." (BDA Definition)
The assessment can be used to support any future application for Disabled Student Allowance (DSA).
Why have a full diagnostic assessment for Dyscalculia?
What does an assessment involve?
The assessment uses a variety of approaches to look at underlying ability and maths difficulties. These include:
Standardised tests looking at cognitive abilities, maths and literacy
multi-sensory activities using concrete materials
maths anxiety questionnaire
a detailed history of maths difficulties
discussion of current challenges
How long does an assessment take?
The assessment takes around four hours, sometimes a bit longer. The assessee can have breaks as required throughout when feeling tired.
What happens after the assessment?
All of the background information will be examined along with the scores and observations from the standardised tests. A detailed report will then be written containing the following:
diagnostic decision
summary of difficulties
recommendations for teaching and learning, exam support, personal life.
The report will take approximately three - four weeks to be written. The report will follow the format as stipulated by regulatory body SASC
