Can't afford a Dyslexia evaluation; don't know how to get help in school

Turns out Dyslexia is like,,, the only learning disability that's not supported on the NHS. I'm from a low income family so will never be able to afford the £250 evaluation.

I know I have dyslexia; been in the family for ages, but went through school without ever been diagnosed, tested, or even spoken to. Just been told I was lazy, stupid, ect ect and that I'd never do anything with my life.

I just moved to do my A Levels, and I'm not able to scrape by anymore. My GCSE's were just easy enough to get C's and get into collage, but not my A Levels, and the years of receiving absolutely no help have finally caught up to me.

Basically, I can't spell, structure paragraphs, or write quickly. I try really really hard, practising for hours each day, but nothing - seems my efforts just create new mistakes.
I ramble too much, I try to fix this and I leave tons of info out.
My spelling's bad? I try to use words I can spell and my vocabulary is too limited.
My handwriting is unreadable? I try to write slower and don't finish even close to on time.
My paragraphs are disorganised? I try to plan out everything I'm going to say and run out of time.
It's been this since as long as I can remember.

I'm in a new school now; they don't have the experience with me to know what's going on. I feel like if I go to the SENCO person in my school I'm not gonna be believed, or they're gonna try ignore me, or whatever else, because no one has refereed me to her.
Even if I did go to her, can they even help because I haven't been diagnosed?
Would they even listen to what I think would help me best? (I mean, working class newbe in a posh school, I doubt it).
Because I've been thinking of this for years, and extra time or a reader (because that's all they seem to suggest to dyslexics from what I've heard) wouldn't help. I just want a laptop so I can write everything down, then edit anything I need to, but from what I've heard they will do everything to not give you one.

Tangent aside; how does this whole process work? I really don't know what to expect, assuming I got all the help I needed.

Try the senco but the funding for older students is pretty scarce. You need to see an educational psychologist, I d speak to the British dyslexia association to see if they can find someone cheaper but my uni subsided my diagnosis when is as 18 so it was then £185 and well worth it for how much support I got. Extra time and a reader can really make a difference, you d get a lot more help than that on top at uni if you do decide to get help.

If you want another dyslexic person (I m also dyspraxic person) to rant at then feel free to message me.

Time and a reader wouldn't help, trust me. I finished my GCSE's with no problems with timing. The problem isn't not being able to keep time or read, the problem is I just can't get the words out correctly first time, or spell, or whatever. It's all disorganised, grammatically muddled, and my spelling is often incomprehensible. (also, I'll write things like "ish", "ritch", ect w/o noticing).

Also, by "low income", I mean it has to be free or we can't afford it. To illustrate; I haven't had my hair cut in nearly 10 months, am using a broken chair that gives me back problems, and we often run out of food. We'll never be able to afford it.

I got into uni with BEE, there'll always be foundation years as an option in clearing.

My mum's told me if I have to do a foundation year I'm moving out and getting a job; with my social anxiety and general health issues that makes 90% of jobs near impossible for me.

The equality act 2010 backed by the courts suggest that reasonable adjustments have to be made when the disability (dyslexia) is suspected and there is evidence to support the diagnosis. What you have said on here suggest this would be the situation. The educational institution that you are now in on being given the information is legally obliged to assess what adjustments or support you need. The best way is a full dyslexia assessment but that costs, as you are aware money the establishment may not wish to spend however refusing to spend the money to do a dyslexia assessment, does not get them out of their duty to assess for and make reasonable adjustments. I would ensure that the same co-at the establishment you are attending is made aware in writing to you believe that you are dyslexic and there is evidence from your performance to support this diagnosis and you therefore are requesting that they assess what adjustments can be put in place to support you and see what response you get.

Try the senco but the funding for older students is pretty scarce. You need to see an educational psychologist, I d speak to the British dyslexia association to see if they can find someone cheaper but my uni subsided my diagnosis when is as 18 so it was then £185 and well worth it for how much support I got. Extra time and a reader can really make a difference, you d get a lot more help than that on top at uni if you do decide to get help.

If you want another dyslexic person (I m also dyspraxic person) to rant at then feel free to message me.

you can take the to a tribunal can be done yourself but would need to read up the law but even the suggestion might make them react

The school should be able to cover it, surely? I got my diagnosis at 22 and the uni I was at paid for it (£400 I think). It was too little too late though. First suspicions of my dyslexia and autism went back to primary school, but they all thought I was too "high-functioning" to be autistic and too good at reading to be dyslexic. Heh, joke was on them.


Typical entitled kiddie mentality.

There is no law that says a suspicion of a learning difficulty must be followed up by a school/college. The law says that people who are documented with disabilities must be given equal treatment.

Not really, I m part of a few Facebook support groups and many parents have been told no funding for older kids so have gone private. My mp had to write a couple of letters to our mp to get my sister diagnosed with Asperger's as the waiting list was well over a year (she's got a fair few dyspraxic traits too).
Yeah I got my dyspraxic diagnosis at ten but next to no support anyway after it because I was passing until a level and no one suspected dyslexia just had to have more recent evidence for uni and the ed psych was like "has anyone ever mentioned about your reading to you".

Oh. That is disappointing.

I had to fight for my Asperger's diagnosis too. Wasn't quite writing letters to my MP but there was a lot of backing and forthing, and proving that it wasn't my depression/anxiety (I have diagnoses of both) playing up. Took a year to get the funding and then about three months to actually get the assessment. Was worth it though, to be fair.