FAQs

General

What is a screener?

A dyslexia screener is a risk assessment of dyslexia. This is different from a formal diagnosis. However, it can still give you valuable information, so you might not need a diagnosis.

What activities are in the test?

The activities that the child will be taking in the test correspond to key stages. Cognitive tests consist of 'underlying ability' tests like verbal, non-verbal and visual processing. Cognitive tests for dyslexia indicators consist of processing speed, phonological processing and working memory. Attainment tests consist of reading speed, reading comprehension and spelling.

How old do you need to be to take the test?

Our screener works for children aged between 7 and 18. We plan to release an adults version in the future.

How long does it take?

The screener should take between 30 - 45 minutes to complete.

How accurate is it?

Our screener is highly accurate and has been tested on 1000 children in 15 schools across the UK. Our results identified every non-dyslexic correctly and the vast majority of dyslexics. When combined with a "risk" score and background questions, it's extremely unlikely that a potential dyslexic would be missed. We also double-check all results with a human, which is why there is a 48-hour delay between completing the test and receiving the report. In due course a research report will be released, showcasing our results. For a preliminary update, you can email us at hello@talamo.co.uk.

It's worth noting that given government regulation, for the most accurate results and a formal diagnosis, we still recommend going to a reputable Educational Psychologist (HCPC registered) or a specialist dyslexia assessor (APC holder) for a complete evaluation.

How are you using AI?

We use something called a machine learning model to identify the patterns of dyslexic and non-dyslexic children. We've trained this model on over 1000 children to make sure it's accurate.

I disagree with the results given to my child

While we’re confident about the accuracy of our product, we are always looking for ways to improve, and our main focus is for everyone to receive accurate results. If you reach out with the details of your test, one of our team will be more than happy to look into the results for you.

Is the child's data safe?

Yes, we take data very seriously. Please request a copy of our privacy and GDPR policy via email at hello@talamo.co.uk.

For parents

What do I get at the end?

A report that can be used at home or presented to a specialist or teacher at school. The report provides dyslexia risk, cognitive profile and key recommendations.

How will this help with conversations at school?

The screening test may help your conversations with your child’s school SEN department because they provide key evidence of your child’s profile. This may be a jumping-off point for further investigation into reasonable adjustment and provision. This can be particularly helpful for schools that do not have the time or resources for an accurate dyslexia screening. It’s worth noting, however, that much like other types of assessment, the school has no legal obligation to follow the advice in our reports.

I received an inconclusive result; why is this, and what should I do?

If you have received an inconclusive result, something might have gone wrong. This could be a scale not completed properly or suspicious data entering. To rectify this, your child may need to complete certain tests again.

For schools

I’m a school SENCo; how do I use this?

The way that schools use our product is different to a parent. For schools, we recommend the best use of the product is cohort testing with whole class groups at once. You can see more details here. However, if you are interested, we would happily demo the product and discuss packages. You can either make a booking through that page or email us at hello@talamo.co.uk.

How do you make sure someone doesn't cheat?

At Talamo, we recommend that tests be sat under exam conditions. We recommend that parents with their children don’t help them with their answers. If taking the test at school, we recommend over-ear headphones. In either case, if a candidate comes back with suspicious results or it’s clear they misunderstood one or more sections, we will return an inconclusive result.

Why should we take the results seriously?

The results should be taken seriously because there has been a lot of effort into selecting assessment material to be tested and then enhanced. This has been done by carefully liaising with experts, sourcing valid paper-based material, adapting it for use digitally, and then ensuring it’s valid and reliable. The test follows the logic of a formal test, testing for the same areas but in a shorter timeframe. If you have any questions about our research or materials, you can look at the research section; if you still have questions, please contact hello@talamo.co.uk.

For assessors

How does this affect me as a dyslexia assessor?

The answer to this question is that our product doesn’t affect your work. This is a dyslexia screening, cognitive profiling, and reporting test, not a formal diagnosis. At the end of our reports, those who display a high risk will receive a recommendation for a formal assessment (with a list of trusted assessors). You can contact hello@talamo.co.uk if you’d like your practice to be considered for recommendation in this section.

In the future, we’d like to explore further areas of collaboration with assessors (e.g., parents' consultation conversations) - if you’d like to know more about this, then get in touch on the same email.