Dyslexia presents in many different ways, and we only truly understand it when we look beyond the label to see a child’s unique learning profile. In this episode of Talking Dyslexia, literacy specialist Louise Selby explains how working memory, processing, language and strategy use vary widely between learners. Dyslexia is often spoken about as if it is one fixed thing, but Louise reminds us it is anything but. These individual strengths, challenges and ways of processing appear long before a label and matter when planning effective, meaningful support for parents, teachers and SENCOs.

What Louise Selby Reveals About Dyslexia Learning Profiles

Learning profiles give educators a richer, more accurate picture of a pupil than the dyslexia label alone. Louise explains that when we focus on the profile, including working memory, processing, language skills, phonology, and strategy use, we understand how the learner actually experiences a task. This insight is key for both teachers and parents navigating SEN support.

She notes that many children who receive a dyslexia label share almost none of the same characteristics. Some have strong phonics but weak working memory. Others show robust vocabulary but difficulty manipulating sound structures. Some mask difficulties with clever compensatory strategies, while others struggle to explain their thinking at all. For Louise, this diversity is not a problem; it is a guide for instruction.

A striking example she shares is a tribunal case in which a child’s learning profile was misinterpreted because the label was treated as a uniform condition. The professionals involved grouped the pupil with dyslexic children despite different underlying needs. This, she notes, is exactly why profiles matter more than labels for meaningful SEN identification.

Teachers often feel relief when they see the full picture. Suddenly the behaviour, the reading pattern or the fatigue makes sense. Understanding learning profiles gives language to what educators observe daily and helps families feel seen.

Why Labels Alone Don’t Deliver Accurate SEN Identification

Labels offer access to support, but they do not explain what the child needs. Louise highlights several common misconceptions that continue to mislead parents and schools. Many still assume dyslexia means reading backwards or that overlays alone can solve literacy problems. She stresses that these ideas oversimplify the cognitive reality.

She explains that dyslexia sits within the broader neurodiversity landscape, but even within this, profiles differ hugely because the underlying cognitive processes differ. Two children with the same label may have entirely different learning behaviours. One may lose information quickly due to working memory demands, while another may struggle with phoneme-to-grapheme mapping or oral language structure.

This misunderstanding is also where frustration arises. When schools rely purely on the label, they may inadvertently overlook strengths, underestimate cognitive diversity or conclude a child is lazy or not trying. Louise calls this one of the most harmful narratives and urges educators to anchor decisions in evidence, not assumptions.

How Teachers Can Teach to Profiles, Not Labels

Teaching becomes far more effective when it aligns with the learner’s actual cognitive pattern. Louise offers several practical scaffolds that support children with diverse SpLD profiles, particularly those with working memory or processing challenges.

Quick win strategies include:

• Working memory supports: break information into short steps, use visual prompts, repeat key instructions and reduce dual task demands.

• Metacognitive prompts: ask pupils to verbalise what they are doing and why, such as What is your plan or What will you check next.

• Pace adjustments: give additional processing time, offer rehearsal time before written responses and allow students to record ideas orally.

• Personal strategy building: help pupils create memory shortcuts such as personalised mnemonics or chunked routines they can recall independently.

Louise explains that many children excel once they understand their own thinking patterns, something she describes as the unlocking moment. She also emphasises disciplinary literacy. Subject-specific decoding, vocabulary, and writing demands vary widely, and understanding this helps teachers tailor support across the curriculum.

Importantly, none of these adaptations require specialist equipment. They are simple, human-centred approaches grounded in cognitive science and respectful of neurodiversity.

Conclusion

Dyslexia is not one thing, it is a constellation of learning profiles shaped by a child’s cognitive strengths, processing style and lived experience. When we look beyond the label, we plan support that is more accurate, more humane and more effective. This is also where dyslexia screening becomes powerful. Early tools help reveal those profiles sooner, allowing teachers and families to act with confidence and clarity.

If you would like to learn more about Talamo’s dyslexia screener and how it can help you understand your child’s strengths and challenges, you can view more here.