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Cognitive & Dyslexia test

The Cognitive & Dyslexia test is where Talamo began: a literacy and cognitive screener that helps you spot students who may be struggling with dyslexia or wider literacy difficulties, and understand the profile of strengths and difficulties behind it.


Like all our screeners, it runs as a series of short, game-like activities that students complete independently. It takes most students 35 to 45 minutes, and students see it under the friendlier name Skills.

Wiki

Schools

Explainers

Cognitive & Dyslexia test

The Cognitive & Dyslexia test is where Talamo began: a literacy and cognitive screener that helps you spot students who may be struggling with dyslexia or wider literacy difficulties, and understand the profile of strengths and difficulties behind it.


Like all our screeners, it runs as a series of short, game-like activities that students complete independently. It takes most students 35 to 45 minutes, and students see it under the friendlier name Skills.

Wiki

Schools

Explainers

Cognitive & Dyslexia test

The Cognitive & Dyslexia test is where Talamo began: a literacy and cognitive screener that helps you spot students who may be struggling with dyslexia or wider literacy difficulties, and understand the profile of strengths and difficulties behind it.


Like all our screeners, it runs as a series of short, game-like activities that students complete independently. It takes most students 35 to 45 minutes, and students see it under the friendlier name Skills.

What it measures

The test looks at five core literacy skills:

  • Phonological awareness: hearing and working with the sounds inside words

  • Reading speed: reading sentences quickly and accurately

  • Reading comprehension: understanding what's been read

  • Spelling: spelling real words, and made-up ones that test how sounds map to letters

  • Verbal reasoning: vocabulary and understanding of language

It also captures working memory, processing speed and visual reasoning, the underlying cognitive skills that often sit behind literacy difficulties.

What you'll get back

Within 48 hours of a student finishing, you'll get:


  • A cognitive profile: how the student compares with other students their age in each skill area, showing strengths as well as difficulties

  • A dyslexia risk level: more on this below

  • Practical recommendations: strategies for the classroom, for extra support, and for home

The dyslexia risk level

Alongside the profile, the report gives one of five outcomes:


  • Unlikely: the results show few of the signs associated with dyslexia

  • Possible: some signs are present; worth keeping an eye on, and consider re-screening in a year or two

  • Likely: several signs associated with dyslexia; further investigation is worth considering

  • Very likely: a strong pattern of signs; a specialist assessment can confirm a diagnosis and unlock formal support

  • Inconclusive: something about the results means we can't give a reliable answer. You'll automatically be given the option to reset those activities so the student can have another go


One important note: Talamo is a screener, not a diagnosis. A high risk level means the results are consistent with dyslexia and it's a strong signal to look closer. Only a specialist assessment can confirm a diagnosis. For more on how risk levels and Level of Need fit together, see Understanding Level of Need and risk levels.

Good to know

  • Works for primary and secondary students

  • Some activities are shared between our tests, and results carry over: a student who goes on to take the Maths & Dyscalculia or Executive Function test within 3 months won't repeat them


Ready to try it? Head to How to assign a test.

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