In some authorities in Scotland, support teachers have been trained in the area of dyslexia and with the backing of their Authority, can identify this specific learning difficulty without the additional assessment that has historically been undertaken by educational psychologists.  This position is not a blanket one across Scotland and in many authorities, dyslexia can only be identified following such assessment by an educational psychologist.  This pattern is beginning to change. Your school and your education authority will be able to advise you on this so that you are clear about what happens in your own context.

The staged process of referral and intervention as described in SOED (1994) and SOEID (1998) also applies for children thought to be dyslexic so that at the school and nursery levels the procedures employed should be the same as for all children whose learning raises aspects of concern. Children who are dyslexic have additional support needs as defined by SEED (2003). Once the new Additional Support Needs legislation is in place further advice on identification, referral and intervention will follow.