An online learning difficulty test can’t hand you a diagnosis, but it can tell you whether what you’re seeing at home deserves a proper look.
Maybe it’s the book bag. The reading record comes home half empty again, and your child slides it to the bottom before you can ask. Spelling takes an hour. Maths ends in a slammed door. At parents’ evening you hear “a little behind” and “let’s give it another term.”
Another term is a long time when a child has already decided they’re stupid.
MyMemoryMentor’s online dyslexia screening tests, and our screeners for dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ADHD and executive function, give you something to put on the table instead. You finish with a plain-English report you can show the teacher, the school’s SENCo or an educational psychologist. It flags possible concerns. It doesn’t diagnose. That stays with a qualified professional.
https://mymemorymentor.com/free-screener/
What Does an Online Learning Difficulty Test Do?
It’s a quick screening check you can do at home, and it works as a sorting step, not an answer. It scans for patterns that often go with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and ADHD. Your report then shows whether it’s worth pushing for a full assessment. Most people finish in a few minutes. What it can’t do is name a condition. That takes a professional.
Which screener you pick shapes what it picks up. Between them, they cover reading, spelling, writing, maths, attention, working memory, social communication, emotional regulation and planning.
So who actually gives a diagnosis in the UK? For dyslexia, it’s usually an educational psychologist or a specialist teacher-assessor. The school can arrange that, or you can pay for a private assessment. ADHD follows a different route. Start with your GP, who can refer your child to a paediatrician or the local children’s mental health service (CAMHS).
How Many Children in the UK Have a Learning Difficulty?
More than most parents realise. The Department for Education reports over 1.8 million pupils in England with special educational needs (SEN). Of those, 538,547 have an EHC plan and 1,319,780 get SEN support without one. Roughly one pupil in every five.
ADHD isn’t rare either. NICE puts it at around 5% of children and young people.
Dyslexia is the biggest group. The British Dyslexia Association says about 10% of the population is dyslexic, with 4% affected severely. It’s lifelong and runs in families. It has nothing to do with laziness, and bedtime stories won’t cause it or cure it.
Then there’s the queue. A 2026 Education Policy Institute report found a chronic shortage of educational psychologists. It says the 96 councils staffed below benchmark would need about 1,400 more full-time EPs between them. A screener that works at home or in the classroom helps those scarce appointments go where they matter most.
Signs Worth Noticing
Parents and teachers often spot these first:
- Reading slowly, guessing at words or dodging reading aloud
· Spelling one word three different ways on the same page
· Handwriting that’s messy or exhausting, even after lots of practice
· Struggling with times tables, telling the time or counting money
· Losing multi-step instructions within a minute
· Starting homework and rarely finishing it
· Saying “I’m stupid” or “I hate school”
One of these on its own usually isn’t a worry. Every child has a rotten week. The pattern is what counts: it’s gone on for months, it shows up in more than one subject, and it doesn’t fit the child you know, who’s sharp and funny and quick at other things.
Some adults read all this as a lack of effort. Often it’s the opposite. Your child may be working harder than anyone else in the room, and getting less back for it.
What can MyMemoryMentor Screen For?
Choose whichever matches what you’re seeing:
- Dyslexia: reading, spelling and phonological processing. Includes the comprehensive Literacy Assessment (ELLA). You’ll find dyslexia tests for children here, plus dyslexia tests for adults.
· Dyscalculia: number sense, maths facts and maths reasoning. Includes the comprehensive Maths Assessment (EMA).
· Dysgraphia: handwriting, spelling and getting ideas onto paper.
· ADHD: attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that get in the way of learning.
· Executive Functioning: planning, organisation, working memory and task management. Includes the comprehensive EF Assessment (EEF).
· Autism Spectrum: autism isn’t a learning difficulty in itself, but many autistic children find learning hard. The screener shows whether the signs call for further assessment and support.
· Anxiety: worry that spills into schoolwork and everyday life.
· Memory: working, short-term and long-term memory, screened through what you notice day to day. It isn’t classed as a learning difficulty, but weak memory makes school harder.
Every report is ready instantly. You get plain language. SENCos and educational psychologists get the detail they need to decide what comes next.
How It Works
- Pick a screener: go for the one closest to your worry, say Dyslexia or ADHD.
- Complete it online: answer the questions. A parent, teacher or your child can fill it in, and it usually takes under 10 minutes.
- Read your report: possible areas of concern, in everyday words.
- Pass it on: send it to your child’s teacher, the school SENCo or your GP.
After the Screening: What to Do in England
Start with the school’s SENCo, the special educational needs co-ordinator. Every school has one. Email them, say what you’ve noticed, attach the report, and ask what support is on offer and how the school will check it’s working. Email beats a chat at the gate, because it leaves a record.
If the school’s help isn’t enough, you don’t need its permission to go further. Parents can ask the local authority directly for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment. The council has 6 weeks to say whether it will assess, and the full process can take up to 20 weeks. If it refuses, it has to give reasons, and you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal.
SEN Support or an EHC plan?
SEN support is what the school arranges from its own resources: small-group teaching, extra reading time, software that reads text aloud. An EHC plan is a legal document from the local authority that spells out your child’s needs and the help they must get. Most children with dyslexia or ADHD receive SEN support. Some need a plan. Exam access arrangements, such as extra time, are a separate step the school arranges with the exam boards.
Dyslexia Screening in UK Schools
England doesn’t have a national dyslexia screening programme. The Year 1 phonics screening check shows how a child is coping with sounding out words, but it isn’t a dyslexia test. Schools pick their own tools. Ask yours which one it uses, when it runs, and what result triggers extra help.
Not keen on waiting for the school timetable? Free online dyslexia tests let you check tonight, from the sofa. And if you read this list of signs and thought “that’s me too, dyslexia tests for adults are there for you.
In Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
The paperwork differs. Scotland talks about Additional Support Needs. Wales uses Additional Learning Needs and an Individual Development Plan. Northern Ireland has its own SEN framework, run through the Education Authority. The first move is the same everywhere: speak to the school and take the report along.
A Result is a Starting Point
Use it to ask better questions. If a screener doesn’t flag anything and your child still struggles, believe what you see. You can ask for support or an assessment whenever you like.
For SENCos and Educational Psychologists
MyMemoryMentor slots into the first stage of the graduated approach: assess, plan, do, review. Teachers run screeners across a class. SENCos and educational psychologists look over the flagged pupils and decide who needs targeted intervention or a full assessment.
When demand for educational psychologists outruns supply, triage time is precious. A clinician-ready report in minutes buys back hours for assessments and one-to-one work. In a 2024–25 MyMemoryMentor pilot in Louisiana, in the US, 190 learners struggling with reading and maths were identified and assessed in depth. They then received high-dosage, targeted intervention built on structured literacy and multisensory maths. By the end, 61% were no longer two or more grade levels behind or flagged for serious reading or maths concerns. That reduced the need for ongoing intensive tutoring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Test for a Learning Difficulty Online?
You can screen for one. MyMemoryMentor’s screeners check for signs of dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ADHD and executive function difficulties, and show whether a full assessment may be needed. The formal diagnosis still comes from an educational psychologist, specialist assessor or clinician, especially if your child needs specific accommodations.
How Do I Get My Child Tested for a Learning Difficulty?
Talk to the school SENCo first, with your notes and any screening results. If school support isn’t helping, ask your local authority for an EHC needs assessment yourself. That’s free to parents. You can also pay for a private assessment by an educational psychologist or specialist teacher-assessor.
Is an Online Dyslexia Test for Children Accurate?
A well-designed screener is good at showing which children need a closer look. It can’t confirm or rule out dyslexia by itself, and that goes for online dyslexia screening tests aimed at children or adults. Use the results to open a conversation with the school, and press for an assessment if the struggles carry on.
What Age Can a Child be Screened for Dyslexia?
Signs can appear by age 5, when children start learning letter sounds. In England that’s around Reception and Year 1.
What’s the Difference Between SEN Support and an EHC Plan?
SEN support is extra help the school arranges itself. An EHC plan is a legal document from the local authority for children who need more than the school can provide. The council’s assessment decides which fits.
Is There a Free Online Learning Difficulty Test?
Yes. MyMemoryMentor offers free screeners, including free online dyslexia tests. Try one today: https://mymemorymentor.com/free-screener
Can Schools Use MyMemoryMentor?
Yes. SENCos, educational psychologists and SEN teams use it to screen single pupils or whole year groups.
Start with Understanding
If your child has struggled for months, you don’t have to wait for someone else to notice.
Take a MyMemoryMentor online learning difficulty test. Take the report to school. Ask what happens next.
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