“I think I’m dyslexic”. These were the words of 32-year old business founder Dhruvin Patel. What happened next?
Dhruvin decided to book a dyslexia test with a specialist in Specific Learning Difficulties to find out his diagnosis. As an employee, you can approach your employer to request a test for dyslexia.
This article is his real-life story of taking the Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment from Posturite, and Dhruvin seeing the results as a fascinating new perspective on how his brain works. He finds the dyslexia diagnosis ‘freeing’.
We’ll look at:
- what his dyslexia test involved
- why his diagnosis was dyslexia
- how he’ll now take steps to manage dyslexia at work
Let’s meet our dyslexia assessor and assessee
Do you recognise Dhruvin Patel from ‘Dragon’s Den’? Dhruvin (above left) is an Optometrist and Founder of Ocushield. He in fact decided to decline investment from ‘dragons’ Peter Jones and Tej Lalvani for the anti-blue light filters, glasses and lamps he invented, yet very successfully grew his business and even received the King's Award for Enterprise.
Patrick Mulcahy holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Assessments for Specific Learning Difficulties and a Practising Certificate in Assessments from the Dyslexia Guild.
Patrick (above) has used his in-depth knowledge about dyslexia as a Disability Officer within universities and is now one of the assessors for the enablement team at Posturite. He certainly comes across to me as kind, patient and highly experienced.
Dhruvin’s curiosity around dyslexia stemmed from some issues with spelling and reading long texts, and noticing that some tasks at work took him longer than they’d take other people. He was occasionally distracted during tasks, but excelled at his job nonetheless.
How did you feel before your assessment for dyslexia?
“Honestly, I was quite excited to finally go through the process and understand more about how dyslexia is tested” Dhruvin told me.
“My partner, who’s a doctor in forensic psychology, had been insisting for the past two years that I had dyslexia - so I was going in with the assumption she was probably going to be right!
It felt like a chance to get some real clarity on things I’d noticed over the years but never fully understood. I wasn’t particularly nervous, more just curious.”
Remember that The British Dyslexia Association say that 10% of the population are believed to be dyslexic.
What happened during the dyslexia test?
Dhruvin chose to have the dyslexia test online at home. The test is called a Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment and is an in-depth, one-to-one appointment which takes a couple of hours including breaks. The assessment took place within just three weeks of his request.
Stage one
Patrick chatted to Dhruvin about his education, health, developmental milestones from childhood, any family history of learning difficulties, and languages spoken.
Stage two
Dhruvin was asked about how he finds reading, writing, speaking, and listening now as an adult, and how he feels his memory and concentration, time management and organisational skills are. They also discussed the strengths he brings to his job.
Stage three
Patrick asked Dhruvin to carry out some tasks, taking care to make the process comfortable and not at all intimidating. These included:
- Repeating sequences of letters and digits forwards and then in reverse sequence.
- Completing a series of incomplete sentences.
- Defining out-of-context words.
- Selecting a visual item to continue a sequence of pattern.
- Naming objects shown in pictures as quickly as possible.
- Saying words, and then saying what is left after dropping out designated sounds.
- Listening carefully to made-up words and then repeating the made-up words as heard.
- Reading a list of words out loud in a defined time.
- Reading some text to himself and then answering comprehension questions.
- Spelling a range of words.
- Handwriting a short piece of text.
Patrick was looking for signs of dyslexia here.
Stage four
At the end of the dyslexia test, Patrick discussed his findings and diagnosis with Dhruvin, and provided support and recommendations for next steps.
How did you find these tasks and tests for dyslexia?
“My assessor from Posturite made the whole experience feel like a journey of discovery rather than just a series of tests.
Some tasks felt quite natural, while others highlighted areas where I struggled more, which was eye-opening.
I did find the process quite mentally exhausting - there was a lot of focus and problem-solving involved, and by the end, I definitely felt drained. But at the same time, it was worthwhile because it gave me a much clearer picture of how my brain processes information and where the challenges lie.
As for Patrick, he was great - really supportive, patient, and made me feel at ease throughout.”
Was dyslexia diagnosed?
Patrick concluded that Dhruvin has dyslexia and he let him know the diagnosis there and then:
“While Dhruvin has a strong level of underlying ability, his cognitive processing skills are weaker than expected, meaning that he requires additional time to manage literacy tasks. He has excellent skills in reading comprehension when he is provided with sufficient time, although when he is reading longer passages, he can forget content as larger demands are placed on his memory. His auditory working memory is weaker than expected and he is slow to process phonological information.
He has some reading inefficiencies and difficulties absorbing information from prose. Dhruvin’s writing skills also show vulnerabilities, and he relies on typing whenever possible. His handwriting can be difficult to decipher.
Dhruvin should take encouragement from the fact that, despite his challenges, he has already achieved a great deal. He has shown himself to be strongly motivated, hard-working and resourceful. He’s very articulate and very verbally able. Dhruvin’s excellent level of underlying ability suggests that he will be able to achieve at the expected level in any workplace context. Strategies can be implemented to assist him to partly circumvent or resolve areas of difficulty.
There is well-researched evidence of the benefits of having a specific learning difficulty, including enhanced creative and lateral thinking (Eide and Eide). It was a real pleasure to meet Dhruvin, and I hope that this Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment will help him to gain the adjustments and support he requires, to take him forwards with success.”
Next steps to get support for dyslexia at work
The assessment report includes recommendations for next steps for you personally. When the dyslexia screening test is booked, there are options for confidentiality to choose about who receives the report – this could be just the appointee, or their line manager and an appointment requester too – such as a Health and Safety manager.
There is helpful software that can be used to support you with tasks at work when you have dyslexia such as:
- Organisation
- Time management
- Reading
- Spelling
The assessor may even show you there and then how to use a tool such as ‘Immersive Reader’ in Microsoft Word. They might emphasise the need to work in a methodical manner with regular breaks.
Take a look at David Mitchell’s recommendations for assistive technology to support dyslexia in his blog ‘I’m dyslexic, and this assistive technology helps me at work’. Also watch the Posturite webinar ‘Neurodiversity and me: strategies at work’.
But the very best next step would be to have a Workplace Needs Assessment, referring to the evidence from the dyslexia screening test, and to recommend personalised reasonable adjustment recommendations.
Patrick also felt coaching would be beneficial to Dhruvin. This could include:
- Organisation and time management strategies for sequencing and processing.
- Strategies for memory improvement.
The missing puzzle piece that explains so much
“Finding out I’m dyslexic at the age of 32 has been a mix of relief, validation, and curiosity.
It’s helped me make sense of certain challenges I’ve faced over the years - things I might have just put down to working differently or needing extra time. Knowing there’s a reason behind it has been quite freeing.
When I first got the results of the dyslexia test, it wasn’t a huge shock. But it did feel significant - like finally having a missing puzzle piece that explains a lot about how I process information.
I’m already starting to make small adjustments, like being more mindful of how I structure my workload. Even just having the awareness means I can be kinder to myself in situations where I’d previously just pushed through frustration.
I’m really glad I had the test for dyslexia - it’s given me a new perspective on how my brain works and, more importantly, how I can work with it rather than against it.
Thank you very much to Dhruvin Patel from Ocushield for giving Posturite permission to share here his experiences and the results of his assessment to diagnose if he is dyslexic.
The dyslexia test is known as a Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment from Posturite.
