Important to know: The screening process, including application, assessment, and implementation, can take up to five months. Therefore, King’s will not cover the cost of a diagnostic assessment for final-year students in the last five months of their course.
Specific Learning Differences (SpLDs) such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia (DCD), Dyscalculia, and features of ADHD can affect various aspects of learning and academic performance. King’s provides a structured pathway for students to be screened and, if appropriate, referred for a full diagnostic assessment.
If you suspect you may have a SpLD, the first step is to complete the initial screening form available on your student record. To begin the process, please complete the screening via your Student Records.
- Log on Student Records
- Click on submit SpLD screening form
- Complete the form and await the decision outcome
After completing the form, your responses will be reviewed and one of the following will happen:
- You'll be invited to a follow up appointment to explore your learning challenges
or
- You'll be referred directly for a diagnostic assessment
A £50 admin fee is charged to all students.
The full cost of the assessment (around £350) is otherwise covered by the university, unless the conditions outlined below apply.
If you have questions or want to start the process, email the Disability Support & Inclusion team.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What happens after I complete the SpLD screening form?
Once you submit the screening form, the Disability Support & Inclusion team will review your responses alongside your current circumstances and any existing support in place. Based on this review, we will determine whether further discussion, assessment, or referral along a diagnostic pathway is appropriate.
What is the clinical pathway and when does it apply?
The clinical pathway refers to situations where, based on your screening results and individual circumstances, you are advised to explore your concerns further with a suitably qualified clinical practitioner, such as a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist, in order to access further support or treatment.
This is not an automatic next step following screening. Referral to the clinical pathway will only be recommended where it is considered the most appropriate route, and the University reserves discretion to decide not to proceed with a diagnostic assessment, particularly where your needs can be met through existing support, reasonable adjustments, or academic skills provision.
If you are registered with a GP in the UK and are seeking assessment for conditions such as ADHD, you may wish to request a clinical referral via NHS services. This may include using the NHS Right to Choose pathway, where applicable. Clinical assessments obtained through NHS or private routes are separate from university-funded diagnostic assessments.
I think I may have ADHD. Can this be identified through the SpLD screening?
The SpLD screening is designed to explore specific learning differences such as dyslexia and related learning profiles. In some cases, it may highlight attention, organisation, or processing difficulties that can affect learning. These are sometimes informally referred to as specific learning difficulty characteristics of ADHD, but they are not the same as a medical diagnosis of ADHD.
A medical ADHD diagnosis requires assessment by a suitably qualified clinical practitioner, such as a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist, and is based on clinical diagnostic criteria. This includes evidence that difficulties with attention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity have been present since childhood and occur across multiple settings, not only in academic contexts.
The SpLD screening cannot diagnose ADHD and does not replace a clinical assessment. If ADHD is a concern, students are encouraged to consider whether these challenges have been longstanding and to follow a clinical pathway via their GP or another qualified medical practitioner, including NHS services where appropriate.
Why might an SpLD assessment not be recommended in some circumstances?
SpLD assessments are designed to identify specific learning differences such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and some ADHD-related learning traits, in line with national SASC standards. They aren't intended to provide detailed mental health or complex neurodevelopmental diagnosis.
Where a student is experiencing significant or complex mental health difficulties, it may be unclear whether learning challenges are due to an SpLD, mental health factors, or a combination of both. Determining this requires a level of clinical assessment that falls outside the scope of an SpLD assessment and is usually carried out by qualified medical or multidisciplinary clinical professionals.
In these cases, an SpLD assessment alone may not be appropriate or valid. This does not mean support is not needed, but that other support or clinical pathways may need to be prioritised first, with the option to review SpLD assessment at a later stage if appropriate.