Mother’s tears after son’s help with dyslexia ‘life-changing’

VICTORIA SALIMEMI bursts into tears as she describes the “life-changing” help her son, Axel, gets at a specialist dyslexia school.

- ABBIE WIGHTWICK

This time last year the chatty, articulate nine-year-old was unable to read and write. Now, after a year of coming one day a week to Tomorrow's Generation (TG) in Cardiff, Axel can write his name and some words, and his ambition is to read Harry Potter.

Describing this as an unimaginable achievement this time last year, Victoria says the specialist help he gets is a “lifeline”.

She is also grateful to have the support of his mainstream school, which allows him time away to attend. The mother of one admits she knew next to nothing about dyslexia until two years ago, when Axel’s teacher at Twyn Primary in Caerphilly suggested he might have it when he was in Year 3.

Dyslexia, described by the NHS as a common learning difficulty affecting reading, writing and spelling, affects up to one in 10 people in the UK; around three in every class of 30 children. Unlike a learning disability it does not affect intelligence, but can severely hamper education without targeted help.

Told it would take around two years for the school to get and fund an official diagnosis for their son, Victoria and Axel’s father paid £300 for a private two-hour screening test.

This indicated Axel had dyslexia but the full test would be a further £800 to £900. Instead Victoria said they decided to ask his school for authorised absence one day a week for the little boy to attend TG while he waits for the local authority dyslexia test. He'll need that diagnosis for future help and resources for education and exams but in the meantime he needed educational support.

Sitting patiently listening to his mum describing his dyslexia, Axel says he likes his primary school and got by without being able to read and write “by listening and speaking” but it wasn’t enough.