It was being a parent of a child with special needs that motivated Gavin Reid, at a young age, to change career and train as an educational psychologist. Until then he had been a classroom teacher and when his son was diagnosed with Autism – at a time when little was known about Autism, and information for parents was thin on the ground, – he sought to retrain and change career. He decided to specialize in Dyslexia although he has also retained an active interest in Autism.
He is therefore very aware of parent’s needs as well as their hope and anxieties. He feels that working with parents is the most rewarding part of his job and always seeks to ensure that parents have the right kind of advice. He is therefore keen to ensure that the feedback to parents following an assessment is clear and reassuring.
It is important that parents work with schools and he tries to incorporate information from both school and parents into his assessment procedures.
When your child is experiencing any kind of learning challenges it can be a very anxious time for parents. For that reason it is important to obtain a full and comprehensive assessment of your child’s needs as well as his/her strengths and any weaker areas.
Following each assessment there is a feedback session to provide the parents with an immediate response to the assessment. The full and comprehensive report follows no later than two weeks (and usually considerably sooner) after the assessment. This is important, as the parents will want to implement the recommendations as soon as possible. Gavin encourages on going contact with parents and a substantial number of his assessments are now reviews of children he has previously assessed.
Gavin has always sought to work in partnership with parent organizations and currently conducts assessments for a number of organizations run by, and for parents. He has also given talks to several hundred parents groups including all the locations where he currently carries out assessments. He is the author of the Dyslexia: A Complete Guide for Parents (2nd edition) Wiley-Blackwell.
Dr. Gavin Reid always seeks to incorporate the views and the needs of schools into his assessment and staff development work. He specializes in staff development and his workshops and programs have been extremely well evaluated. He has worked with a number of schools on an ongoing basis. The he finds very rewarding as he can see the developing awareness and expertise of staff in relation to Dyslexia and other learning difficulties.
It is important that every teacher has an awareness of dyslexia and that some others in the staff have development an expertise or enhanced knowledge of resources and learning strategies for Dyslexia.
He conducts regular assessments located in schools and finds this very fruitful as it enables close links with teachers and facilitates observation of the child in the learning context. He carries out school assessments in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Geneva, Cairo and in Canada.
An assessment is an important event and it is crucial that this should be appropriate, relevant and comprehensive. Equally it is important that it should be carried out by an appropriately qualified and experienced Psychologist. Dr. Gavin Reid of Dr. Gavin Reid Education Consultants is highly regarded in the field of Dyslexia and his advice and assessments are sought after by parents and schools in many countries.
Dr. Reid seeks to keep the process simple and straightforward and requests only sufficient background information but has a lengthy feedback session with parents immediately after the assessment. Parents also have the opportunity to discuss any issues with Dr. Reid prior to the assessment.
Dr. Gavin Reid ensures that irrespective of the extent and nature of the work involved in the assessment he only charges a set fee. This means that unlike some others he does not charge an hourly rate or additional fees for extra tests. He uses all the tests that are necessary. This depends on the age of the child, the kind of challenges and the school situation.
He always attempts to make this process reassuringly straight forward for parents and for schools.
His detailed reports are also very welcome and parents and schools find these very helpful (see testimonial). Gavin Reid promises to provide the report on an assessment within two weeks of the assessment.
If you want more information about an assessment and when Gavin Reid will be in your area please either complete this on line form or e mail Gavin directly. He will always respond to your e mail with 2 days usually sooner.
Obtaining a full psychological assessment is an important event and it can have crucial implications for the child’s future education. There are a number of reasons why you may want to book an assessment for a child. It can be for early identification to obtain a possible diagnosis of the difficulties and to develop a learning profile, or assessment in order to apply for examination support or due to some concern over the transfer to secondary school or to higher education. Whatever the reason Dr. Gavin Reid Education Consultants will be able to satisfy your requirements with sensitivity and understanding. I try to make the assessment as informal as possible to put the child at ease and usually the child enjoys the session.