ADHD (TDAH), dyslexia and learning difficulties: turning a diagnosis into classroom support

Terms used

• NEAE — NEAE means students with specific educational support needs, such as ADHD, dyslexia and other learning difficulties.
• NEE — NEE means students with special educational needs, such as disability, autism and severe disorders.
• TDAH — TDAH is the Spanish name for ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
• Plan de actuación personalizado — The plan de actuación personalizado is the Valencian written plan that sets out a pupil's support measures.

Key rules

• NEAE: ADHD, dyslexia and other learning difficulties count as NEAE, not NEE.
• No guaranteed hours: A diagnosis opens the door to ordinary adjustments but does not guarantee individual support hours.
• School evaluation: The school's own psychoeducational evaluation is what formally triggers adaptations; a private report supports it.
• Regions differ: Names, plans and practice vary by region, so check with your regional education department.

What a diagnosis gets you

ADHD (TDAH), dyslexia (dislexia) and other specific learning difficulties count as NEAE. Disability, autism and severe disorders count as NEE. The difference matters. Most support for NEAE comes through ordinary measures in the normal classroom. Big changes to the curriculum and places in special schools are kept for NEE.

So a diagnosis makes your child eligible for adjustments. It does not promise a set number of support hours.

Which adjustments are realistic

Your child can reasonably expect these ordinary measures:

• Changes to how lessons are taught and how tasks are set.
• A seat chosen with care, such as near the teacher.
• Extra time and adapted exam formats.
• Reinforcement inside the group.

Some schools also offer help from a specialist support teacher (PT) or a hearing and language teacher (AL). The checklist below lists specific adjustments by type of need. Use it to decide what to ask for.

Individual support hours are not guaranteed. They depend on the school's resources and on what the orientation team decides. Treat extra one-to-one help as something you request and negotiate, not something you can demand.

What evidence schools accept

You do not need a public health diagnosis for a school to recognise dyslexia. Public and publicly funded schools can act on their own psychoeducational evaluation, done by the school's orientation team. That evaluation is what formally triggers adaptations.

A private report from a psychologist or neuropsychologist is useful too. The orientation team usually takes it into account, but it does not replace the school's own evaluation. Practice varies by region. The documents block below lists what to bring.

How to get started

1. Ask the class tutor in writing for a meeting with the orientation team.
2. Hand over any private report you already have.
3. Ask for the school's evaluation and for the measures to be written down.
4. Review them with the tutor during the year.

How the plan is written down

The name and format differ by region. In Andalucía there is a formal individual plan. In Cataluña the school's support plan fixes the measures. In the Comunitat Valenciana it is the plan de actuación personalizado. Ask your regional education department which rules apply to you now.

Documents you need

Documents for dyslexia support

• The school's own psychoeducational evaluation, done by the school's orientation team. This is what formally starts adaptations in public and publicly funded schools, and no public health diagnosis is needed.

• A private report from a psychologist or neuropsychologist. The orientation team usually takes it into account as supporting evidence, but it does not replace the school's own evaluation.

Classroom accommodations to ask for, by type of need

• Ask for extra time in exams, oral exams or having questions read aloud if your child has dyslexia or ADHD.

• Ask that spelling is not penalised and that tasks are split into smaller chunks with short breaks.

• Ask for a larger font or adapted page layout, use of a computer, and frequent feedback from teachers.

• Ask for a seat near the teacher for a child with ADHD or dyslexia.

• Ask for visual schedules, structured routines, advance notice of changes, simplified instructions and a quiet space if your child is autistic.

• Ask for front-row seating, an FM system, subtitles or a sign interpreter if your child has hearing loss.

• Ask for large print, braille or screen readers if your child has visual loss.

• Ask for accessible spaces, adapted furniture, extra time and assistive technology if your child has a physical disability, and ask about a physical assistant.

• Ask the tutor, the orientation department or the school head to write each agreed measure into the informe psicopedagógico (the school psychologist's report) and into your child's individual plan, rather than agreeing to general help.

• Read the plan before you sign it, and ask for a copy of the documents. You have a right to see your child's school file.

Quick answers on dyslexia, deafness, autism classrooms and high ability

Does my child need a public health diagnosis for the school to recognise dyslexia?

No, schools can recognise dyslexia from their own psychoeducational evaluation without a public health diagnosis. The orientation team does this evaluation, and it is what formally triggers adaptations. A private psychologist's report is usually considered as supporting evidence.

Can a deaf child use LSE in class?

Yes, deaf children have the right to learn and use Spanish Sign Language (LSE) in education, but what is offered depends on the region and school. Interpreters are mostly provided in secondary and later stages. Some schools use a bilingual LSE and Spanish model with deaf teaching assistants.

Is a centro preferente the same as a special education school?

No, a centro preferente is an ordinary school with extra specialised staff and resources for autism, motor disability or deafness. Pupils follow the ordinary curriculum alongside classmates. A centro de educación especial is a separate school for pupils with high support needs.

Can a gifted child skip a year?

Yes, a child with altas capacidades can move up a year, generally one year in primary and one year in ESO. Each region sets its exact maximum. It needs a psychopedagógico report that recommends it, good emotional and social adjustment, and enrichment measures that were not enough.