The Online Speech Therapy Assessment: understand, diagnose, act
6 to 18 months waiting for an in-person assessment is too long when a child is struggling. ORA-VISIO lets you get a complete speech therapy assessment by video call — recognised for the PAP, the MDPH and exam accommodations — within a matter of days.
💶 Complete assessment = testing session + written report
⏱️ 1h30 to 2h30 depending on the child’s profile
📄 Report recognised for PAP, MDPH, accommodations
📅 Appointments often available within a few days
✈️ Accessible anywhere in the world
What is a speech therapy assessment?
The speech therapy assessment is a comprehensive evaluation, carried out by a state-qualified speech therapist, which precisely analyses a person’s language and communication skills — whether child or adult. It is not a simple observation: it is a battery of standardised, scientifically validated tests, producing numerical results compared against age-based norms.
The assessment answers a fundamental question: are the difficulties observed in this child (laboured reading, chaotic spelling, delayed language…) down to a simple lack of effort, an identifiable specific disorder, or both? The answer changes everything about how the child will be supported — at home and at school.
A speech therapy assessment is the difference between “he’s not trying” and “he has phonological dyslexia that makes reading painful despite all his efforts”. This precision changes a life.
The difference between an assessment and a therapy session
It’s important to distinguish these two types of consultation. The assessment is an evaluation: the speech therapist observes, measures, compares and writes a report. Therapy is the care that follows the assessment: regular sessions during which the speech therapist works with the child on the areas of deficit identified.
You cannot carry out effective therapy without a prior assessment. And an assessment without therapy is just a diagnosis — useful, but incomplete. The two are complementary.
Online speech therapy with ORA-VISIO
Individual sessions · No waiting list · Recognised as effective
What signs should alert you?
The difficulties that warrant a speech therapy assessment are varied. Here are the signs that, alone or combined, should lead you to seek a consultation — and above all to do so quickly, since the earlier the care, the more effective it is.
📖 Slow or painful reading: The child spells out every syllable, loses their place in lines of text, refuses to read aloud.
✏️ Very fragile spelling: Numerous, inconsistent errors even on simple words, no memorisation of rules.
🔢 Difficulties with calculation: Confusing digits, unable to memorise times tables, suspected dyscalculia.
💬 Oral language delay: The child speaks little or poorly for their age, pronunciation is hard to understand.
🧠 Attention difficulties: Lack of concentration affecting learning, poor working memory.
📝 Poor written comprehension: Reads the words but doesn’t understand the meaning of instructions or texts.
🗣️ Stuttering or voice disorders: Repetitions, blocks, persistently hoarse or nasal voice.
😰 Growing school anxiety: A child who cries, refuses to go to school, or puts themselves down over their learning.
📉 Falling school results: Despite effort and motivation, results don’t improve.
⚠️ A child who “doesn’t try” at school is often a child making considerable effort without results — and who eventually becomes discouraged. The speech therapy assessment is what makes it possible to distinguish assumed laziness from a genuine disorder.
What disorders can the speech therapy assessment diagnose?
The speech therapist assesses a wide spectrum of language and learning disorders. Here are the main ones, with ORA-VISIO resource pages for each:
- Dyslexia: A specific reading disorder. Dyslexia affects around 5 to 10% of school-aged children.
- Dysorthographia: A spelling disorder, often associated with dyslexia but can exist on its own.
- Dyscalculia: A specific disorder of calculation and mathematical reasoning. Under-diagnosed.
- Dysphasia: A structural disorder of oral language, affecting production and/or comprehension.
- ADHD & learning: ADHD affects language, working memory and written comprehension.
- Language delay: Poor vocabulary, short sentences, difficult pronunciation — to be assessed from age 2-3.
- Stuttering: A fluency disorder of oral language. Effectively treated with online speech therapy.
- ASD & communication: Assessment of communication skills in children on the autism spectrum.
How does an online speech therapy assessment work?
A speech therapy assessment by video call follows the same protocol as an in-person one, with tools adapted to the digital format. The standardised tests used in teleconsultation are validated for this mode of administration. American and Canadian studies have confirmed clinical reliability equivalent to in-person administration.
1. Booking and preparation
You create your account on ORA-VISIO, choose your speech therapist and book an assessment slot. Before the session, the speech therapist sends you a preliminary questionnaire via the internal messaging system, to be completed and returned before the appointment.
2. Standardised testing (over 1 or 2 sessions) depending on the type of assessment: written language assessment, oral language assessment or logico-mathematical assessment
The speech therapist administers a battery of tests suited to the child’s age and the difficulties targeted: reading, spelling, calculation, oral language, memory, attention, comprehension. Tests are presented via the secure video conferencing software, sometimes with printed documents sent beforehand.
3. Receiving the official report
The written report details the numerical results for each area, the diagnostic conclusions and care recommendations. This document is sent securely within 2 to 3 weeks and can be used immediately for approaching the school, the MDPH or other healthcare professionals.
What you need to prepare
- Recent school reports (last 2 to 3 years)
- Any existing medical or paramedical reports (psychologist, paediatrician, paediatric neurologist…)
- Any current PAP, PPS or PPRE
- Recent exercise books or test papers from the child, if possible
- A computer or tablet with webcam, microphone and stable connection
- A printer, if the speech therapist sends documents to print
- A quiet, private space for the child
What the assessment is not
- An IQ test — that is not the speech therapist’s role (see the neuropsychological assessment)
- A judgement on your child’s intelligence
- A medical diagnosis — the report is a paramedical document
- A certification that your child does or doesn’t have a disorder
Online neuropsychological assessment
To assess IQ, memory and executive functions
The report: what is it for and how to use it?
The speech therapy assessment report is much more than a simple document. It is the key document for obtaining official recognition of your child’s difficulties and activating the support schemes they are entitled to.
For school accommodations
The speech therapy report is the documentary basis needed to ask the school to put a Personalised Support Plan (PAP) in place. This scheme provides teaching accommodations: extra time in assessments, permission to use a computer, rephrased instructions, reduced volume of written work…
It is also essential for putting together an MDPH (French Departmental Disability Centre) file, which can open up entitlement to the AEEH allowance, a classroom aide (AVS/AESH), or a PPS (Personalised Schooling Plan).
For exam accommodations
Brevet, baccalauréat, BTS, competitive exams… a recent speech therapy assessment (generally less than 3 years old) is required for any exam accommodation request: extra time, a scribe, a computer, instructions read aloud. Without this document, requests are systematically refused.
What does a speech therapy assessment with ORA-VISIO include?
The assessment always includes the full testing session and the official written report.
💡 Reimbursement: ORA-VISIO consultations are paid for directly online. Depending on your country and your health cover, your insurance may reimburse part of the cost: a detailed invoice is provided after each consultation.
Frequently asked questions about the speech therapy assessment
Do I need a prescription to have a speech therapy assessment?
No. No prescription is needed to consult on ORA-VISIO. However, your insurer, or certain procedures (administrative files, school accommodations), may ask for one: keep it if you have one.
Is the online speech therapy assessment recognised by the French Ministry of Education?
Yes. The report written by a state-qualified speech therapist has the same legal and administrative value whether produced in person or by video call. It is accepted by school teams for PAP requests, by the designated teacher for the PPS, and by exam bodies (Ministry of Education, CNED, universities) for accommodations.
At ORA-VISIO, all our speech therapists hold the French Speech Therapy Certificate (CCO).
At what age should a child have a speech therapy assessment?
There is no minimum age. Oral language assessments can be carried out from 18 months to 2 years old if speech delay is suspected. For learning disorders (dyslexia, dyscalculia…), the assessment is generally possible from Year 1 (CP) or Year 2 (CE1), once reading instruction has begun.
In practice, many families consult between ages 6 and 9, often alerted by the teacher early in primary school. But assessments are also carried out in adolescence and adulthood — particularly for people whose difficulties were never identified in childhood.
How long does a speech therapy assessment take?
A complete assessment generally lasts between 1h30 and 2h30. It can be split across two sessions depending on the child’s age and ability to concentrate. Online, the speech therapist adjusts the pace to keep the child comfortable.
The written report is delivered within 2 to 3 weeks of the session.
What is the difference between a speech therapy assessment and a neuropsychological assessment?
These two assessments are complementary but do not evaluate the same things.
The speech therapy assessment focuses on language areas: reading, spelling, oral expression, calculation, comprehension, verbal memory.
The neuropsychological assessment more broadly evaluates cognitive functions: IQ, working memory, processing speed, attention, executive functions. It is carried out by a neuropsychologist and is often recommended alongside the speech therapy assessment to confirm ADHD, dyspraxia, or identify giftedness.
My child already has an assessment. Can they start therapy directly?
Yes, absolutely. If your child already has a recent speech therapy assessment report (less than 1 year old), you can book a speech therapy session directly with an ORA-VISIO speech therapist. Send them the existing assessment before the first session so they can prepare a care plan.
How does ORA-VISIO ensure the quality of online assessments?
All speech therapists on ORA-VISIO hold the French Speech Therapy Certificate (CCO), a state qualification, and are trained in teleconsultation.
The online format also allows the child to be in their usual environment — often more relaxed than in a clinic — which improves the quality of the interaction and the reliability of results.
📎 Related resources
PAP vs PPS: which scheme is right for your child? – Dys-Positif guide — ORA-VISIO partner
How to put together an MDPH file? – Complete step-by-step guide
🔗 After the assessment: complementary support
Online speech therapy – No waiting list
Remote academic support – Tailored to DYS and ADHD profiles
Online occupational therapy – For dyspraxia, dysgraphia, daily life
Neuropsychology & psychology – Cognitive assessments, psychological support, school anxiety
Online ADHD coaching – Organisation, attention management, autonomy
Remote handwriting therapy – Handwriting rehabilitation, dysgraphia
Parental guidance – Supporting your DYS or ADHD child day to day
Online psychopedagogy – Learning methods tailored to the profile
