Delays in diagnosing learning difficulties in regional and remote areas are having a long-term impact on students' education and mental health outcomes, parents say.
Marianne Matenga moved her family from Bunbury in regional Western Australia to Perth to find a school to accommodate her son's education needs.
"Within the [Bunbury] school he was referred and diagnosed with ADHD, but I knew that wasn't the whole answer and there were still problems for him," Ms Matenga said.
"We decided to move to Perth and find a school that could better support him with learning how to read.
"By moving to Perth, we could access services so he could be assessed for learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dysgraphia."
Associate Professor Lorraine Hammond from Edith Cowan University's School of Education previously taught in the Wheatbelt town of Moora.
She said the first step for the parents of students with reading issues was identifying whether the problem was dyslexia — which requires diagnosis by a dyslexia specialist or a trained educational and developmental psychologist — or inadequate reading instruction.
''To get an assessment parents may have to go to Perth or there may be something in a regional area," Dr Hammond said.
''One of the first things clinical psychologists seek is evidence that the child has received good reading instruction.
''If not, it may be what we call an 'instructional casualty'.
"Maybe 3 to 5 per cent of children have dyslexia and that is along a continuum."
Ms Matenga, who is now a teacher, regularly sees the struggles that parents go through for a diagnosis.
"I am aware now how long some parents are waiting," she said.
"It can be up to nine to 12 months to have an assessment done."
She said a long wait for a diagnosis could have a massive impact on a child's education.
"They are just regressing and getting further and further behind," Ms Matenga said.
A school 'lottery'
Ms Matenga made a deliberate decision to send her child to a school using structured literacy, which her research indicated would best suit him.
"We moved to Perth and found a great school that used evidence-based practice to teach reading and the science of reading," she said.
"Also then I was able to pursue an assessment and he was later diagnosed with dyslexia."
However, Ms Matenga said not all parents had this luxury.
"It is a bit of a lottery — you get the school that's in your area," she said.
"We did the research and we knew the school that we wanted my son to attend.
"We made an effort to live in that area so that we could enrol him in that school."
A change in her son's education led to greater confidence, Ms Matenga said.
"My son's confidence soared. He was given the support that he needed," she said.
"By the time he finished that school in year six, he was achieving a B in reading, which was amazing.
"That was from someone who, throughout his early years, would cry every day when we had to complete his home reading."
Dangers of 'wait and see' approach
Jodi Clements, president of the Australian Dyslexia Association and researcher at the University of Tasmania, said the impacts of undiagnosed dyslexia could be severe.
"We have the 'wait and see' model where teachers are told to wait and see what comes out in the wash," she said.
"The danger with this model is that the primary issue, learning difficulties, is overlooked and the secondary issue of skipping school, being the class clown and playing up, becomes the main problem."
Ms Clements said she had heard of children clinging to a bed head and having to be dragged to school.
''No-one wants their child to be in that situation, so a lot of them are being forced to homeschool or try distance education," she said.
Hiring tutors can help
Wheatbelt mother Jane Putt recently hired a tutor for her 10-year-old son due to his struggle with learning to read.
He receives tutoring once a week at a cost ranging from $80 to $120 a session.
"We actually approached the school about that and we found out that they have no small group or one-on-one intervention available at our school in an evidence-based program, so we took that upon ourselves and decided to go with tutoring," she said.
"He actually takes those lessons online, in our house, after school."
Ms Putt said her son's confidence has increased since learning to read.
"He's made really rapid progress with one-on-one tutoring and it's targeted to his needs," she said.
"Writing used to be a real chore for us as a family — we used to sit down, and he would cry and complain and scream about it.
"Whereas now that he's been tutored for a year he actually asked me the other day for a book. He said 'mum, I'd really love a book about a dragon'.
"It's amazing as a parent to watch your kid thriving. There's nothing else like it."
More funds for specialist support
A state government spokesperson said in a statement that every student should have the same opportunities and choices to be a successful learner, including those with learning difficulties.
"Schools are well supported to develop localised approaches that meet the needs of their school community," the statement said.
"A great example of this is the Geraldton Lighthouse Model, which is supporting Midwest schools by developing local expertise to improve outcomes for students diagnosed with autism.
"All public schools have access to specialist expertise, professional learning and resources that support teachers to provide students with disabilities and learning difficulties with the adjustments they require."
The statement said the government would invest $533.8 million in 2023-24 to support students with disability and complex behaviour, which was an increase of $74.6 million compared to last year's budget.
