CONSIDERING DYSLEXIA & OTHER
SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES
Melanie Jameson
DYSLEXIA CONSULTANCY MALVERN, UK
mj@dyslexia-malvern.co.uk
www.dyslexia-malvern.co.uk
RE-IMAGINING YOUTH JUSTICE
London 2014
WHAT?
WHY?
HOW?
DYS - LEXIA can affect:
READING - WRITING - ORAL SKILLS - LISTENING SKILLS
DYSLEXIA affects:
INFORMATION PROCESSING
INPUT
OUTPUT
DYSLEXIA may affect:
SHORT-TERM & WORKING MEMORY / ATTENTION SPAN
ORGANISATION / TIME MANAGEMENT
DYSLEXIA may lead to
MISINTERPRETING SITUATIONS / INSTRUCTIONS
People with Dyslexia are very susceptible to stress
3
THE FAMILY OF SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES
A D (H) D
DYSPRAXIA
DYSCALCULIA
DYSLEXIA
ASPERGER
SYNDROME
TERMINOLOGY CONFUSION
Do not confuse SpLDs with LEARNING DIFFICULTIES/DISABILITIES
4
[LDD]
WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SpLDs ? [1]
PREVALENCE in the GENERAL POPULATION
Studies show that around 10% of the general
population is affected by SpLDs (5% severely)
RESEARCH STUDY on OFFENDERS
“The Incidence of Hidden Disabilities in the Prison
Population” (2005)
This study (by the Learning & Skills Council and Dyslexia
Action) investigated Specific Learning Difficulties in a
number of prisons
CONCLUSION: almost 20% have a hidden disability
(SpLD) such as Attention Deficit Disorder
Is there a link between dyslexia and
offending behaviour?
“When dyslexics experience lack of appropriate support
from the early years of education, this can lead to:
•
poor literacy and numeracy skills
•
lack of confidence and low self esteem
•
boredom, disaffection
•
frustration, anger
•
behavioural problems
•
truanting or exclusion from school
•
poor employment prospects ….
...all of which play their part in the climate of offending.”
Jo Matty (magistrate and dyslexia expert)
WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SpLDs [2]
The behaviour of people with SpLDs can give rise to
misleading impressions because:
 inconsistencies could imply ‘untruthfulness’
 failure to grasp the point of the question or missing part of a
question seems to be ‘evasive’
 hesitancy can suggest you are ‘unsure about your evidence’
 a lack of eye contact can be misinterpreted as being ‘shifty’
 a reaction to stress can be misinterpreted as ‘aggression’
 the breakdown of coping strategies gives an impression of
complete incompetence
Professional reports from those who are not specialists
in SpLDs can be very misleading
Wash-Out-effect
River-effect
Swirl-effect
Examples of Visual Stress when reading
DYSLEXIC DIFFICULTIES
Poor reading skills
POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS
Reading aggravated by
‘Visual Stress’
Unable to cope with written
information
Avoidance of training and
education opportunities
A weak short-term memory
Forgets info & instructions
Misinterpreting situations /
instructions / body language
Appears uncooperative or
cheeky
High levels of distractibility
Fails to take in information
May distract others
Poor organisation
Fails to turn up at the right
place, at the right time, with
the right papers
LOW SELF ESTEEM,
LACK OF CONFIDENCE
INABILITY TO ACQUIRE
NEW SKILLS
TYPICAL DYSLEXIC STRENGTHS
→ Innovative & creative thinking
→ Trouble-shooting
→ Lateral thinking approach to problem solving
→ Intuitive approach
→ Good at getting the bigger picture
→ Ability to recognise patterns and links
→ Often well-developed verbal skills
→ Affinity for colour and rhythm
ELEMENTS OF SUPPORT in LEARNING/TRAINING
1. Awareness that these are largely visual learners
2. Teach the subskills (as well as the skills)
3. Break tasks into component parts
4. Teach appropriate study skills
5. Use technology (to compensate for poor literacy)
6. Memory and organisational strategies
7. Mentoring / ‘buddy’ system
8. Giving frequent feedback and encouragement
These elements of good practice will assist many learners
Specific Learning Difficulties
- are a different way of thinking & processing information
- are largely hereditary
People with SpLDs
- are often visual thinkers
Verbal communication may be challenging
Tom West In the Mind’s Eye (1991)
“For some people the handicap and the gift may be two
aspects of the same thing.
How we perceive it depends entirely on the context.”
MINDMAPPING
MODEL FOR IDENTIFICATION & SUPPORT
Screening for SpLDs
Assessment – Learner profile
Counselling
SUPPORT in education, training and work prep
(Assistive technology)
‘Access arrangements’ for tests and exams
Career advice to take account of SpLD issues
SpLDs may amount to disability, as defined in Equality Act
Entitled to ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ in education and work
ISSUES relating to the immigrant population
Specific Learning Difficulties are present in people
of all nationalities
There is often a stigma surrounding learning
difficulties in the home country
Left-handedness is treated differently in some
education systems e.g. special educational
programmes
Language difficulties could be attributed to poor
English rather than to SpLDs as well
Assessment of SpLDs for those who speak English
as an additional language is a specialist area
SpLD - FRIENDLY APPROACHES
.. to whole organisation AWARENESS
.. to INDUCTION and ADMIN PROCDEURES
.. to GIVING INSTRUCTIONS
.. to LEARNING SUPPORT
.. to ACCREDITATION and TESTING
+ ALWAYS TRY TO MINIMISE VISUAL STRESS
VISUAL STRESS - WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?
1. Dyslexic people are prone to certain eye problems
2. These can be treated by specialist practitioners
3. Use of colour can
make reading easier
4. Certain types of text make the problem worse
www.s4clp/org
www.ceriumoptical.com
DYSLEXIA-FRIENDLY DOCUMENTATION
minimises Visual Stress
USE
DON’T USE
a clear font, at least 12
small fonts (below size 12)
left justification ONLY
justified right margin
selective use of bold and
bullet points
whole words or phrases in
capitals
diagrams, charts, icons
bright white or shiny paper
(try cream / pale blue)
images and graphics to
indicate content
text in either red or green
(also a colour-blind issue)
well spaced text
fancy fonts
crowded text
RESOURCES
1. Releasing the Potential of Offenders with
Dyslexia & related SpLDs (2014)
2. KIWIs for Young People
Key facts
Impact of Specific Learning Difficulty
Ways of Working with Offenders
Information & Networks
PDF versions on www.dyslexia-malvern.co.uk
The Good Practice Guide
for Justice Professionals
Guidelines for Supporting Clients
and Users of the Justice System
who have Dyslexia and other
Specific Learning Difficulties
British Dyslexia Association, 2009
PDF revised 2012
YOUTH OFFENDING TEAM PROJECT
- Training offered to 143 YOTs nationwide
- Development of handbook & training package
- ID cards for young people
- Webinars and national Conference 27th Nov 2014
IN CONCLUSION
“No civilised country should ignore the plight of the most
excluded from society.
No-one should be shut off from opportunities, choice and
options in life that most of us take for granted.
We know that once people are given the chance to
excel, they often do.”
(Reaching Out: An Action Plan on Social Exclusion, 2006)