Specific Learning
Difficulties:
Dyslexia is one of many labels for a Specific
Learning Difficulty.
Other Labels for other Learning Difficulties
include:
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Dyscalculia.
Dysgraphia.
Dysphraxia.
Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD).
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Specific Learning Difficulties
Specific Learning Difficulties are usually caused
by inherent, sensory, physical, or neurological
factors and they:
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Can cause a person to learn differently.
Are not linked to intellectual impairment
(except incidentally).
May coincidently exist with problems with
motor co-ordination / skills attention, social
perception and social interaction.
Are life-long.
Specific Learning Difficulties affects the
learning of about 4%-10% of all people.
Dyslexia
Greek "dys" meaning difficulty, and
"lexis" meaning words.
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Sometimes known as ‘specific learning difficulty’, dyslexia is a
problem in the acquisition of reading, spelling and writing.
Frequently mathematics and aspects of spoken language are
affected.
The term ‘developmental dyslexia’ is often used to describe
those who fail to acquire written language easily and whose
written language is delayed.
Characteristics of Dyslexia
Common characteristics of Dyslexia
include:
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Short Term Memory Difficulties.
Reading and Writing Difficulties.
Visual Processing Difficulties.
Auditory Processing Difficulties.
Time Management Difficulties.
Organisational Difficulties.
Theoretical Explanations of
Dyslexia
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Its explained in the literature at different levels
Biological Level
Cognitive Level
Behavioural level
Effects of Dyslexia
The effects of dyslexia may include:
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Making errors with numbers (telephone
numbers, reversing bus number etc).
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Difficulty with organisational skills,
including time management.
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Misplacing personal items such as keys.
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Making mistakes copying things down
(instructions, number etc).
Effects of Dyslexia II
Also:
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Confusing dates, and missing appointments.
Difficulty with orientation, e.g. with maps or in
strange towns.
Confusing left and right.
Problems with explaining ideas and concepts,
particularly on paper.
Word finding difficulties, and mispronunciation of
long words.
Dyslexia and the Use of
Assistive Technology
Characteristics of Specific
Learning Difficulties
The following are common characteristics of
Specific Learning Difficulties:
Memory Difficulties
 Writing Difficulties
 Reading Difficulties
 Visual Processing Difficulties
 Auditory Processing Difficulties
 Time Management Difficulties
 Organisational Difficulties
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Memory Difficulties
Audio Recorder
 Sticky Notes
 Electronic To Do
Lists / Task Lists
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Organisational Tools
Mind Mapping
Software
 Outline Tool
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Keyboarding
Smart Keyboards
 Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
 Desktop or Laptop Computer
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Visual Difficulties
Good lighting.
 Coloured Overlays.
 Choose a clear font and think about
the visual presentation.
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Reading from the screen
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Text to Speech can be useful for
students with an auditory learning style.
Text to speech can be used for reading
a whole range of text documents (web
pages, Word Documents and PDFs
etc).
Text to speech can be used in
conjunction with OCR to read printed
books or papers.
Writing on the Screen
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Good Keyboarding skills.
Speech Recognition
programs.
Spell Checking.
Word Prediction.
Conclusion
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Technology can help support the needs
of students with specific learning
difficulties.
Sometimes simple technology can work
more effectively.
Technology does not replace the need
for specialist learning support, but it does
give students more independence and
freedom to work using their skills and