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?

HOW?

WHY?

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DYS - LEXIA can affect: READING - WRITING - ORAL SKILLS - LISTENING SKILLS

DYSLEXIA affects:

INFORMATION PROCESSING

INPUT OUTPUT

People with Dyslexia are very susceptible to stress

DYSLEXIA may affect:

SHORT-TERM & WORKING MEMORY / ATTENTION SPAN

ORGANISATION / TIME MANAGEMENT

DYSLEXIA may lead to

MISINTERPRETING SITUATIONS / INSTRUCTIONS

THE FAMILY OF SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

DYSPRAXIAA D (H) D

DYSLEXIA

TERMINOLOGY CONFUSION

Do not confuse SpLDs with LEARNING DIFFICULTIES/DISABILITIES [LDD]

DYSCALCULIAASPERGER SYNDROME

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PREVALENCE in the GENERAL POPULATIONStudies 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

WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SpLDs ? [1]

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

Poor reading skills

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

DYSLEXIC DIFFICULTIES POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS

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 thinkersVerbal 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

well spaced text

images and graphics to indicate content

diagrams, charts, icons

selective use of bold and

bullet points

left justification ONLY

a clear font, at least 12

DYSLEXIA-FRIENDLY DOCUMENTATION minimises Visual Stress

DON’T USE

small fonts (below size 12)

justified right margin

whole words or phrases in capitals

bright white or shiny paper (try cream / pale blue)

text in either red or green (also a colour-blind issue)

fancy fontscrowded text

USE

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)