This resource aims to support teaching staff in understanding more about dyslexia and how they can most effectively support their students.
According to current data from the British Dyslexia Association, approximately 10% of the population shows some signs of dyslexia, with around 4% being more severely dyslexic. Universities have an important role to play in supporting and encouraging students with dyslexia to develop learning strategies that enable them to manage the pressures of university study, and fulfil their potential.
These activities will help teaching staff explore perceptions and common misconceptions about dyslexia, reflect on scenarios that might arise with students and consider reasonable adjustments that can be made in order to improve support for their students.
Activity 1: Perceptions about dyslexia
There are many different perceptions about dyslexia, some of which are common misconceptions. This activity will help you to think about some perceptions of dyslexia and decide if you think they are true or false.
Instruction
Read the statements below which describe different perceptions of dyslexia and decide if you think they are true or false. Drag and drop each statement into the appropriate box. Then read the feedback. Open the help section first to read a description of dyslexia.
The DfES Working Group on SpLD (Specific Learning Difficulties) in Higher Education (2005) describes dyslexia in the following way: "Dyslexia is a combination of abilities and difficulties; the difficulties affect the learning process in aspects of literacy and sometimes numeracy. Coping with required reading is generally seen as the biggest challenge at higher education level due in part to difficulty in skimming and scanning written material. A student may also have an inability to express his/her ideas clearly in written form and in a style appropriate to the level of study. Marked and persistent weaknesses may be identified in working memory, speed of processing, sequencing skills, auditory and/or visual perception, spoken language and motor skills. Visuo-spatial skills, creative thinking and intuitive understanding are less likely to be impaired and indeed may be outstanding. Enabling or assistive technology is often found to be very beneficial."
Does this description of dyslexia match your own views and ideas about it? In what other ways have you heard dyslexia described or defined?
True
False
The level of impact of dyslexia varies from student to student
Most dyslexic students work equally as hard as non-dyslexic students
Modern technology has eliminated the problems with writing faced by dyslexic students
Many students are not aware of their dyslexia until they reach university
Dyslexic students are always difficult to support
Dyslexia does not affect students on courses such as maths and engineering
The perceptions that are true are as follows:
The level of impact of dyslexia varies from student to student True. Dyslexia is a cluster of difficulties which can impact in areas such as written expression - there is often a mismatch between oral and written expression; speed and accuracy in reading; spelling; time and personal management; following instructions; mental arithmetic; and self-esteem. The level of impact of dyslexia will vary from student to student but having effective strategies in place and teaching staff who have some understanding of how to make adjustments can go a long way to alleviating the effects of dyslexia.
Many students are not aware of their dyslexia until they reach university True. Many students are not aware of their dyslexia until well into their university courses. They may be returners to study who left education early, possibly owing to their undiagnosed dyslexia, or may simply have coped very well at school by spending extra time studying or developing learning strategies. Others have been aware of their dyslexia since childhood. However, the demands of higher education are very different from those of school, and students who may have coped well in a highly structured environment find that the independence of university study overloads their coping strategies.
The perceptions that are false are as follows:
Modern technology has eliminated the problems with writing faced by dyslexic students False. While the word-processing of assignments helps all students to hand in well-presented written work and avoids legibility issues, the main difficulties faced by dyslexic students are the ordering of their ideas within the assignment, the structuring of sentences, and spelling. However, even spellcheckers are not infallible: they will not correct real words in the wrong place, and dyslexic students often find that they are unable to choose from the alternatives offered by the spellchecker, or that their attempts are unrecognised or thought to be a different word altogether.
Dyslexia does not affect students on courses such as maths and engineering False. Some students with dyslexia gravitate towards science or maths based degrees not just because they are better at these subjects, but because they may be considered to be less demanding of advanced literacy skills. However, dyslexic students can still experience difficulties in their speed of processing information during lectures; carrying out mental calculations (because of working memory difficulties); remembering which formula to apply and clearly showing all the steps in their calculations. Of course, there will be written assignments and the ability to write clearly is key for engineers as for anyone else.
Dyslexic students are always difficult to support False. Some teaching staff may feel that the range of reasonable adjustments which dyslexic students expect can place disproportionate demands on their time. However, the answer may lie in careful consideration of the way course materials are presented to all students. Such good practice also has the advantage that dyslexic students can avoid the embarrassment of publicly coming forward to ask for help, as well as being of benefit to all students. Examples of such dyslexia-friendly (and student-friendly) practice might include: • handouts in advance or lecture notes made available via Blackboard (or other intranet) • attention to legibility and accessibility issues • guided and prioritised reading lists • careful attention to the pace of lectures • written feedback or one-to-one verbal feedback on assignments
Most dyslexic students work equally as hard as non-dyslexic students False. Many dyslexic students actually spend considerably longer studying than others and can be very frustrated that they are working long hours
but not achieving the grades they would like. Also an important point, however, is that dyslexic students are a subset of all students and, like all students, have differing abilities, experience, motivation and application.
Have your own perceptions of dyslexia been challenged during this activity?
Activity 2: Identifying the right course of action to take
Teaching staff may or may not be able to distinguish signs of dyslexia from other common problems when they are present in their students, and knowing the right course of action to take if they do suspect dyslexia, or indeed other problems, is important. This activity will help you to reflect on some scenarios that might arise when teaching students and consider how you might respond to them.
Instruction
Read the scenarios below and consider how you might respond to each one in your own teaching context. Make notes in the text boxes provided. Then read the feedback. Open the help section first for some further guidance on distinguishing dyslexia from other conditions.
Dyslexia is commonly confused with other conditions, in particular dyspraxia, as there can be overlap between the signs and symptoms. Dyspraxia does not generally cause the same literacy difficulties with spelling and reading, but it can impact on a student's ability to structure and order their written assignments and manage their time. Dyspraxic students' difficulties with organising themselves and their studies can cause frustration. It can impact on life skills such as cooking and household chores may be difficult or time consuming, curtailing study time and making the transition to independent university living more difficult. Dyslexia and dyspraxia often co-exist.
You have been impressed by a student's contributions in seminars and are looking forward to the first written assignment. However, when the assignment arrives, it is poorly constructed and punctuated, lacking in coherence and looks as though it was completed hurriedly the night before. What do you do?
In this scenario, it is advisable to ask the student about their study skills background: has s/he written many essays and received support? If dyslexia has been suspected previously then you should refer the student to Enabling Services for a screening test (email: enable@soton.ac.uk). Further guidance might consist of giving verbal and written feedback as to what is wrong and how this might be addressed; for example if an assignment is too descriptive you might explain what this means and work through a small section showing how this could be changed. Students can also be directed to the Study Skills Toolkit, a learning resource for all students, which is available via Blackboard under the 'Courses' menu.
Early in the year, one of your students comes to you and says that he/she is dyslexic and had extra time and used a computer for A levels. He/she would like the same arrangements at University. What is your response?
In this case, it is advisable to put the student directly in touch with the University's Enabling Services. All special examination arrangements for students with specific learning difficulties are made by Enabling Services after reviewing evidence provided by the student. Dyslexia (or another specific learning difficulty such as dyspraxia) must be formally diagnosed for the University to accept it as ground for special exam arrangements. For further information, see the Enabling Services Tutor Guide, available via the Enabling Services website.
One of your students does not appear to have any problems with spelling or reading. However, he/she is extremely disorganised, finds meeting deadlines very difficult and never knows where anything is. Furthermore, although his/her written assignments are reasonably literate they are poorly structured and lack flow. You suspect there might be something wrong but it's difficult to pinpoint.
This may be a case of undiagnosed dyspraxia and the student should be referred to Enabling Services for a screening assessment. Dyspraxia is less well known and understood than dyslexia, but can cause surprising problems for students. The main issue academically is structuring of written work: sentence structure and spelling can also be weak, as the condition has considerable overlap with dyslexia. However, lack of organisation of both study and life can comprise a significant barrier to learning. For more information about dyspraxia, visit the Dyspraxia Foundation website.
You are surprised by the poor exam grades of some of your students, whose coursework has always seemed fine. How do you respond?
In this scenario, you should find out whether the students ran out of time in the exams and whether this is normal for them. If you suspect dyslexia, you should refer the students to Enabling Services for a screening interview. Running out of time is one of the most common problems for dyslexic students, both at school and university. Dyslexic students often report enormous discrepancies between exam and coursework grades, because working under time pressure puts too much strain on their weak working memories and slow speeds of processing. This is the rationale behind the allowance of extra time to dyslexic students. However, it is also important to encourage students to seek tutorial help at Enabling Services to help them make the best use of their extra time.
One of your students has completed a screening questionnaire and has been referred for a full diagnostic assessment. The student tells you that s/he is dyslexic and asks for special arrangements.
In this case, tell the student that a screening is not a full assessment; only a full assessment can show whether dyslexia is evident. Following the assessment, Enabling Services will contact the student to arrange for feedback and the faculty will then receive a memo outlining support and recommendations. No student should be considered dyslexic until this process is complete.
Activity 3: What can academic staff do to help?
It does not necessarily require a great deal of time, work and effort to support dyslexic students and often small adjustments made by teaching staff in their practice and interaction with students can make a significant difference. This activity will help you to consider some reasonable adjustments you can make in order to improve the support you provide for dyslexic students - or indeed any student.
Instruction
Read the list of situations below on the left, and match each one with a possible adjustment/action from the list on the right by first clicking on a situation on the left, and then on the corresponding adjustment/action on the right. Then check your answers and read the feedback.
Student has poor grasp of statistics - Refer student to MathsCentre resources or assign a postgraduate buddy for support Statistics can be difficult for dyslexic students. Teaching staff can provide support with statistics in various ways. One option may be to assign students a postgraduate buddy who can provide regular, individual support. Teaching staff may also direct students to the MathsCentre website and bank of resources, many of which are visual.
Student has poor referencing skills - Refer student to library website guidance or Study Skills Toolkit in Blackboard Where a student is struggling with referencing, there are a number of resources that teaching staff can direct their students to. The University library service website provides support on skills such as database search and referencing while online tutorials introduce students to library services and resources. There are other tools and resources that can help students: the Fact Folder from Read and Write 9 Gold (a toolbar used by many dyslexic students that contains support features to make reading, writing and research easier), for instance, enables the collation of key facts from websites and other applications, with the date and website address being automatically saved, which is useful to preparing bibliographies. Word 7 also has a referencing resource.
Student is keen to read but unsure what to read - Provide advice to help students access and select appropriate reading material Students with dyslexia will often be motivated to read, but they may read slowly and be unsure of what to read. A course or module reading list can seem daunting and students may require additional support when approaching it. Providing guided advice on reading can help dyslexic students identify what to read. It can be helpful to: point to which texts might be essential reading; identify which sections of texts students need to read; identify where the texts can be found (library; downloadable from X; on Blackboard etc); link specific reading with module/seminar topics; and suggest some specific questions to guide students when reading. Students can also be directed to the academic study skills resources available via the University's Enabling Services website. Further support in study skills for all students is also available through the Study Skills Toolkit, accessible to all University of Southampton staff and students via Blackboard under the 'Courses' menu.
Student is poor at listening and writing simultaneously in lectures - Ensure lecture slides are available in advance and make lecture recordings available Students with dyslexia may struggle with the multi-tasking that is required in lectures, in particular listening, understanding and writing. Teaching staff can support dyslexic students by ensuring the lecture slides are available in advance on Blackboard so that students can download and annotate them; emphasise which points need to be noted; and make lecture recordings available after the lectures. Information on the Panopto lecture capture system is available through the iSolutions website. Many dyslexic students also find podcasts useful. Information on podcasts and Synote can also be found online.
Student takes long time to read during a class activity - Make texts to be used in class available prior to class Dyslexic students often take longer to read and may not have developed good strategies for identifying which sections are part
icularly important to read. Reading can tend to be quite word for word with continual re-reading accompanied by either no note taking or over extensive note taking. Students can be supported by making texts available prior to classes for pre-reading. Students may also find the Enabling Services academic skills booklet Reading and Research Skills useful for general reading skills practice.
Student written assignment contains plagiarism - Make risks clear and encourage development of summarising and paraphrasing skills Students with dyslexia sometimes have poorly developed skills of summarising and paraphrasing and/or a weak ability to express their thoughts in writing. This can lead to copying. Encouraging the development of skills in summarising and paraphrasing by reading large sections, thinking about the main ideas and then making brief notes, can help develop these skills. Information about encouraging the use of summarising resources is in Enabling Services' academic skills booklet on Reading and Research Skills.
Student written assignment is poorly structured - Encourage planning for written work and refer student to sources of help Where students with dyslexia may be struggling to structure their academic work, teaching staff can provide support by encouraging students to plan their essays and demonstrate how this can be carried out using a variety of formats: bullet points; headings; diagrammatic formats. Many dyslexic students will have been awarded the software programme Inspiration. Students can also be referred to the Enabling Services study guide on writing essays, available via the Enabling Services website or Palgrave's Pocket Study Skills book on Writing.
Generally students with dyslexia find verbal explanations with demonstrations very useful, alongside the opportunity to put new skills into practice. In all cases, booking support sessions with a dyslexia specialist tutor can help develop academic skills.
