‘I didn’t think I had it. But I’m glad I found out.’ Supporting the learning needs and the assessment of practice of students diagnosed with dyslexia. Heather Saunders, Rachael Hunt, Ian Mathews and Diane Simpson

Definitional issues ‘Dyslexia’ is a contested and controversial term. We are choosing to define ‘dyslexia’ as ‘a specific learning difficulty that mainly affects the development of literacy and language related skills’ (British Dyslexia Association 2007)

Context A disproportionate number of our social work students have, or acquire, a diagnosis of dyslexia; This raises significant issues regarding their; support needs level of academic achievement ability to enter the profession and succeed All of which especially come to the fore when students go on placement.

What research tells us Surprisingly limited amount of research on social work education and disabilities such as dyslexia; Social work students with a ‘self declared disability’ are more likely to fail to complete their studies, or to be delayed, than students without a disability (Hussein et al 2008) Many students on social work (and other related courses) courses either did not know, or chose not to reveal, that they had a disability that might impact on their studies (Evans 2013; Moriarty et al 2009). Graduates with dyslexia are less likely to obtain good degrees than graduates with no known disability (Richardson 2009)

Student nurses – a case study An unwillingness to disclose dyslexia due to concerns about the consequences of disclosure (McPheat 2014) A reluctance to undertake tasks on placement which could highlight their dyslexia (Andreassi 2007; Morris & Turnbull 2006) A culture of concern expressed by nurse managers regarding the risks and limitations of dyslexia (Child & Langford 2011; Morris & Turnbull 2006) Their ability to concentrate on their studies was impaired by the process of ‘coming to terms’ with their diagnosis (Goode 2007)

University of Lincoln Story

UOL Story Currently out of 171 students 30 have a learning support plan in place for dyslexia All 30 students will be involved in two practice placements during their social work training. This will involve a minimum of 70 external staff who will be responsible for supporting and assessing the students. A significant number of students entering the concerns process will have an assessment in place for dyslexia.

UOL Story During the quality assurance processes dyslexia was raised by both students and practice educators as an area where more knowledge was required This led to the development of a support guide for both students and practice educators Workshops were also delivered to support practice educators

Dyslexia Support Guide Demonstration

Feedback Practice Educators found the guide useful and supported adaptation of certain aspects of their practice The guide was also used as a tool to discuss dyslexia and support needed with students Practice educators suggested that they felt more comfortable about referring students back to the university for support because the guide provides information on available support Practice Educators felt it was helpful to learn about reasonable adjustments and what the expectations of practice educators and students are

References Andreassi, J., (2007) Psychophysiology: Human behaviour and physiological responses, fifth edition, Taylor and Francis, New York Child, J., and Langford, E., (2011) Exploring the learning experiences of nursing students with dyslexia, Nursing Standard, 25, 40, Evans, W. (2014) ‘I am not a dyslexic person I’m a person with dyslexia’: identity constructions of dyslexia among students in nurse education. Journal of Advanced Nursing 70(2), 360–372. Goode, J (2007) Managing disability: early experiences of university students with disability, Disability and Society, 22, 1, Hussein, S., Moriarty, J., Manthorpe, J and Huxley, P., (2008) Diversity and Progression among Students Starting Social Work Qualifying Programmes in England between 1995 and 1998: A Quantitative Study, British Journal of Social Work, 38, 1588–1609 McPheat, C., (2014) Experience of nursing students with dyslexia on clinical placement, Nursing Standard, 28, 41, Moriarty, J., Manthorpe, J., Chauhan, B., Jones, G., Wenman, H., and Hussein, S. (2009) ‘Hanging on a Little Thin Line’: Barriers to Progression and Retention in Social Work Education, Social Work Education Vol. 28, No. 4, June 2009, pp. 363–379 Morris, D and Turnbull, P (2006) Clinical experiences of students with dyslexia, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 54, 2, Richardson, J.T.E. (2009) The academic attainment of students with disabilities in UK higher education, Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 34, No. 2, March 2009, 123–137