Coaching Adults with Dyslexia to Improve Performance at Work MPG Handout Pack Coaching Adults with Dyslexia to Improve Performance at Work Nancy Doyle C. Psychol.

How does dyslexia impact on workplace performance? MPG Handout Pack How does dyslexia impact on workplace performance? To what extent does coaching dyslexics in the workplace improve their performance?

‘Neuro-diversity’ MPG Handout Pack Dyslexia is a particular cognitive style that results in poor phonological processing, poor phonological working memory, poor sequencing and processing speed (Guest, 2009; Shaywitz et al. 1990’s) but with above average strengths in verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning and mechanical ability (Eide and Eide, 2011; Von Karolyi, 2001 - 2005). There are individual variations but this is a typical profile description. Phonological Deficit: Book: Guest, 2009 / Research: Shaywitz et al. 1990s Visual Bias: Book: Eide and Eide, 2011 / Research Von Karolyi et al. 2001 +

Organisational Skills Workplace impact MPG Handout Pack Memory Remembering verbal instructions Keeping track in meetings Organisational Skills Filing Managing emails Keeping track of equipment Time Management Prioritising workload Meeting deadlines Estimating how long things will take Literacy Basics – spelling and grammar Structuring reports Reading lengthy material Such a profile presents the following common difficulties in the workplace (Bartlett, Moody & Kindersley, 2010): Management of time: prioritising workloads & meeting deadlines Organisational Skills: filing, keeping track of information and records Memory: remembering verbal instructions, keeping track in meetings Literacy: Many adult dyslexics have developed a functional literacy, but this can suddenly become inadequate when they receive promotions or attempt further study skills in senior or creative roles. Julie Cass – 1% 20-35% DDA Definition of Disability: Physical or mental impairment which has a substantial, adverse, long term effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities.’ mobility • manual dexterity • physical co-ordination • continence • ability to lift, carry or move everyday objects • speech, hearing or eyesight • memory or ability to concentrate, learn or understand So MEMORY IS KEY • understanding or perception of physical danger Difficulties: Bartlett, Moody & Kindersley, 2010 Entrepreneurialism: Logan, 2010

Equality Act 2010 MPG Handout Pack Dyslexia Prevalence in the working population 4-8% (Rose, 2009) In the population of long term unemployed 28% (Kirby, 2012) Access to Work refers 3000 dyslexics per year (Gifford, 2011) Under the guidance of the Disability Discrimination Acts 95/05 and the Equalities Act 2010, dyslexic difficulty can meet the legal criteria for disability. As such, dyslexic employees are protected by these laws and employers are obliged to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the individual’s working conditions. This can include software that will write what you say, or speak what you write. It also frequently includes the facility for 1:1 coaching to help the individual adapt to their environment and accelerate their learning to meet performance targets, particularly those relating to the self management of time and organisation. Estimates for the number of people with dyslexia vary, from between 4% - 15%. Sir Jim Rose’s 2009 report estimated between 4 and 8%. Of this large number in the population, over 3000 dyslexics per year in the UK undergo support to improve performance, through the Government programme Access to Work (Gifford, 2011). The programme, part of DWP, exists to prevent needless unemployment through disability. Access to Work provide Work Based Assessments, which then guide employers as to the ‘reasonable adjustments’ that can be made for each individual. The Assessments conclude with three quotes for recommended suppliers of coaching and technology.

Evaluating the coaching MPG Handout Pack Who? 95 coaching clients in the UK mainly referred through Access to Work or Occupational Health 41 men, 44 women Aged between 23 and 59 All receiving coaching to improve workplace productivity on account of being dyslexic and / or dyspraxic Average of 9.86 hours received over 4.6 sessions How? Both manager and client asked to identify topics to cover and then independently give a score out of 10 for their current performance Coaching delivered by professional work based coaches with a level 5 certificate in coaching Researcher calls 1 month after coaching and asks for current performance again, without revealing the initial score Regression Analysis and ANOVA used to investigate distance travelled and key topics covered The stats above are the research story. However, there is a very human story attached to these clients, which I’d like to take a moment to explain. When an individual is referred to us for coaching they have often been struggling with performance for at least 6 months, which has considerable impact to their relationships at work and their self esteem. The coach has a two-fold job. Firstly, to improve their performance and secondly, deal with the psycho-social impact of difficulties in the workplace. Companies are spending between £500 – £2000 on each individual coaching programme, which can be a large part of the learning budget for many companies. They have been legally obliged, via Access to Work to commission coaching and technology, and continue the employment of a poorly performing employee, whilst the coaching is in place. This can cause conflict. There are no national standards or guidelines in place for the coaching of adults with dyslexia. Many companies recruit people with Special Needs Education qualifications, but these courses do not cover workplace skills such as managing deadlines or keeping track in meetings. As such, there is little real guarantee that a coaching programme will produce a return on investment for the company and the client. From the client’s perspective, the coaching is sometimes their last hope to hold onto their job. They fear, and rightly so, that it may be a tick box exercise in a performance management process that results in their dismissal. Many clients are coming to terms with a dyslexia diagnosis and have had no idea that it impacts on their memory or time management. They, like many of the general public, are frequently only aware that dyslexia affects literacy. Therefore they have not advocated for their own needs nor explained their difficulties at the start. As well as practical advice and support, clients need to improve their confidence and self efficacy.

MPG Handout Pack % Clients responding % Managers responding My first step was to consider the topics covered. I wanted to provide a reference for Barlett, Moody and Kindersley’s assertion that literacy is not always the presenting complaint. The choice of topics to cover comes from the client and their manager, so we can use this data to understand the pressing issues for dyslexics in the workplace. So as you can see, just as in diagnosis, Memory is key. Literacy is a factor, but not the defining topic. [My next move is to run a factor analysis on these topics, and my expectation is that they will cluster around literacy, organisational skills, which will take in time, prioritising and planning and memory. If I don’t get this done in time for DOP I will simply talk about the different possible interpretations of these topics] This has implications for stress management and occupational health – companies are spending a fortune on stress counselling for people who may be stressed because they can’t remember key actions and don’t have the right organisational strategies to manage their workload. Counselling for stress will not undo a basic dyslexic difficulty which is undiagnosed. Remember that between 4-8% of working population is dyslexic and in certain groups many more than that. Of long term unemployed 28% are dyslexic. So if you have someone in a Perf Mgmt situation it might be wise to look deeper than the surface complaint.

Impact on Perceived Productivity MPG Handout Pack Clients report a 57% improvement Managers report a 28% improvement So the most important information from a client and organisational perspective is – does it work? The headline scores are Clients report a 57% improvement Managers report 28% Notice that they both finish in the same place! Average score for clients post coaching is 6.25, managers is 6.26. This could be a demonstration of leniency error on the part of the managers at the first interval, or perhaps it shows a However, from a research perspective we need to know much more about how it is working.

Does the amount of coaching affect outcomes? MPG Handout Pack For clients, the number of sessions significantly affected their scores for: Working memory (F=2.35 p=.019) Spelling (F= 2.201, p= .043) Organisation (F=2.064, p=.048) The hours of coaching significantly affected scores for: Planning scores (F=2.438, p=.021) For managers, the number of sessions significantly affected: Dyslexia Awareness (F=4.095, p=.028) Communicating their needs (F=3.403, p=.041) Whereas the hours of coaching significantly affected: Numeracy (F=3.822, p=.042) Overall, the number of session or number hours did not affect the outcome. It’s not a direct relationship – some people benefit from just a few sessions others need more. However, there IS a direct relationship for memory, organisation and spelling and this is interesting, and given how important these topics are for clients.

Do any topics have a ‘halo effect’? MPG Handout Pack Lastly, I wanted to know if any topics had a ‘halo effect’ and could predict overall outcome. None of you will be surprised to see memory up there, but planning and prioritising seem to take precedence over organisation... This is what leads me to a factor analysis on these topics, as they may be part and parcel of the same thing!

Does this mean the assessors are doing a good job? So what? MPG Handout Pack Does this mean the assessors are doing a good job? Is there a different independent variable that we haven’t measured ? Are we looking at individual facets of more global factors? Does the distance travelled simply reflect their expectations? Lastly, I wanted to know if any topics had a ‘halo effect’ and could predict overall outcome. None of you will be surprised to see memory up there, but planning and prioritising seem to take precedence over organisation... This is what leads me to a factor analysis on these topics, as they may be part and parcel of the same thing!

MPG Handout Pack What next? How does this compare to technology alone? Technology combined? Can we correlate coach’s reflections on distance travelled? A further study relating self report measure and external measures of performance What are the other things the coaches are doing that might impact, for example, discussions around diet and sleep? Lastly, I wanted to know if any topics had a ‘halo effect’ and could predict overall outcome. None of you will be surprised to see memory up there, but planning and prioritising seem to take precedence over organisation... This is what leads me to a factor analysis on these topics, as they may be part and parcel of the same thing!

Signposting MPG Handout Pack What might you notice? Difficulty managing appointments Forgetting or failing to follow up on verbal advice Poor articulation Going off on tangents Workplace stress absence Poor personal organisation Clumsiness, lack of driving skills (dyspraxia) Chaotic personal life, multiple jobs (ADHD) Where can be done? Referral to Access to Work Referral to Occupational Health Companies are legally obliged to take neuro-diversity seriously and risk Unfair Dismissal cases if they fail to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ Technology adjustments Coaching programmes Video Learning Journeys and online specialist support 5 Things they can do straight away Degrees of distraction Coloured overlays & changing screen colour Auditory spell checkers Start using phones and other tech equipment to manage diaries Find their genius!

Albert Einstein “If you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.” 67% of our clients report depression, anxiety, work-related stress and / or insomnia Correctly identifying the root cause is the first step to getting on the right track