CONSIDERING DYSLEXIA & OTHER SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES Melanie Jameson DYSLEXIA CONSULTANCY MALVERN, UK RE-IMAGINING YOUTH JUSTICE London 2014

WHAT? HOW? WHY?

3 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 DYSPRAXIA A D (H) D DYSLEXIA TERMINOLOGY CONFUSION Do not confuse SpLDs with LEARNING DIFFICULTIES/DISABILITIES [LDD] DYSCALCULIA ASPERGER SYNDROME 4

PREVALENCE in the GENERAL POPULATION Studies 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 distractibilityFails to take in information May distract others Poor organisationFails 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 thinkers Verbal 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

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 fonts crowded 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

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 27 th 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)