1. Dyslexia and Dyspraxia (DCD)
Understanding
Dyslexia and Dyspraxia (DCD)

2. Contents Part 1: What is neurodiversity?
Part 2: Legal issues surrounding neurodiversity
in the workplace; research and securing
support for employees.
Part 3: Understanding specific conditions:
Dyslexia
Part 4: Reflection
Part 5: Planning next steps

3. What is ‘Neurodiversity’?
Part 1: Overview
What is ‘Neurodiversity’?

4. Part 1: What is ‘Neurodiversity’?
Contents
The Spiky Profile
How the different neurodiverse conditions overlap
Key categories of neurodiverse conditions

5. Neurodiverse people have abilities which are ‘out of balance’, with significant differences between their strengths and difficulties.
Neurotypical individuals (red line) have similar abilities in all areas.

6. What is Neurodiversity?
Recent research has grouped these neurodiverse conditions into four key categories:
From Psychology at work: Improving wellbeing and productivity in the workplace, Weinberg, A & Doyle, N, 2017.

7. Overlapping Neurodiverse Conditions
Dyspraxia
(Now known as Developmental
Co-ordination Disorder (DCD)
Innovation
Rapport
Awareness of others
Dyscalculia
Intuition
Verbal communication
Dyslexia
Visual thinking
Creative ability
Connecting ideas
Neurodiversity
Evolution has created
specialist thinkers to
bring a variety of
expertise to
humanity.
Sound processing
3D mechanical ability
ASC
Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Concentration
Fine detail processing
Sequencing
ADHD
Attention Deficit-
Hyperactivity Disorder
Creative ability
Novel thinking
Energy and passion
ADHD
Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
Creative ability
Novel thinking
Energy & passion
Tourette’s
Ideas
Creative ability
Cognitive control
Based on the highly original work of Mary Colley, DANDA

8. Part 2: The Legal Issues Surrounding Neurodiversity in the Workplace

9. What are the legal issues surrounding neurodiversity in the workplace?
“A person has a disability if she or he has a physical or mental impairment that has substantial and long term (12 months+) adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”
Equality Act 2010

10. Direct Discrimination
Making assumptions about capability and treating differently as a result
Failure to make reasonable adjustments
Victimisation
Harassment 10

11. Indirect Discrimination
By treating all people the same, you may inadvertently be discriminating
As an employer you are still accountable for this 11

13. Getting Support
Getting a workplace needs assessment (free through Access to work or some choose full private assessment). This will give advice on:
Assistive technology
Coaching
Informal adjustments
Use a free online tool to find out your strengths and difficulties and strategies that might work for you. We have a free strategy profiler on our website:

14. Specific Conditions: Dyslexia & Developmental Co-ordination Disorder
Part 3: Understanding
Specific Conditions: Dyslexia & Developmental Co-ordination Disorder
(DCD – previously known as dyspraxia)

15. Part 3: Dyslexia & DCD Contents
Introducing dyslexia and DCD (Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, aka dyspraxia)
How are dyslexia and DCD related?
Where do dyslexia and DCD come from?
Environmental & Cultural Factors
What is dyslexia?
What is DCD?
Dyslexia & DCD: The Four Areas of Diagnosis
The dyslexic brain
Typical dyslexia profile
Typical DCD profile
Overview of key areas: Verbal skills, Perceptual Skills, Processing & Working Memory
Common strengths & difficulties
Supporting individuals with dyslexia
Common adjustments in the workplace and their relevance to different neurodiverse groups.

16. Introducing dyslexia and DCD?
(DCD = Developmental Co-ordination Disorder
- formally known as dyspraxia)
Dyslexia and DCD are …
Just different thinking styles that comes with many advantages and some disadvantages.
Dyslexia and Dyspraxia are not ….
Diseases. It isn’t possible to catch them and you can't cure them.

17. How are dyslexia and DCD related?
(DCD = Developmental Co-ordination Disorder
- formally known as dyspraxia)
Dyslexia and dyspraxia both involve a difference in cognitive style affecting learning, communication, organisation and memory.
As with all neurodiversity, the abilities of dyslexic and DCD individuals are out of balance.
In education, Dyslexia and DCD are both regarded as types of SpLD, 'Specific Learning Difficulties'.
There is no one type of either dyslexia or DCD, but clusters of characteristics: these frequently overlap.
Dyslexia and dyspraxia can often co-exist in the same person.
In both dyslexia and DCD, there is often a difference between intelligence potential and academic achievement.

18. How are dyslexia and dyspraxia related?
- Phonology
- Auditory memory
Developmental Co-ordination Disorder)
DCD
- Motor skills
- Spatial awareness
Both
- Structure
- Sequence
- Visual tracking
- Attention

19. Where do dyslexia & DCD come from?
Dyslexia and DCD are probably
hereditary: several genes have been
implicated.
There are often several members within a family who are similarly affected.
Neither dyslexia nor dyspraxia are related to race, social background.
Dyslexia and dyspraxia is not related to intelligence.

20. Where do dyslexia and DCD come from?
(DCD = Developmental Co-ordination Disorder
- formally known as dyspraxia)
Do Dyslexia and DCD have an evolutionary purpose?
There is a growing view that there is an
evolutionary purpose to dyslexia and DCD.
The skills that each condition bring are vital for human development, cooperation and day to day functioning.
The fact that approximately 10% of society is either or both suggests it is not just an accident.

21. Cultural & Environmental Factors
The phonological and structural nature of the English language
and how it is encoded in written form is a disadvantage for people
with dyslexic and DCD thinking styles.
The current UK curriculum, teaching provision and assessment
systems do not utilise the strengths and advantages of the dyslexic or
DCD brain – it is instead centred on the areas that are common key
difficulties for dyslexic and DCD individuals.
Culture, society and workplaces place a great emphasis and requirement on areas such as written language, organisation and working memory – all of which are key difficulties for people with dyslexic and DCD thinking styles.
This is often the case even in industries more suited to dyslexic and DCD thinkers.
The problem isn’t the neurodiversity itself - it is the environment not fitting with its strengths.

22. What is Dyslexia?
Lexis refers to language – dyslexia means problem with language.
This can refer to reading, writing, spelling, and phonological problems which result in difficulties acquiring new language.
This is a symptom not a cause.
The same cognitive differences affects specific skills such as:
Literacy,
Organisation,
Short-term memory
Certain information-processing abilities.
Possibly 10% of people are dyslexic, of these 6% are mildly or moderately affected, 4% severely so.

23. (Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, previously known as dyspraxia)
What is DCD?
(Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, previously known as dyspraxia)
Dyspraxia is now known widely as Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD)
Praxis comes from the Greek word meaning ‘to do’, related to movement.
Three abilities are required for effective movement:
Conceptualise the move
Organize and plan the move
Execute sequences of movements.
If one or more of these is impaired then DCD may result.
As children dyspraxics are often referred to as having “clumsy child syndrome” because of their tendency to bump into things and they frequently have trouble with sports, e.g. catching balls.
Around 2% of the population are affected.

24. The Four Areas of Diagnosis for Perceptual Organisation
Dyslexia & DCD
Verbal Comprehension
Working memory
The four
key areas
of diagnosis
Processing Speed
Perceptual Organisation

25. Verbal Comprehension
When this is a strength
Explaining what you mean
Making connections between ideas
Understanding a wide range of words and concepts
When this is a weakness
Struggling to explain oneself
Doesn’t automatically understand how things are related
Poor vocabulary and general knowledge
Verbal Comprehension is commonly a strength for people with dyslexia and DCD.

26. Perceptual Reasoning
Connects ideas Sees complex patterns Mechanical ability  3D thinking skills
When this is a strength
Judging size, distance, space
Spots patterns
Notices hidden conflict / error
Practical skills
When this is a weakness
Lacks structure
Difficulty in putting things together or working out how things fit
Doesn’t spot when things don’t match
Perceptual organisation is commonly a strength for people with dyslexia.

27. Processing Speed
 Scan  
 Motor skills   
 Sequencing  
When this is a strength
When this is a weakness
Quick readers
Make quick decisions
Spread sheets, data entry
Fine motor skills
Completing questionnaires
Finding route on a map
Stressed or frustrated at quick decisions
Reading detail in the moment
Processing speed is commonly a weakness for people with dyslexia and DCD.

28. Working memory is a common weakness for people with dyslexia and DCD.
The number of things you can keep in your attention before you forget.
When this is a strength
When this is a weakness
Can quote verbatim
Phone numbers or directions are easy to recall
Notices details
Keeps track of conversations
Forgets phone messages
Difficulty in following large amounts of verbal information
Forgets names / details
Difficulty following instructions
Working memory is a common weakness for people with dyslexia and DCD.

29. The DCD/Dyslexic Brain
Subtle differences, for English speakers this is mainly within the left hemisphere of the brain (language centres)
Differences in visual, auditory and long term memory parts of the brain (resulting in reduced efficiency of transmission of this information)
Differences in left/right brain communication across the corpus callosum
Physiological brain function during activities such as reading has been found to be different in people with dyslexia and dyspraxia when compared with neurotypical people

30. A Typical DCD Profile IQ Strengths Verbal Comprehension Weaknesses
Working Memory
Processing Speed
Perceptual Organisation
Motor Skills

31. A Typical Dyslexic ProfileIQ

32. Diagnosis for Dyslexia & DCD
DCD/Dyspraxia
Fine motor skills (with fingers)
And/or gross motor (large movements or balance).
Dyslexia
Phonological skills – making sense of sounds
And/or rapid naming of letters and words
Literacy

33. Supporting Individuals with
Dyslexia & DCD in the Workplace: Personal Strategies

34. Supporting Individuals with Dyslexia & DCD in the Workplace:
Tips for Managers
Communication
Meetings
Awareness
Use bullet points in written communication.
Highlight key words.
Be concise
Provide the big picture of - where this message fits in to the bigger picture.
Provide templates and best practice examples.
Give extra time before and after to review.
Give hand outs and slides before the meeting.
Follow up requests in meetings with written s or notes.
Give agenda to every meeting and link to the bigger picture
Build in regular breaks
Listen
Give specific and objective feedback
Set time limits – do not use ‘Give it to me when you are ready’.
Be interested in their coaching.
Give consideration to time and targets where possible – allow extra time for processing information.

35. Common Adjustments and their relevance to neurodiverse employees
From Psychology at work: Improving wellbeing and productivity in the workplace, Weinberg, A & Doyle, N, 2017.

36. We are all different ….
…. so the best support is individualised.

37. Well-known people who have Dyslexia
Prince Harry
Whoopi Goldberg
Orlando Bloom
Richard Branson
Jamie Oliver

38. Well-known people who have DCD
Daniel Radcliffe
Cara Delivigne
Florence Welsh
Emma Lewell-Buck MP

39. Part 4: Reflection

40. REFLECTION 1. What are you doing well to make your workplace inclusive
for neurodiverse individuals?
What do you see and hear to know this?
2. What are you not doing so well?
3. What could you do better?
What will you see and hear when you have achieved this?

41. Part 5: Planning next steps

42. A social enterprise supporting people with neurodiverse conditions.
PLANNING NEXT STEPS
What three things can you do now that will make your
workplace more inclusive?
What could you do more of?
What could you do less of?
What could you do differently?

43. A social enterprise supporting people with neurodiverse conditions.

44. For more information, contact:
Tel:
Or visit our website: