Webchat about Dyslexia with Karen Mace from British Dyslexia Association - Wednesday 3 October, 9pm

[RachelMumsnet]

Dyslexia Awareness Week runs from Monday 1st to Sunday 7 October and we’ve organised a webchat with Karen Mace, Head of Assessments and Professional Level Training at the British Dyslexia Association on Wednesday 3 October between 9 and 10pm.

Kate Mace is a qualified specialist teacher and assessor for dyslexia. She has 25-years teaching experience, including four years as a deputy headteacher and seven years as a special educational needs co-ordinator.

Dyslexia Awareness Week will run from today until Sunday 7 October and this year the focus is on 21st century dyslexia. The week, organised by the British Dyslexia Association, will include activities in classrooms, workplaces and online (using the hashtag #21stcenturydyslexia), competitions and much more. Helen Boden, CEO of the British Dyslexia Association said: “For too long, dyslexia has been seen as a negative associated only with difficulties reading and writing. For this year’s Dyslexia Awareness Week, we are focusing on 21st century dyslexia. We will be holding events, training and competitions looking at the massive advances in understanding of dyslexia, including the benefits it brings, and technology to support those identified as dyslexic.”

If you’d like to join the discussion, or have questions you’d like to put to Karen, please join us here - or if you're unable to join us at this time, post questions for Karen in advance on this thread.

[DN4GeekinDerby]

Attempting to clarify: as you said, each person has to find what strategies work for them. For parents who aren't getting support in school, how can we help our kids find and figure out good strategies that will help?

My daughter is the type who will eagerly try, but getting her to admit that it isn't working or where she's struggling is difficult until she's gotten the point of tears. When I showed her the "my dyslexia strategies" video, she quite liked seeing others and recognised some of the tactics and was wondering ways to find & help introduce tactics and see if they help her in the best way.

[Raederle]

My son aged 9 is severely dyslexic and reads and writes at a Year 1 level. But his understanding and oral skills are advanced for his age. I sometimes feel that if we could just take reading and writing out of the equation and all the information he needs could be given to him through audio and spoken means then he’d be working at an age-appropriate level.

I know the real world doesn’t operate like that but I wondered if you could point me in the direction of some technology like speech recognition software that would be suitable for dyslexia.

[KarenMace]

@LARLARLAND

I would also like to know what advice you have for university applicants with SpLDs? Please say something other than ‘do tell the universities about your disability’ because this seems to be the only advice I ever see. For some reason my DN didn’t disclose his dyslexia and still achieved a place at a top university. I worry about DS though. Are universities really on board with the Equality Act? Is there any evidence prospective candidates are being discriminated against? Are students being given contextual offers?
Thank you.

University students can get a great package of support with a diagnosis as they can access DSA which provides them with a huge amount of support software to enable them to take notes electronically in lectures etc.

[KarenMace]

@DeloresJaneUmbridge

Hi Karen, it stills seems very difficult to get education services interested in diagnosing dyslexia. Do you find there is a general reluctance to diagnose children with Dyslexia? If so what are your thoughts on the reasons.

It’s a very long and thorough process and consequently expensive. The assessment takes 2-3 hours and then the report is approx 20 pages long and takes an average of 6 hours to write up, often more if it’s a complicated case. State schools don’t have the resources and even most private schools would expect an assessment to be carried out privately.

Some state schools use their pupil premium funding to pay for the assessment, if the family is eligible but that’s really the only way a school would pay.

I know it’s not what we would all want to see but that it is the reality of our current education system.

[KarenMace]

@DN4GeekinDerby

Attempting to clarify: as you said, each person has to find what strategies work for them. For parents who aren't getting support in school, how can we help our kids find and figure out good strategies that will help?

My daughter is the type who will eagerly try, but getting her to admit that it isn't working or where she's struggling is difficult until she's gotten the point of tears. When I showed her the "my dyslexia strategies" video, she quite liked seeing others and recognised some of the tactics and was wondering ways to find & help introduce tactics and see if they help her in the best way.

Thank you for clarifying. I think an assessment would be good for her as the assessor can find her strengths and weaknesses and make specific suggestions of strategies that would suit her style of learning.

[KarenMace]

@cakedup

Ds is 13, year 9. Struggled at school due to dyslexia his whole school life. He is in the lower end for practically every subject and falls way behind his peers. I have been in constant communication with his schools to get support for him, currently trying for an ehc plan. He is practically phobic when it comes to exams. My question is...should he be made to go through sitting his gcses? When I am sure it will cause nothing but stress for him? It is not looking likely that he would get very far with then.

It isn’t appropriate for all pupils to sit exams but I guess it comes down to if, with reasonable adjustments, he could achive an outcome that he would be proud of and would help him with his future? Focus could be on the practical subjects such as PE, Food Tech, Art etc

[KarenMace]

@beenandgoneandbackagain

What is the best way to help children at the start of their journey so they don't feel too different or imperfect? How do we let our otherwise very bright daughter know that the reason she can't read as well as her classmates is because of this issue, and it doesn't mean she is stupid or that there is anything wrong with her, just that she has different learning needs?

I would suggest an assessment for the reasons posted in another post – it can be positive and knowing their own difficulties helps these children understand why they find learning more difficult than their peers.

[KarenMace]

@Raederle

My son aged 9 is severely dyslexic and reads and writes at a Year 1 level. But his understanding and oral skills are advanced for his age. I sometimes feel that if we could just take reading and writing out of the equation and all the information he needs could be given to him through audio and spoken means then he’d be working at an age-appropriate level.

I know the real world doesn’t operate like that but I wondered if you could point me in the direction of some technology like speech recognition software that would be suitable for dyslexia.

I totally agree with what you have said here. I have assessed many secondary aged pupils who are incredibly verbally articulate but are in the bottom sets because of their difficulties with literacy. Dragon Dictate is a free app that converts speech to text. Clicker 7 is excellent (for primary) and there is a secondary one but the name has slipped my memory! It is by Crick software is an excellent computer based package that uses predictive text and is very successful with learners with dyslexia.

[KarenMace]

@DamsonGin

Do you think things are getting better, have stagnated or have even got worse within education? I've been a school governor at primary till recently and have a child in secondary, and do not feel at all that the education system and curriculum supports, adequately identifies or does justice to dyslexic children, including my own. This includes the wider use of technology to help with wider non-paper based learning.

I think overall it has got better but I think it still remains the case that it is the luxury of those who can afford a private assessment. I believe the use of technology, especially in secondary schools could improve with allowing use of laptops in lessons. Let’s face it, learners with dyslexia are unlikely to pick up a pen and paper to write when they grow up, unless perhaps to write a birthday card so why make them do it now. I know lots of parents who would purchase a laptop for their child to use in school, if the schools would allow it.

[tubularfells]

I have 16 year old DS who is severely dyslexic and has, we believe (the testing equipment at Great Ormond Street wasn't working properly), auditory processing disorder.

He has attended regular state schools and supposed specialist dyslexic schools once we got a statement, and yet has failed to make any improvement with his reading and writing through his time in school. He is now back in a large state school with teachers who don't really seem to be able to help beyond allocating him a scribe in exams.

We want him to leave school as we all recognise he is in a system which cannot help. In the meantime his self-esteem is low and he lacks ambition. In addition, he is a grumpy teen who doesn't want any advice...

I'm interested in what would you recommend for him? We're thinking an apprenticeship with a recognisable dyslexic friendly employer (if such a thing exists) for with his current state of 'bleurgh' we don't want him to enter into the world of work and fail at that too. It needs to be a positive experience and one in which he can succeed.

[KarenMace]

@Glassigh

Hi Karen
Thanks for coming on!
My son is 13 in year 9. Diagnosed by an Independent Educational Psychologist as dyslexic. Main issues are spelling, structure of sentences, punctuation, organising work. Fortunately good at maths, but can't tell you the months of the year/days of the week.
Secondary school have given him no extra help at all. He is just expected to do the same as everyone else, but no specific help for his problems. When he was diagnosed, he scored in the top 10% of ability, but is achieving low to middle grades. School say he is fine. I think he is underachieving majorly, but school are not bothered. He is nowhere near statement territory.

What should/ can I do? School have basically said, yes we accept he is dyslexic but seem happy for that not to be worked on at all.

[KarenMace]

@KarenMace

[quote Glassigh]
Hi Karen
Thanks for coming on!
My son is 13 in year 9. Diagnosed by an Independent Educational Psychologist as dyslexic. Main issues are spelling, structure of sentences, punctuation, organising work. Fortunately good at maths, but can't tell you the months of the year/days of the week.
Secondary school have given him no extra help at all. He is just expected to do the same as everyone else, but no specific help for his problems. When he was diagnosed, he scored in the top 10% of ability, but is achieving low to middle grades. School say he is fine. I think he is underachieving majorly, but school are not bothered. He is nowhere near statement territory.

What should/ can I do? School have basically said, yes we accept he is dyslexic but seem happy for that not to be worked on at all.

[/quote]

The school should be doing something! There should be a graduated response between no SEN and an EHCP such as having an Individual Education Plan to support him. Do you parent support services in your Local Authority such as SENDIASS? Might be worth getting in touch with them.

Being a parent of a child with SEN is a battle for support, you are his biggest advocate so keep fighting.

These are the questions that Callum sent me yesterday:

What is Dyslexia Awareness Week and what is happening for it this year?
“Dyslexia Awareness Week is running from Monday 1 to Sunday 7 October. For too long, dyslexia has been seen as a negative associated only with difficulties reading and writing. For this year’s Dyslexia Awareness Week, we are focusing on 21st century dyslexia. We are be holding events, training and competitions looking at the massive advances in understanding of dyslexia, including the benefits it brings, and technology to support those identified as dyslexic.”

If you are concern your child might have dyslexia, what is the best thing to do?
Talk to your child’s class teacher or the school SENCO about your concerns. There are checklist on our website that you could complete and discuss with the school. Most schools are unable to provide a full diagnostic assessment as it is a thorough and lengthy process and schools don’t have the resources. However, a diagnosis isn’t always necessary when the child is younger as it is more important that they are accessing the right sort of support. If the school are working with you and your child is getting good support then that is great. You could organise a full assessment if you are financially able to and then work with the school to implement the advice.

How does the British Dyslexia Association support parents of children with dyslexia?
We run a helpline that is free to call and ask for support and advice. It is run by trained volunteers who will pass queries on to other members of the BDA team if they are unable to answer the question. We run many courses that are open courses and parents may wish to join one of these to further their understanding of dyslexia and ways they can support their child. There are some free resources on our website that are there for parents to access. We also have an assessment service where parents can arrange a full diagnostic assessment for dyslexia.

If you don’t feel your child is getting the support they need in school, what can you do?
Organise an assessment for dyslexia and then discuss the results with the school. It is difficult to ignore a 25-page report written by an specialist teacher or educational psychologist and it might be that the school welcomes the guidance to implement and provide support they are unable to access. There are many local dyslexia associations who run regular events for members and can provide advice and support.

[Raederle]

Thank you that’s very helpful.

One of the things that I have noticed is that it takes so long in many cases for dyslexia to be picked up in children. The delay means that their self esteem suffers. In many ways DS has been lucky to have other conditions that made additional needs likely so no teacher or doctor has ever told us that we were worrying about nothing or worrying too early and it would all come out in the wash!

But I know this happens to many parents and children. Do you think there’s a way to intervene for dyslexic children earlier?

[Borderscotch]

My son (7) has had a visual stress test today. I feel he is showing clear signs of dyslexia (Dad is severely dyslexic and brother has Asd). A private assessment is out of our reach financially at the moment, what should our next steps be

[KarenMace]

I hope I haven't missed any questions this evening, thank you for posting so many interesting and varied questions and I do hope you have found the chat helpful. I am always willing to talk on the phone at the BDA regarding an assessment and will give honest advice about whether I think it would be beneficial. Good luck with supporting your young people and yourselves.

[KarenMace]

@Raederle

Thank you that’s very helpful.

One of the things that I have noticed is that it takes so long in many cases for dyslexia to be picked up in children. The delay means that their self esteem suffers. In many ways DS has been lucky to have other conditions that made additional needs likely so no teacher or doctor has ever told us that we were worrying about nothing or worrying too early and it would all come out in the wash!

But I know this happens to many parents and children. Do you think there’s a way to intervene for dyslexic children earlier?

Early intervention is important so support from a young age is crucial in terms of talk and play but diagnosis is only helpful from 7. Before that age it can be difficult to know if their weaknesses may level out.

[RachelMumsnet]

Thanks again to Karen for answering so many questions with such full and helpful answers. We'd love you to join us again sometime soon for a chat about dyscalculia and some of the other topics that were raised here tonight.

Thanks to everyone for the questions.

[LimitIsUp]

Do you happen to know whether / to what extent teacher training covers dyslexia and spLD, since in my experience many teachers don't seem very well informed …?

[KarenMace]

@Borderscotch

My son (7) has had a visual stress test today. I feel he is showing clear signs of dyslexia (Dad is severely dyslexic and brother has Asd). A private assessment is out of our reach financially at the moment, what should our next steps be

Discuss with the school and ask for the involvement of the LEA advisory teacher if there is one. See if the school can put in place support strategies themselves. The school might fund an assessment if they can access funds such as through pupil premium support.

[LimitIsUp]

Damn! Too late

[KarenMace]

@LimitIsUp

Do you happen to know whether / to what extent teacher training covers dyslexia and spLD, since in my experience many teachers don't seem very well informed …?

I am not up to date as to what it covers, when I trained 25 years ago it was very brief. Really it is more down to the school they work in as an NQT to ensure they get exposed to training and mentoring.

[LARLARLAND]

I do worry about universities and dyslexia. I know they claim to support applicants and subsequently students but there was a poster in here recently who said the support her DS got at a very well known university was virtually nil. I know that’s a university DS was thinking of applying to in the future. I am not sure I agree that the picture is as rosy as it’s being painted...

[hellokittymania]

La La Land, I agree. My situation was a bit different since I didn't have residency in the UK although I am a citizen, so I was not eligible for any help. But I had to fight with the university to do my work or early because I have such problems writing and I had no help. In the beginning, I only had my iPhone 4, I'm visually impaired as well and I can't use a lot of technology like the students in the UK you do. So I was completely stuck

[blue25]

Sorry but your statement that a child with dyslexia will have a discrepancy between their underlying ability and literacy scores is incorrect. This 'discrepancy' model has been discredited. Also children who are 'just' poor readers rather than 'dyslexic' may also have processing, memory difficulties etc. so your explanation on this is also not accurate!

[Waydugo]

blue25 I thought that as well about the discrepancy model. 🤔