Dyslexia what is it? Dyslexia the facts outline what dyslexia is and what it is not. Expand Dyslexia can manifest in many ways, with a lot of variability in how the definition is used. Some call it reading and/or writing disorder, or a learning disability, a learning difficulty, specific language impairment and more. In Dear Dyslexia, I’m going to use the definition from book Success and Dyslexia which states that, dyslexia is a: “neurological processing problems, likely to be genetically based, lifelong, and highly resistant to change despite excellent teaching. These problems are independent of intelligence and can be experienced by people at all levels, including those who are gifted. Those with dyslexia have significant difficulty (e.g. are two years or more below the expected level for their age) with reading, spelling or mathematics (Dyscalculia) and have associated processing problems, such as difficulty with phonic analysis or auditory short-term memory” [2]. Like lots of learning disabilities, dyslexia exists on a spectrum and can impact a person in different ways, however, we all share similar traits, such as difficulties with our left and rights, navigating our way around and difficulties reading. Dyslexia can also vary day to day, depending on all sorts of factors including the mood you’re in, how tired you are, and what you’re doing. Other factors that can affect how you’re going at a particular time can be how you’re going with your general wellbeing, how effective you feel you are at that time and, importantly, the type of support and intervention that you’re experiencing. Dyslexia is known to be a major source of stress and can be associated with negative life outcomes such as: passive learning styles depression disruptive behaviour in school school drop-out social isolation juvenile delinquency unemployment [2]. Many people are successful despite their dyslexia. It is the way people cope rather than the extent of dyslexia that has the greatest influence on outcomes [3]. Areas of strengths for people with dyslexia may include: Creative Big picture thinkers Ideas people Resilient Hardworking Determined Strategic thinkers Problem solvers Areas of difficulty for people with dyslexia may include: Writing accuracy Difficulties with spelling are often evident as a dyslexic person finds recalling correct spelling patterns difficult. Reading difficulties Reading accuracy Slow fluency rate Letter and text may move on the page May have to read the text a number of times to understand the meaning Has difficulty decoding unfamiliar words Proofreading Lack of confidence when reading aloud Reluctance to read for enjoyment Maths difficulties Counting backwards Poor sense of number and estimation Difficulties remembering basic number facts (e.g. tables), despite hours of practice/rote learning May not have strategies to compensate for lack of recall, other than to use Download Dyslexia What Is It Factsheet Reviewed by Dr. Nola Firth, Honorary Research Fellow: The University of Melbourne and Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
Dyspraxia, what is it? Dyspraxia is a disorder of movement and coordination. In dyspraxia, the signals that go from the brain to the muscles are interrupted. Expand Dyspraxia is a disorder of movement and coordination. In dyspraxia, the signals that go from the brain to the muscles are interrupted. Dyspraxia can affect verbal skills, causing problems with speech; oral skills, causing problems with moving the mouth and the tongue; and motor skills, causing problems with things like writing, eating or getting dressed. Dyspraxia is often identified in early childhood but can start later in life as a consequence of an illness or injury. Sometimes there is a brain injury that leads to dyspraxia, but sometimes there is no obvious cause. Dyspraxia is thought to affect 5-6 per cent of school-age children and affects boys more commonly than girls. What it’s not Dyspraxia is not an illness; it’s a group of symptoms. Dyspraxia doesn’t mean someone is intellectually disabled or simply clumsy. It means that signals from their brain get scrambled on the way to their muscles. How dyspraxia can look to others The different types of dyspraxia – verbal, oral and motor – appear differently. Across the three types of dyspraxia, symptoms can include: struggling to produce clear, fluent speech or to say particular words or phrases difficulty with fine motor skills like handwriting or tying shoelacesWhat_is_Dyspraxia.pdf struggling with gross motor skills such as kicking a ball or climbing stairs having difficulty with eating or swallowing. People who have dyspraxia have trouble with fine or gross motor skills in comparison to other people who are the same age, have the same experience and the same intelligence. Life with dyspraxia As you can imagine, having these sorts of difficulties can make school, uni and work really hard. That can then lead to disruptive behaviour, dropping out, and stress and isolation. It is essential to have dyspraxia diagnosed by health professionals with the right expertise. For verbal dyspraxia this could mean a speech pathologist; for motor dyspraxia, this might mean a physiotherapist; and for oral dyspraxia, an occupational therapist. Learn more about dyspraxia and how you can help to provide a supportive environment at work and school in our other factsheets and at www.deardyslexic.com Download Dyspraxia, what is it Factsheet
Dyscalculia what is it? Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty that specifically affects the ability to acquire arithmetic skills. This includes problems learning number facts and procedures, and difficulties understanding simple number concepts. Expand Dyscalculia is a learning disability that specifically affects the ability to acquire arithmetic skills. This includes problems learning number facts and procedures, and difficulties understanding simple number concepts. Dyscalculia often appears in conjunction with dyslexia. Dyscalculia is not very well known, including among parents and teachers who might be the first to notice an issue. Often, it is assumed that if a person has dyslexia then that is what is causing their math difficulties. Dyscalculia is poorly defined. It’s a specific learning difficulty that’s still very new in terms of research and study. That means that the specifics of what is and isn’t dyscalculia are still being debated. How dyscalculia can look to others The precise effects of dyscalculia are different for every person with the diagnosis. However, there are frequently appearing difficulties for people who have dyscalculia. Some of those are: difficulty counting backwards difficulty remembering number ‘facts’, even with hours of practise forgets mathematical procedures, such as how to calculate a multiple-step maths problem weak mental arithmetic skills very little sense of whether guessed answers are right or nearly right. A person with dyscalculia will have trouble with arithmetic that is distinctly below what is expected for their age, and not because of poor education or intellectual impairment. Life with dyscalculia As you can imagine, having these sorts of difficulties can make school, uni and work really hard. That can then lead to disruptive behaviour, dropping out, and stress and isolation. It is essential to have dyscalculia diagnosed by health professionals with expertise in learning disabilities. That way, strategies can be put in place to ensure a young person with dyscalculia can achieve their full potential. Learn more about dyscalculia and how you can help to provide a supportive environment at work and school in our other factsheets and at www.deardyslexic.com Download Dyscalculia, what is it Factsheet Reviewed by Dr. Nola Firth, Honorary Research Fellow: The University of Melbourne and Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
What is Assistive Technology? Expand Assistive technology is any device, piece of equipment or system that helps bypass, work around or compensate for difficulties that you might have. Based on that definition, you can probably think of examples of all sorts of assistive technology that helps people with all sorts of disabilities – wheelchairs are a really obvious example. Assistive technology helps to ensure that the world is a little bit more equitable for those us who have disabilities. For people who have dyslexia, there is a range of assistive technology available. All of it is designed to provide different ways for you as a student or working adult to support your particular areas of weakness, and capitalise on your strengths. I know that my particular weak areas are putting my thoughts down on paper clearly, spotting errors in my writing, and getting sentences in the right sequence. The assistive technology that works best for me in these areas is text to speech software. Like the name suggests, this turns written text to spoken text and, because I can hear errors that I miss when I read, then I can fix my mistakes. Microsoft has even cottoned on to how useful this can be so now there’s one that’s free to use! Sound good to you? Check this out for instructions on how to install it. There’s lots of other sorts of assistive technology. Some of these might be better for you: Text to speech programs, to convert your writing into speech so you can hear where the errors are. Dictation services, which do the writing and typing for you – and check your spelling, grammar and sequencing too. Apps on smartphones and tablet computers Mind-mapping software, which helps you to plan an essay or report more easily by breaking large slabs of text down into accessible, snack-size chunks. Spelling and grammar checks, these are a standard feature of word processing software and can help to highlight errors. Reading pens are just how they sound – pens that read! You use a reading pen to scan a word or sentence and the pen reads it aloud. Assistive technology can help, but speech and language therapy REALLY helps. If you can, you should be using assistive technology at the same time as you are getting speech and language therapy. Specialist therapists can help you to develop your skills, equip you with some great strategies, and direct you to any other support and assistance you might need. Read more on where to get help. Download the Dear Dyslexic Foundation Assistive Technology Factsheet or listen to our latest Podcasts on Assistive Technology with: Jamie Crabb - Co-Author of Study Skills for students with a specific learning difference Jack Churchill - CEO and Co-Founder of Scanning Pens Other useful resources: In the past, I used Dragon Text to Speech. That was good, but it does cost money. Now, Microsoft has a text to speech option that you can install in Word. This is free (once you’ve bought your software) and I have found it to be just as good. Learn more on Microsoft Office Text to Speech features. The British Dyslexic Association also has a resource on Apps and Dyslexia. Click here for some strategies that might help you while at TAFE or University. For more information you can go to the British Dyslexic Association, Dyslexic Action and ALDA.
Dysgraphia, what is it? Dysgraphia is a learning difficulty. When you go back to its Greek roots, it’s a combination of ‘dys’ meaning difficulty and ‘graph’ meaning to write – so it’s literally difficulty writing. Expand Dysgraphia is a learning disability When you go back to its Greek roots, it’s a combination of ‘dys’ meaning difficulty and ‘graph’ meaning to write – so it’s literally difficulty writing. More specifically, dysgraphia is thought of as coming in two types: motor-based dysgraphia, which means difficulty with the mechanics of writing, ie holding a pen or pencil properly; and language-based dysgraphia, which affects the ability to process ideas and get the sequence right when writing. Language-based dysgraphia can occur for a wide range of reasons and is a complex one to cover in a short factsheet. Here, we will just focus on motor-based dysgraphia. Dysgraphia is often present along with dyslexia. How dysgraphia can look to others Indications of motor-based dysgraphia can include: slow, laboured and illegible writing anxiety when faced with a task that requires writing inconsistent writing, such as mixing capital and lower-case letters, or an unusual spacing of letters poor spatial planning on paper. People who have dysgraphia have trouble with their writing skills in comparison to other people who are the same age, have the same experience and the same intelligence. Life with dysgraphia For people who have dysgraphia, assistive technology is a real boon. With computers and speech to text technology, the need to use handwriting can be minimised, allowing them to achieve their potential. Learn more about dysgraphia, assistive technology and how you can help to provide a supportive environment at work and school in our other factsheets and at www.deardyslexic.com. Download What is Dysgraphia Factsheet Reviewed by Dr. Nola Firth, Honorary Research Fellow: The University of Melbourne and Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
1 in 4 young Australians leave school without completing Year 12. Expand 1 in 4 young Australians leave school without completing Year 12. This is at a time when widespread economic changes and fewer low skilled jobs put pressure on young people to be better qualified for work in changing economy. Not completing school is a major problem because those young people who don’t complete Year 12 or equivalent have lower incomes and higher rates of unemployment. Attracting young people back to education and training can significantly improve their chances of finding work and taking on further study and training. FACTS AND FIGURES Approximately 21% of young women and 30% of young men fail to complete Year 12 or equivalent by the time they are 19 years old. Completing school or VET is affected by whether a student attends an urban, regional or remote school, whether or not they come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and whether or not they are Indigenous. The rates of young people completing school are uneven and some young people are more vulnerable than others, particularly: • Indigenous young people whose school completion rate is 44% compared to 75% for their non Indigenous peers • Young people in country Australia. 43% of young people from rural and 56% from remote areas complete school compared to 78% of students in major cities • 61% of the most disadvantaged young people complete school, compared to 89% of the most advantaged. COMPOUNDING DISADVANTAGE Many young people experience periods of not being in education, employment or training (NEET) after they leave school and before they make the transition to work. However, those who are NEET for six months or more are at increased risk of further unemployment and poorer education outcomes once they reach their early 20s. Those whose schooling has been disrupted by factors such as homelessness, learning or behavioural difficulties, mental illness or addiction are particularly vulnerable. ACE AS A PATHWAY TO RE-ENGAGEMENT Adult and community education (ACE) has a successful record of attracting young people back to learning. The young people who enrol in ACE programs tend to be early school leavers, unemployed, underemployed, or in low-paid or insecure jobs. ACE courses and programs suitable for young people include Year 12 alternatives, study and job seeking skills, foundation skills and vocational qualifications. Young people who take part in ACE programs say they are attracted by the quality of relationships between staff and students; the flexible delivery modes and opportunities for personal autonomy. Those who associate education with negative school experiences can feel anxious about the prospect of returning to study. ACE is a welcome contrast for young people disenchanted by mainstream education. ACE environments are suitable for reluctant learners because they are accessible, community-based, warm and welcoming, relaxed and non-threatening – in other words, unlike the schools that many students remember. ACE provides an avenue through which young people can re-engage in education, improve their confidence, skills and future prospects. Disengaged-young-people-fact-sheet
Adult Literacy and numeracy Literacy and numeracy have a direct impact on people’s ability to find and keep jobs, progress in careers, manage their health, participate in society, and make full use of services and opportunities available to them. Expand Adult literacy and numeracy Literacy and numeracy have a direct impact on people’s ability to find and keep jobs, progress in careers, manage their health, participate in society, and make full use of services and opportunities available to them. Our modern economy and society demand high levels of literacy and numeracy. People with low literacy skills are more vulnerable to unemployment as low skilled jobs disappear in the face of technological change and globalisation. Modern workplaces demand higher levels of literacy from their workers, including higher levels of information processing, digital literacy and communication. Information and services are increasingly going online so that the disadvantage of being offline grows and leaves people without digital skills at risk of being left behind. In order to remain in the workforce, access services and actively engage in social and community life adults need to continue to access learning opportunities and build new skills. HOW LITERATE AND NUMERATE ARE WE? The OECD’s PIAAC survey, which measures key cognitive and workplace skills, found that around 44% of Australian adults lack the literacy skills required in everyday life. Of these, 1 in 7 Australians (14%) have very poor literacy skills and 1 in 3 (30%) have below-proficiency level literacy making them vulnerable to unemployment. Many more struggle with numeracy, with around 53% of the population at belowproficiency levels. DEMANDS FOR HIGHER LEVEL LITERACIES For many Australians the literacy they were taught in school is not enough to keep up with changes in the society we live in. For example, technological changes have affected workplaces and government services and place higher demands on an adult’s capacity to read, process and communicate information. VULNERABLE GROUPS • People aged 45+ had much lower literacy and numeracy than younger adults. • Women performed poorly in numeracy relative to men. • People outside the workforce had much poorer literacy and numeracy compared to those who were working or looking for work. • Indigenous Australians; particularly in remote areas, have lower literacy levels than non-Indigenous Australians. IMPACT OF IMPROVEMENTS IN LITERACY • Individuals: Better quality of life, job prospects, income level, health and social engagement • Families: Improved performance for children at school • Communities: Greater resilience and wealth • Businesses: Increased productivity SUCCESSFUL ADULT LITERACY PROGRAMS Educational experts agree that that adults develop their literacy and numeracy skills for particular contexts and in order to get something done either in the workplace, the home or the community. But people with literacy problems can often be reluctant to seek help. Successful adult literacy and numeracy programs need to be practical, purposeful and designed with the individual’s needs in mind. Adult and community education (ACE) literacy programs are successful because they build literacy skills through real life activities such as cooking or home maintenance. They also deliver formal learning programs including certificates in general education for adults and foundation skills. Most states and territories recognise the importance of ACE in delivering language, literacy and numeracy programs. Down load our latest fact sheet here