Carl R Hussey, May 2007.

Student Support Worker Note taking & Disability Awareness Course.

Portfolio Essay: Unit 1, Awareness of Disability.
“Analyse the possible learning needs of a student affected by one of the disabilities introduced
and discuss how in your role and that of other professionals, these needs might be met.”

The disability awareness course has introduced a whole range of disabilties that as a student
support worker I need to be aware of. These include disabilities such as mental health, visual
impairments, dyslexia / dyspraxia, hearing impairments and autism / asperger’s syndrome. As up
to two thirds of the 300 students that Student Support currently engages with are dyslexic I have
decided to concentrate upon this area of disability for this essay. As the information leaflet
regarding the Dyslexia Support Service highlights students are aided by Disability Support
Services to check, via initial diagnostic assessment screening if the difficulties the student is
experiencing are dyslexic in nature.

Once confirmed that the student is dyslexic Student Support can then assist with specialist study
skills tuition, note taking and readers. Currently the Disability Advisory Service employs 24
sessional dyslexia tutors and 57 sessional support workers. As a support worker I would expect
my role to overlap with the work of the dyslexia tutors so awareness in this area is clearly needed
with regards to my role.

According to the presentation given by the group ‘Dyslexia Action’ dyslexia can be defined as, “a
specific learning difficulty that mainly affects reading and spelling.” This disability is often
characterized by difficulties in processing word-sounds and by weaknesses in short-term verbal
memory. The effects that certain students would experience are problems with spoken and written
language. Although research is currently underway to identify the brain area that dyslexia can be
attributed to the evidence suggests that these difficulties arise from inefficiencies in the language-
processing areas in the left hemisphere of the brain, which also appear to be linked to genetic
differences.

Although dyslexia is life-long its effects can be minimised by targeted literacy intervention,
technological support (such as ICT / computers) and adaptations to ways of working and learning.
The disability varies considerably in its severity and often occurs alongside other specific
learning difficulties such as Dyspraxia (affecting handwriting and co-ordination) and Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD), resulting in a marked variation in the degree and nature of a student’s
strengths and weaknesses. The student’s intelligence level also determines how they cope
individually with their dyslexia and at university level students are often to be found studying on
arts or computer science courses.

Of the students I have already worked with I have become aware that they are often affected by
having problems with visual discrimination and perception which therefore often affects reading
and spelling. The speed of information processing for dyslexic individuals can also mean that the
speed at which they process information can slow down which can affect the following:

 Auditory and visual short term memory (the student can miss what they are hearing in
lectures or seminars).
 Storage and retrieval in long term memory (For example, like a filing-cabinet where
information is misfiled).
 Sequencing (For example, alphabet order, leading to the student experiencing problems
sequencing their thoughts for essays or dictionary reading skills problems).

1
Dyslexia is often associated with dyspraxia which is, “an impairment or immaturity of the
organisation of movement.” (‘Dyslexia Action’ presentation handout, page 2). This can affect
handwriting and co-ordination and the student may have speech and language difficulties such as
unclear speech or poor pronunciation. Dyspraxia is assessed by an Occupational Therapist
whereas Dyslexia falls within the remit of being assessed by an educational or clinical
psychologist. As a support worker I need to be aware that Dyslexia/Dyspraxia affects the working
memory of the affected student which can lead to difficulties with:

 Copying from OHPs or books.

 Making notes / taking dictation.
 Remembering facts and formulas.
 Having a poor sense of direction.
 Remembering instructions / messages.
 Concentration problems, especially in a noisy environment.

The speed at which the student also processes information can lead to problems with thinking
through and responding to simple, routine information such as transcribing a list of numbers. The
slow speed of information processing can also make it difficult to make a rapid decision and
respond quickly to a question.

In summary it is evident that this disability can affect the student in the following ways:

 Visual / Spatial Discrimination / Perception, leading to problems with letter and number
shapes, copying mistakes, difficulty remembering the visual pattern when spelling, and
the student losing their place when reading text therefore misreading words.

 Auditory short term memory problems, leading to difficulty in remembering verbal

instructions/information, note taking, concentrating and comprehension of academic
texts.

 Visual short term memory problems, leading to difficulties remembering visual

information, poor spelling and basic reading and getting lost on new routes and in new
buildings.

 Auditory discrimination, leading to difficulties with mishearing words, identifying the

sounds in words and segmenting sounds in words.

 Long term memory / retrieval, leading to problems with labelling, spelling and moving
information from the short to long term memory.

 Sequencing problems, leading to difficulties with the order of words and sentences, using
the alphabet and tables, and problems with time perception and days, months and dates.

Overall the following discrepancies have also been observed in students with dyslexia/dyspraxia:

 Intelligence levels and attainment.

 Oral and written work.
 Assurance (possibly superficial) and uncertainty.

2
  Understanding of concepts and memory of facts.
 Effort put in and the quality of the end product.

In short, the dyslexic student has to work incredibly hard to achieve their degree and the role of
dyslexia tutors and support workers should be to teach the student coping strategies, for example
memory strategies based on the mind-mapping tool. As a support worker I need to be aware that I
have a vital role to play in the overall success of a dyslexic student by keeping them focused,
developing coping skills and strategies with them and ensuring I create an environment where
they feel comfortable and able to learn. I have already helped certain students with literacy skills
such as grammar, spelling and reading particularly with regards to essay structure and the
understanding of essay questions. I have found working through the guide, ‘Studying
Independently and Producing Better Essays, Exams and Presentations’ with my students to be
most useful in helping them to effectively structure their academic workload.

Clearly my role should be to help the student improve the quality of their written work with
specific reference to spelling, grammar and overall presentation, thereby ensuring they achieve
the highest possible marks in assessment. I have also learnt the need to be patient with the student
and realise that at times they may appear to be defensive or anxious, especially if they are having
a bad day. It is also important to give the dyslexic/dyspraxic student time to relax and the need of
the support worker to help the student remain calm and positively focused when under pressure,
particularly when essay deadlines ‘are looming.’

It is clear that when providing support or mentoring to the student the following general
guidelines should be observed:

 Be explicit in your overall approach.

 Set out clearly the structure of the learning session from the outset.
 Explain clearly your reasons for suggesting a particular approach and ask the student to
assess this approach if it is helpful for them.
 Fully involve learners in the learning process and try to understand their strategies and
approaches to learning.
 Ensure that the student is in an environment where mistakes are seen as part of the overall
learning process.
 Teach to the level of difficulty the learner has by choosing appropriate activities, but
remembering to interact with the learner at their level of intelligence.
 Ensure that the student is aware of applicable academic conventions, e.g. essay structure
and format.

When making notes for the student it would be wise to ensure that sentences are kept short and to
the point. Handwriting should be neat and legible with the use of various writing techniques such
as bullet points, arrows, boxes and the possible use of mind maps. When recommending texts the
support worker should try to include books with diagrams or pictures and handouts should be
annotated clearly in accordance with the student’s preferred learning style.

It is clear that my skills as a support worker should always be used to give positive feedback to
the student in order to maintain a healthy level of self-esteem and I have decided to play a
mentoring role with certain students to help with their overall academic development. Indeed it is
clear that no two dyslexic people are the same and over time different coping strategies can be
learned. In working with other professionals such as specialist dyslexia tutors, counsellors and

3
lecturers / tutors I need to be aware of their specialist level of input towards the student in order to
ensure a harmonious working relationship. It should be remembered that often students with
impairments are often prone to depression and mental health problems in general and I should
seek to use my own experience of living with bipolar disorder to encourage the student to develop
various coping strategies.
On a positive note it must be remembered that dyslexic people do have certain strengths such as
the ability to be highly articulate, curious, creative and inventive and are often highly practical
and intelligent. Indeed once leaving university they should always bear in mind that many
dyslexic people have abilities well above average in practical and technical tasks and this can be a
significant asset in many occupations.

In conclusion it is evident that all professionals involved with the dyslexic/dyspraxic student need
to have a flexible approach and must ensure effective communication strategies are used to
ascertain form the student what their particular needs may be and how these needs can be
effectively met. Indeed, I do observe with this disability similarities with my own experiences of
bipolar disorder where individuals can be highly creative, make unexpected connections and are
able to think easily in 3D. From an employment perspective the government organisation, GCHQ
has a specific recruitment strategy targeting dyslexic individuals due to these positive talents and
it is such abilities that the support worker should always seek to enhance, thereby ensuring that
the student feels valued and understood.

(1,700 words approx).