BDA Articles
The following articles were publshed by Dr. Kate Saunders,
BDA Chief Executive Officer. They describe how cuts will impact the education system, and also identifies problems and possible descrimination in the treatment of dyslexics in the current education system. We have compiled them here.
- The Impact of Government Cuts and
Recent Policy Developments on Dyslexia
- Funding of Dyslexia Assessments for Adults and Children
- Specialist Teaching Support for Dyslexic Adults
- Eye Tests for Dyslexia Visual Stress
- The Early Identification of Dyslexia
The Impact of Government Cuts and
Recent Policy Developments on Dyslexia
Recent Developments
The Comprehensive Spending Review has had a negative impact on our education system. Educational Psychologists and Specialist teachers amongst others in Local Education Authorities and Children’s Services are being made redundant. The recent White Paper ‘The Importance of Teaching’ however makes a commitment to education and teachers. The BDA is therefore concerned that there is an apparent contradiction in government strategy and current government practice.
The British Dyslexia Association’s comment:
The BDA strongly condemn the recent cuts within the public sector as we feel these cuts will adversely impact on pupils with dyslexia. Limited resources will mean that children will not always receive the expert support they require. Provision will become ‘patchy’ as Local Authorities and schools attempt to deliver services on a limited budget.
‘The Importance of Teaching’ White paper does explicitly refer to the needs of children with Special Educational Needs a number of times, the BDA welcomes this recognition however is concerned how the needs of pupils with SEN can be met in the current climate of austerity and cuts.
As schools become more autonomous, the BDA fear their commitment to pupils with dyslexia may become compromised as the Local Authority becomes less involved. The abolishment of School Improvement within Local Authorities may disempower pupils with dyslexia and their families.
The BDA supports the principle of Local Authorities now having a strong strategic role as champions for families and vulnerable pupils. We therefore expect that as the LA develops their own school improvement strategies to support local schools, the needs of pupils with dyslexia and the development of good Dyslexia Friendly practice will be a consideration.
The BDA hope that the development of smaller more focused governing bodies which aim to hold schools to account for children’s progress, will also ensure that children with dyslexia will be monitored in this way. This monitoring would ensure that all pupils make progress and fulfil their potential.
Successful schools will now achieve Academy status. The BDA support the idea of collaboration between schools which is expected to develop. Academy chains, multi-school trusts and federations are expected to emerge as schools form partnerships. We therefore expect that Dyslexia Friendly schools will share their good practice and skills of staff with partner, non-Dyslexia Friendly schools within their chain.
The British Dyslexia Association is concerned that now the selection of pupils for schools is no longer based on catchment areas, some schools may choose not to accept applications from children with special educational needs, including dyslexia. This would clearly be discriminatory and schools should be held to account for any such action.
The government’s focus on developing expert teachers as Leading Practioners is positive, as lead teachers will be able to share good practice and expertise. The government is this year funding the training of around 2,400 dyslexia specialist teachers (at Approved Teacher Status/ATS and Associated Member of the British Dyslexia Association/AMBDA levels). These teachers are trained to have a role in the in-service training, coaching and overseeing of other school staff and bring about whole school dyslexia friendly practices. They will also conduct testing/assessments, set, monitor, modify and where appropriate deliver intervention programmes. We therefore request that ATS and AMBDA teachers will be recognised as leading practitioners and be encouraged to share their enhanced knowledge of dyslexia with colleagues in both their own and other schools.
The commitment to reform initial teacher training and ensure Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) standards are rigorous is also positive as the White Paper directly refers to ensuring Special Educational Needs (SEN) knowledge and practice is focused upon. We would therefore expect that within their training, all new primary age range teachers are provided with an in-depth understanding of dyslexia and early identification signs, and that all teachers (across the school age ranges) have a good working knowledge of Dyslexia Friendly classroom practices and Dyslexia indicators.
Reading is also at the heart of the White Paper as the government attempts to drive up standards by testing pupils at Year 1, using phonics. We therefore strongly recommend that teachers are trained thoroughly in encouraging a multi-sensory learning approach for children as they learn synthetic phonics. This would help to meet the preferred learning styles and needs, not only of those children with dyslexic difficulties, but also of children in general.
Funding of Dyslexia Assessments for Adults and Children
Dyslexia as a disability.
Dyslexia is a recognised difficulty under disability legislation:
Disability Discrimination Act (which was extended to schools in 2001) and from October 2010, the Equality Act.
However dyslexia and related conditions are the only area of disability where an adult is expected to fund their own diagnosis. This fact in itself could be seen as Disability Discrimination.
The cost of a full diagnostic assessment with a Chartered Educational Psychologist (or similar) would cost £400 to £500, or slightly less with a specialist dyslexic teacher with a Practising Certificate for assessing students and adults (around £300). For many people, achieving a full assessment often requires determination and persistence in face of obstacles, lack of understanding and financial cost.
The problem.
Dyslexia in Adults.
Recruitment
Recruitment procedures often involve written tests and interviews which may be problematic for dyslexic candidates. Some employers, notably the emergency services (Police, Fire & Rescue, Ambulance) require a candidate to produce (at their own expense) an adult diagnostic dyslexia assessment report before accommodations can be offered. The B.D.A. Helpline receives frequent calls from young men who are not able to afford this.
Workplace
Adults with dyslexic difficulties in the workplace, who have not been previously diagnosed as an adult, post 16 years, may find that their employer would help with the cost of a full assessment. Large employers and those in the public sector would be expected to fund an assessment, but for small employers this is not always possible.
A full assessment is essential for more skilled and senior positions in order to inform the process of determining reasonable adjustments.
Workplace professional exams.
In addition, course providers of professional qualifications or other exams required as part of a job usually require sight of a full diagnostic report in order to implement recommended accommodations in tests and exams.
Skilled tradesmen are often required to pass regular tests, e.g. plumbers and electricians. Many of these people may have never had a formal assessment of dyslexia, and yet would need to show evidence of their difficulties in order to be offered appropriate accommodations.
Jobseekers and non working adults.
Many people looking for jobs and also those wanting to return to work contact the B.D.A. Helpline wanting to know where they can get a dyslexia assessment. We can only suggest free or inexpensive screening tests or checklists. However these are not diagnostic tests and only suggest the possibility of dyslexia.
It used to be possible for Disability Employment Advisers at the Jobcentres to refer clients for dyslexia assessment with the Occupational Psychology service, but in recent years this service has been discontinued.
Dyslexia at Higher Education.
At university, there is considerable support available for students with disabilities, under the Disabled Students Allowance (D.S.A.). Dyslexia is the only disability where a student is expected to provide a full diagnostic report, usually at their own expense.
For all other disabilities, a note from a GP would suffice.
Some universities will fund or part fund dyslexia assessments, but not usually in advance of the student attending, which means that support can be seriously delayed.
Applying for the D.S.A. can take several months, meanwhile the students fall behind.
Dyslexia at Further Education.
Some colleges of FE may have dyslexia specialists in their Learning Support Departments who are able to offer specialist teacher assessments for dyslexia.
However many do not, and seem reluctant to access this via the Local Authorities, who are now responsible for 16 – 19 years education.
Many pupils will require evidence of dyslexic difficulties, not only to access appropriate support for their studies, but also to be offered accommodations in tests and exams.
It is likely that an above average proportion of students at FE on vocational courses will have dyslexic difficulties, often undiagnosed while at school.
Secondary School
For access arrangements in GCSE and A level exams, the school is required to have sight of a dyslexia assessment report carried out in the secondary years. More and more frequently schools are reluctant to refer pupils for assessment to the Local Authority Educational Psychologist, largely it would seem for budgetary reasons. This leaves a parent the option of paying for a private assessment, or if unable to do so, to depend on the school to take appropriate steps to support the pupil. In addition, most teachers have had no training in dyslexia awareness, so many pupils are not identified and supported. While there are some schools doing excellent work in the field of dyslexia support, too many are lacking in both knowledge and expertise.
Guidelines of evidence of specific learning difficulties for SATS tests are particularly discriminatory:
QCAD Access Arrangements Guide for National curriculum assessments,
page 15:
‘For pupils who have specific learning difficulties, the recommendation must be obtained no earlier than the start of the previous school year.’
In the first place this is not necessary as dyslexia is a life long condition and an assessment at an earlier date would still be valid and appropriate.
Secondly, who is going to fund this assessment? Most parents contacting the B.D.A. Helpline report difficulty in getting a referral from schools to the Local Authority Educational Psychologist for a full dyslexia assessment; many end up paying for an independent assessment at a cost of £400 to £500.
Thirdly, it is recommended that retesting is not carried out in a short space of time.
Primary Schools
Again, many parents end up having to fund their child’s dyslexia assessment.
Schools would appear to be often uninformed and resistant to referrals.
Many teachers still do not know that a parent cannot go to a GP for dyslexia assessment.
The early identification of dyslexia is considered in a separate document.
The Way Forward.
There are two issues here, one the diagnosis of dyslexia for adults, and secondly the diagnosis of dyslexia in schools.
Adults.
Where a full diagnostic assessment for dyslexia is required for purposes of support at college, university, recruitment or support in the workplace, it is recommended that these are publicly funded.
At present dyslexia is not part of medical training and is unfamiliar territory for GPs. The specialist dyslexia practitioners qualified to assess adults are not within the referral remit of GPs.
For most people, it seems logical to consult their GP about a disability. The addition of a dyslexia assessment facility under NHS funding would be appropriate.
In addition, dyslexia can co-occur with other specific learning difficulties, including dyspraxia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and specific language impairment, which come under the NHS.
Undiagnosed dyslexia can underpin mental health issues: unsupported dyslexic adults can be particularly susceptible to stress and depression. This is a common theme of calls to the B.D.A.Helpline.
For Jobseekers, the Occupational Psychology service could once again offer dyslexia assessments via the Disability Employment Adviser at the Jobcentres.
Schools.
The identification of dyslexia in schools is discussed in a separate document.
Specialist Teaching Support for Dyslexic Adults.
Objectives.
Provide targeted literacy support intervention for adults with severe and long term literacy difficulties, frequently of a dyslexic nature.
Background.
There are large numbers of adults with often undiagnosed dyslexic difficulties, who have been failed by the education system and leave school with very poor literacy and numeracy skills. This relates to adults of all ages, and includes school leavers who are still being let down by schools. Far too many schools continue to have little understanding of Specific Learning Difficulties like dyslexia and fail to identify and support pupils with often severe difficulties.
Adults with the most severe literacy needs continue to fail and are at increased risk of suffering mental health and long term financial problems. They are often trapped in a cycle of unemployment, unable to gain the most basic level of functional skills necessary to secure employment. Many youngsters in school exclusion settings and as many as 20% of offenders in the criminal justice system have (undiagnosed) specific learning difficulties, predominantly dyslexia.
Current Adult Education Opportunities.
Current literacy training opportunities, such as college based Skills for Life courses, fail to adequately address those below functional level literacy, a significant number of whom will have dyslexic type difficulties.
Skills for Life Classes not helping the Severely Dyslexic Adult.
Considerable investment of around £9 bn. has been made by Government into Skills for Life in the last decade (see appendix below) including the widely publicised Gremlins campaign. Lord Boswell of Aynhois is chairing an inquiry into literacy for the adult education body N.I.A.C.E, to be reported in spring 2011.
Unfortunately, very little of this investment is of benefit for the many adults with dyslexic difficulties who struggle with basic numeracy and literacy.
Basic Skills courses such as Skills for Life offered in local colleges are delivered by non-specialist dyslexia teachers with no or limited understanding of dyslexia.
The courses are not developed for the dyslexic learner whose literacy levels are often at Pre-Entry or Entry level. It is likely that dyslexia is one of the main reasons for adults to seek help at this level.
It’s important to remember that Skills for Life courses have benefited many adult learners. But, the danger has been that some of its success has come from accrediting people for skills they already have. Those with dyslexic learning needs are not provided with appropriate support in these courses, and continue to fail.
B.D.A. Helpline and Adult Calls for Help.
B.D.A Helpline and local Dyslexia Associations often receive calls from unemployed adults (or those on a very low income and in receipt of state benefits) who seek help with their literacy. They report that they have tried Skills for Life classes in the past but they have dropped out or have just not made progress. They have often gone to their local Job Centre for support. Counter staff at Jobcentres seem to have poor understanding of (or even sympathy for) dyslexia and fail to refer dyslexic jobseekers to the Disability Employment Advisers (D.E.A.s). Even then, it would appear that very few Disability Employment Advisers in local Jobcentres are able to offer dyslexic jobseekers meaningful specialist support.
Both D.E.A.s and jobseekers turn to the B.D.A Helpline and to Local Dyslexia Associations for advice and help. Unfortunately there is no centrally funded specialist teaching support available and callers have to make do with whatever Local Dyslexia Associations can offer. Only a few offer adult classes or adult support groups.
On November 18th 2010, BBC 3 screened a programme 'Don't Call Me Stupid' featuring actress Kara Tointon and the difficulties dyslexia causes in both her professional and home life and showed the diagnostic assessment and strategy training that enabled Kara to successfully address some of her issues. This programme also highlighted the case of a young man in Nottingham with severe dyslexia who had left school at 16, functionally illiterate, with no diagnosis or support for his difficulties, who drifted into criminal activities and had spent time in prison. He was now receiving specialist dyslexia teaching to address his severe literacy difficulties.
This programme struck a chord with a large number of viewers, resulting in the B.D.A. Helpine being swamped with calls both on the following day and over the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately this programme did not acknowledge how little funded help is actually available to both diagnose and support adult dyslexia, and raised false hopes among many of these callers. This programme can be seen on BBC i Player: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vy8c7/Kara_Tointon_Dont_Call_Me_Stupid/
No Strategic Action Plan of Action.
Support for such adults is extremely limited and dependent on current Government literacy initiatives. There is no nationwide strategic plan in place. What help is available is largely temporary and patchy and driven by the initiatives and choices made at a local level (an example of excellent local support being the Adult Community Education ‘Skills Mobile’ project run by North Yorkshire County Council).
What to do?
Encourage better cohesion and links between organisations.
There are a number of organisations running different adult literacy projects and initiatives with varying degrees of success. Programmes are often temporary and piece-meal and do not make the most of an existing network of agencies that already have good access to adults with very poor literacy skills. Added to this it is difficult to quantify the success of such literacy projects as there is no standardised criteria for success and little evidence of follow up study.
Review funding and current service provision.
There should be a review of the funding and services with the aim of pulling together resources (expertise, time, accommodation, financial investment) currently available from organisations below:
- Government funded organisations such as N.I.A.C.E, (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education), D.I.U.S (Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills).
- Specialist Employment Services working with disabled adults such as Remploy, Shaw Trust, working in the voluntary sector.
- Job Centres, Job Centre Plus Offices and Pathways to Work Services.
- County Community Education Services: initiatives/projects delivered at local level.
- Dyslexia Charities: British Dyslexia Association, Dyslexia Action, the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust etc.
- Private business funded community project work by large companies such as Tesco and Sainsburys etc.
How to do it.
Plan and Deliver programme of literacy education for target adults.
Develop a strategic delivery plan of literacy support for adults performing at below functional literacy level.
Programme of Learning: Literacy programmes should be based on a multi-sensory approach, as dyslexic people learn best by involving all of their senses: visual, auditory, tactile, and kinaesthetic. It should, of course, be tailormade for the individual learner as no dyslexic has the same learning profile. It is useful to note that research proves non-dyslexic learners also benefit from a traditional phonic based, structured multi-sensory literacy programme. This means that the programme will not exclude those adults who do not share a typical dyslexic profile.
Delivery of programme by fully qualified dyslexia trained adult specialist adult teachers*
Teaching to be in a 1 to 1 setting or, occasionally, in a small group.
* ATS (Approved Teacher Status) or AMBDA (Associated Member of the British Dyslexia Association).
A Decade of Skills for Life.
£5bn was invested in Skills for Life between 2001 and 2008. By 2011, the Commons public accounts committee estimates it will reach £9 billion.
Spending on Skills for Life will exceed £1 billion for 2009/10. Three- quarters of that was targeted at adults over 19, with a large emphasis on numeracy.
5.7m adult learners have taken up 12 million Skills for Life courses (including English for speakers of other languages). The target to improve the literacy, language and numeracy skills of 2.25 million adults by 2010 was met two years early, in June 2008.
2.8m adults have gained a first qualification counting towards Government targets.
541,500 adults gained literacy, language or numeracy qualifications in 2007/08.
There is a target of 597,000 literacy qualifications to be achieved between 2008 and 2011, and 390,000 numeracy qualifications to be achieved over the same period.
18,800 teachers work full-time on Skills for Life. About 6,000 teach numeracy, 8,000 teach literacy and 9,000 teach English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), full- and part-time.
Published in FE Focus on 3 September, 2010
Eye Tests for Dyslexia Visual Stress
What is Visual Stress and why specialist eye tests and treatment should be publicly funded.
Visual Stress and Dyslexia
Visual stress affects around 15 -20% of the population. Among people with dyslexic difficulties the incidence of visual stress is estimated to be around 35 -40%. This can cause great difficulty in both acquiring literacy skills and reading and comprehension.
Visual stress can give rise to visual disturbance or discomfort, such as
- Blurred letters or words which go out of focus.
- Letters which move or present with back to front appearance or shimmering or shaking.
- Headaches from reading.
- Words or letters which break into two and appear as double.
- Find it easier to read large, widely spaced print, than small and crowded.
- Difficulty with tracking across the page.
- Upset by glare on the page or oversensitive to bright lights.
In some cases any of these symptoms can significantly affect reading ability. It can also make reading very tiring.
EffectiveTreatments
Many dyslexic people are sensitive to the glare of white backgrounds on a page, white board or screen. The use of cream or pastel coloured backgrounds can mitigate this difficulty as can coloured filters either as an overlay or as tinted reading glasses. The effectiveness of coloured filters has been clearly demonstrated over a number of years.
People with reading difficulties sometimes have a weakness in eye co-ordination or focussing and an eyecare practitioner might recommend treating this with eye exercises or glasses. If these problems are present, they should be detected and treated before coloured filters are prescribed.
Research in the UK and in Australia shows that people who need coloured filters, who are said to have visual stress, need to have exactly the right colour. Many optometrists and orthoptists use a special instrument, the Intuitive Colorimeter, to determine the exact colour that is necessary for coloured glasses.
Further information into dyslexia and visual stress can be obtained from:
Visual Perception Unit, University of Essex, with Lucid Research.
Tel: 01206 872 381
Web: http://www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/overlays
The Institute of Optometry.
Runs courses for teachers and eyecare practitioners about vision and reading difficulties and has a clinic for people with reading problems.
Tel: 020 7407 4183
Fax: 020 7403 8007
Email: admin@ioo.org.uk Web: http://www.ioo.org.uk/dyslexia.htmWeb
British Association of Behavioral Optometrists (BABO)
Tel: 029 2022 8144
Email: admin@babo.co.uk
Web: www.babo.co.uk
Dyslexia Research Trust.
Tel: 0118 958 5950
Web: http:www.dyslexic.org.uk
A leading research organisation into the visual aspects of dyslexia. Runs clinics for the treatment of visual stress.
Current options for visual stress eye tests and treatments.
Only a few NHS hospital orthoptists have trained in this specialist area of visual stress, so most parents and adults seeking help would not be able to access specialist treatment via the NHS. The cost of a visual stress eye test with a specialist practitioner and treatment which may include reading glasses with precision tinted coloured lenses, can be several hundred pounds.
Many parents contacting the B.D.A. Helpline complain angrily about the cost of getting this vital help, and also adults on low incomes or benefits.
If a child is not able to visually access the written word clearly because of short, long sight or other physical property of the eye, treatment is available on the NHS.
If a child is not able to visually access the written word clearly because of a dyslexia related visual stress difficulty, a parent is expected to pay considerably to remedy the situation. Not doing so could have a serious detrimental effect on the ability to learn to read. (This should not preclude full visual developmental testing as other symptoms may be contributory to dyslexia). Many parents are not in a position to afford private treatment. This could be seen as Disability Discrimination.
NHS funded Visual Stress Eye Tests and Treatment should be made available for children and adults in full time education or on benefits.
(Note: the Northern Ireland Government are currently looking to publicly funding visual stress tests and treatment.)
Research and Publications:
Lucid Research.http://www.lucid-research.com/visualstress.htm
Dyslexia and Visual Stress 2007, lecture to EDA Luxembourg. http://www.lucid-research.com/documents/factsheets/Dyslexia%20and%20Visual%20Stress%20(EDA%20Luxembourg%20Nov%202007).pdf
University of Essex, Psychology Department, Visual Stress Unit.
Research by Professor Arnold Wilkins on visual stress:
www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/overlays
'Reading Through Colour: How Coloured Filters Can Reduce Reading Difficulty, Eye Strain, and Headaches'by Arnold Wilkins. Wiley, 2003. ISBN: 0-470-85116-3.
Institute of Optometry: Prof. Bruce Evans.
The Role of the Optometrist in Reading Difficulties, http://freespace.virgin.net/bruce.evans/
Vision and Reading Difficulties, by Peter M Allen Bruce J W Evans Arnold J Wilkins, 2010 obtainable from Cairns Bookshop.
Dyslexia and Vision by Bruce Evans, published by Wiley 2001, ISBN-13: 978-1861562425
Dyslexia Research Trust: Prof. John Stein www.dyslexic.org.uk
The Early Identification of Dyslexia
Recent Developments
Michael Gove recently unveiled a new reading test aimed at children in Year 1. Reading skills will be assessed through testing pupil’s phonological awareness. When questioned as to what would happen to children who had limited grasp of phonics and who may therefore have dyslexia, Gove explained that these children would receive appropriate support.
“…A light-touch, phonics-based check will provide reassurance that children in year 1 have learned this important skill, will enable us to pinpoint those who are struggling at an early age and will give them the help they need before it is too late.” (Michael Gove 2010)
The British Dyslexia Association’s Comment:
The BDA is encouraged that Michael Gove has made a commitment to help children with dyslexia. Early identification is indeed positive, if followed by systematic, targeted help.
The BDA feel that a child who has been identified as having additional literacy issues, should bypass the School Action Stage and immediately progress to School Action Plus level .
We therefore request that the following are considered:
- A clear commitment to provide additional support for a pupil who struggles to achieve expected reading standards at year 1.
- Recognition from teachers and educators that children who struggle with phonics and are unable to achieve expected reading standards may have dyslexia.
- A commitment to carry out a more in-depth assessment, in order to build a comprehensive picture of the child’s learning needs.
- If dyslexia is suspected, a structured, multi-sensory programme is followed regularly with the child.
- Child’s progress should be monitored on a regular (i.e. termly) basis and information fed back to parents/ carers.
- Regular input from a specialist AMBDA qualified teacher should be enlisted; monitoring the pupil’s progression and adjusting the additional programme accordingly.
- Affective differentiation is deployed to ensure that individual learning needs are addressed.
- All class teachers should be made aware of dyslexia friendly classroom practice.
- An awareness that children who speak English as an additional language may require extra support in dealing with dyslexia.
- As highlighted in the White Paper, additional funding is provided for intervention, in order to offer enhanced provision based on a pupil’s needs .
The British Dyslexia Association strongly endorses an integrated approach to early identification and provision which is known to provide the best prognosis for the dyslexic child, to the benefit of parents, schools and society.
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