What does an adult dyslexia diagnosis consist of?

A dyslexia diagnosis involves a suitably qualified and experienced assessor conducting a dyslexia diagnostic assessment consisting of the following stages.

1. An open ended interview to assess the candidate’s history behind the dyslexia assessment and qualitative evidence about the candidate’s experiences in a number of areas for example history of previous assessments, what their strengths and weaknesses were at school.

2. Administering ability and attainment tests to the candidate. These tests include cognitive tests that look at abilities such as phonology, memory, reasoning, perception; and literacy tests which measure reading skills, comprehension, recall and structuring of written work.

3. The dyslexia assessment process takes from 3 to 3.5 hours.

4. A report that highlights the results of the dyslexia diagnosis and makes further recommendations for managing their dyslexia.

To book an assessment with our Psychologists or for more information please contact Lexxic at info@lexxic.com or go to the website www.lexxic.com

]]> http://lexxic.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/considering-an-adult-assessment-for-dyslexia/feed/ 0 lexxic http://lexxic.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/dyslexia-and-workplace-reasonable-adjustments/ http://lexxic.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/dyslexia-and-workplace-reasonable-adjustments/#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:09:30 +0000 lexxic http://lexxic.wordpress.com/?p=6 ]]> What is meant by a Reasonable Adjustment?

A reasonable adjustment is an alteration that an organisation might put in place if
an individual’s disability impacts upon their ability to conduct normal day to day
activities.
Reasonable adjustments should take into account:

• Person’s ability to remember
• Organise their thoughts
• Plan a course of action & carry it out
• Take in new knowledge
• Understand spoken or written instructions
• Do things significantly more slowly than is normal
• Speech, physical coordination &manual dexterity
• Significant difficulty in reading text or numbers.

How does an employer decide what is considered as reasonable?

Employers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments in the recruitment
process, selection, training, promotion and dismissal processes.
The employer should consider:

• How effective will an adjustment be?
• Will it significantly reduce the disadvantage?
• Is it practical?
• Will it cause much disruption?
• Will it affect other people in the workplace?
• Is it cost prohibitive?

For advice on this area contact the Psychologists at Lexxic-Dyslexia Consultancy info@lexxic.com or www.lexxic.com

Dyscalculia is defined as an inability to perform arithmetic operation, inability to conceptualise numbers and abstract concepts or comparative quantities. Individuals with dyscalculia will also have memory issues retrieving, retaining and working with numbers within their memory.

5% of the population is impacted by dyscalculia.

What symptoms are associated with dyscalculia?

• Difficulty mastering arithmetic facts and equations;

• Difficulty reading maps, grasping directions;
• Problems dealing with money
  
• Issues telling the time and scheduling events;
• Difficulty grasping musical concepts and point scoring systems such as in football matches;
• Issues remembering formulae and numerical facts.

What support can you get?

• Specialist mathematical tuition;
• Networks like www.dyscalculiaforum.com can really support individuals with dyscalculia to share experiences;

• Graphing calculators show an individual on the screen what mathematical sums have been calculated as you go along. This reduces the chance of an individual forgetting what they have done because they can refer back to the information on the screen if required.

For more information go to www.lexxic.com or send a mail to info@lexxic.com

Nicola James

Low self esteem can be an issue faced by a dyslexic. Reports from dyslexic clients show it can be manifested from a number of different experiences including:

• Being teased because of their mistakes
• Embarrassment of making a mistake or needing help with activities such as reading, writing, or taking notes
• Being told repeatedly that they are not good at things

STOP!!!!

For anyone, no matter if you are dyslexic or not,

Do you think you will be able to reach your true potential if you keep receiving negative comments??

Nicola James the director of Lexxic spoke of this at the Dyslexia Symposium held in November 2007 at Salford University. She was explaining that many dyslexics have low confidence and esteem. This creates a negative mind set that does not allow them to look for their strengths.

If individuals keep receiving negative reinforcement, do you think the individual will start to think that they do not have much potential?

Confidence is a really important factor for anyone if they are going to develop and achieve their potential.

Coaching can really support a dyslexic individual with low confidence to refocus and help them realise their ambitions. This can make an individual conscious of their strengths and weaknesses.

A trained coach will take a client through the following phases:

The Phases of Coaching

· Enabling an individual to understand their inner and outer resources available to support them.

· Supporting individuals to become aware of their strengths and weaknesses.

· Facilitating the identification of the individual’s goals.

· Building a plan together with the individual to achieve these goals.

· Shaping the journey in response to feedback and experience of the client.

The Coaching Approach (used at Lexxic)

· You should feel relaxed with a coach.

· You should be able to lower your defenses, and feel open to discussing challenges you are facing within your life.

· Coaches should work with you to analyse the challenges you face, and will coach you to identify and use your strengths to achieve your full potential.

For more informatin on coaching contact Lexxic at info@lexxic.com or visit the website www.lexxic.com

 Risks to the Employer The Trade Union Congress reported that employers risk legal action by not tackling dyslexia within the workplace. It reports that many employers do not realise that Dyslexia has officially been classified as a disability since the passing of the 1995 Disability Discrimination act (DDA). As such, employers who discriminate against dyslexic employees are breaking the law. Dyslexia, often known as the hidden disability affects up to 2.9 million workers in the UK. Many employers do not know how to effectively diagnose and what steps to take to assist dyslexic employees. Awareness and understanding of these steps is crucial in order for employers to avoid unfair dismissal claims.  Lexxic provide professional support and advice to organisations to manage dyslexia within the workplace.

Dyslexics in the Workplace

 Dyslexics are often stigmatised as under-performing, yet many individuals with dyslexia who have excelled in their chosen fields by using their dyslexic strengths. List of famous dyslexics includes luminaries in the fields of business, and the literary and dramatic and culinary arts.  Famous Dyslexics: 

• Richard Branson
• Jamie Oliver
• Agatha Christie
• Orlando Bloom

 Studies have shown that dyslexic individuals may possess a wealth of talents shared by non-dyslexics, as well as certain skills that are not. Dyslexics often have strengths including visualisation and creativity. Indeed, Statistics show that 1 in 5 entrepreneurs are dyslexic. To be successful, organisations need to talent-manage the skills of all staff and appreciate the different strengths of dyslexic employees. Additionally, in order to avoid disability discrimination, employers should seek to attract, recruit and effectively support dyslexic workers. 

Lexxic provides professional support in talent management of dyslexic employees.

  Despite the strength’s of a dyslexic employee. Employers need to be aware of a dyslexic employee’s weaknesses. This can include: 

• Following written or spoken instructions
• Dealing with maps, charts and tables
• Writing memos, letters and reports
• Giving presentations
• Scheduling work and meetings and keeping track of appointments

 Reasonable adjustments can be made for the employee to support them.  

Reasonable Adjustments for Dyslexics in the Workplace

An employer must not discriminate against an employee with dyslexia in the following situations: 

• Recruitment and retention of employees,
• Selection and assessment,
• Promotion and transfers,
• Training and development.

 Reasonable adjustments need to be made where appropriate. Trade Union Congress says employers must appreciate the full range of difficulties dyslexic workers encounter and provide relevant adjustments. 

Reasonable adjustments can prevent bring out a dyslexic employees strengths, which can improve productivity and avoid any legal claims.

For more information click on: www.lexxic.com