Ways in which dyslexia can affect learning
Students with dyslexia will exhibit some or all of the following tendencies, to a greater or lesser degree:
- organisational difficulties – being in the right place at the right time, being able to organise ideas and concepts (eg to produce an essay plan)
- slow reading speed
- slow writing speed
- slow processing speed – may take some time to consider a question, to formulate an answer or a comment, to digest information
- reading for meaning – although able to read the words of a question or statement, the student may have considerable difficulty in digesting the text and extracting the meaning. May need to reread several times
- tendency to misread
- inaccurate copying
- poor note taking skills
- poor short term memory
- difficulties in learning or retaining sequences (eg alphabet)
- short concentration span
- difficulty in acquiring and comprehending new terms
Emotional effects of dyslexia
Students’ reactions to a diagnosis of dyslexia are as varied as their experiences of it. Many students have been diagnosed whilst at school, and have benefited from good support. These students often have a clear understanding of their areas of weakness, and have developed strategies to manage these. Nevertheless, fatigue and frustration are common, together with a lack of confidence in their own ability.
Students whose difficulties have not been identified until later in life may
experience more negative emotions such as panic, stress, anxiety and low
self esteem. This may be particularly true for mature students, some of whom
will have had very negative experiences of education earlier in life.
