If you think you are Dyslexic
Around 10% of the population is dyslexic. Dyslexia is not related to intelligence, many of society’s high achievers
are dyslexic. Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty ie an individual experiences
difficulty in acquiring or using certain skill areas in contrast to his/her
general level of ability.
Common difficulties
- Recognising and sounding out written words
- Poor short term memory (eg going into a shop and finding that you’ve forgotten what you went for)
- Slow reading or working speed – dyslexic students often comment that it takes them much longer to complete work than their peers
- Poor organisational skills and problems with time management
- Difficulty with organising thoughts eg knowing how to tackle an essay question
- Erratic spelling - the same word may be spelt a number of different ways in the same piece of work
- Problems learning and recalling sequences eg the alphabet
Diagnosis
Dyslexia is diagnosed by means of a psychological assessment which assesses an individual’s levels of ability across a range of areas. An individual will normally have a fairly consistent level of ability, and unexpected ‘dips’ in performance on certain areas would indicate a diagnosis of dyslexia.
Getting assessed
If you think you may be dyslexic come along to Dyslexia Support in Student Wellbeing. We can arrange an initial discussion with a specialist dyslexia adviser, and subsequently an assessment with a chartered psychologist.
Costs
There is no charge to meet with a dyslexia adviser. To apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance you will need an up to date, post 16 psychological report from a chartered psychologist. There is a cost involved for a psychological assessment and it is the students’ responsibility to pay any costs. You may be able to claim this money back through our Access to Learning Fund dependant on the type of student loan you are receiving.
