Education

Hi there I have dyslexia, although not formerly diagnosed, it mainly effects my memory ability or lack of it. My daughter was diagnosed at college and again in university she had a lot of help with special equipment, coloured overlays, digital recorders etc, even written papers were on different coloured paper for her,

it isn’t always about letters being back to front or dancing around on the page as some may be led to believe.

It can be about storage availability and where the information is put when it arrives,

imagine a lorry backing up to a loading bay, you open the back .

it is full to bursting, only some of the important parcels are to be kept, but to get to them the whole lorry has to be unloaded first, so as the parcels begin to be unloaded the loading area gets to be full up. No more space is available, so to create more space any important parcels already found and some of the other parcels are taken to the back of the warehouse , eventually all the parcels are unloaded, right now to find the important ones, the ones you need instantly to give the answer required right now, 

well some are easy to find as they were the last few and are on the loading bay, but the others are way back in the warehouse mixed with other  non important parcels, so off you go eventually you find them, it then takes time sorting through them to pick out the important ones, now to head back to the loading bay, you now have all the important ones you need, just need to arrange them in some sort of order and you have the answer you were looking for.

This anology is very long, but so is the retrieval process of some with dyslexia, the area ( loading bay)we need to hold important information is smaller than ordinary peoples. Therefore we place the over load of important information at the back of our brain,(back of warehouse),

we then struggle to retrieve the information and the longer it takes the more anxiety levels will rise, quite often the answers needed will be to late.

I will see if I can find the information I found talking about memory area and post itbup. 

Not saying you have dyslexia but your words 

“ My problem seems to lie with the storage and organisation of information,a lot of the time stuff does goes in and I have at least have the illusion of comprehension but this is short- lived and then it gets scrambled.”

sounds justblike me. 

I wish you well with everything you do. ()

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18:02:2018.

Hi, 

I just did an extensive online Dyslexia Assessment questionnaire-it confirmed my belief that I am NOT Dyslexic. I have never had difficulty spelling or reading. I would like to get to the bottom of this though, I don't even know officially that I am Autistic but there is something very disruptive going on in my brain which has had a disastrous effect on my ability to learn. I felt like a freak in school and my obvious failures had a damaging effect on my self-esteem-as they would for anyone.

An Autism diagnosis-should I get one might answer a lot of nagging questions, that possibility has enboldened me to seek an answer to the most baffling and by far the most frustrating conundrum of my life which is why the hell could/can I not get my brain to retain knowledge to even a half-useful extent?

Thanks for taking the time to reply, my very Best Wishes to you.

Chris Packham on autism and education

Great. A large part of succeeding in education is about finding out what strategies work best for you as an individual.

Dyslexia is so much more than spelling or comprehension of word meanings. From what you've written it does sound like you may have some other challenges going on other than ASD so if you do ever decide to pursue formal education it might be worth looking into this. Getting the right labels and support transformed my ability to study.

I will look into your suggestions, If I could find a way of learning more effectively that really would open up a lot of things which seem unattainable today, it may come to nothing but would be worth a try!

When I say I want to study and get a qualification, I never imagined that I would ever do a course in a college, I only ever intended tpo teach myself and then sit an exam-I cannot learn in a regular academic environment, everything I know I taught myself-which is not to say much!- I can only pick things up in an unstructured setting, knowledge has to sneak in past my conscious mind with its screwed up filter system.

That's what it feels like to me anyway.

I don't believe that I am Dyslexic-my faulty keyboard may have given you that impression, it does not alwways register keystrokes on certain letters and ignores the space bar.

I don't have difficulties with spelling or comprehension of word meanings, i get confused by poor grammar and ambiguous meanings of some word combinations.

My problem seems to lie with the storage and organisation of information, a lot of the time stuff does go in and I have at least the illusion of comprehension but this is short-lived and it then gets scrambled.

DSA is incredibly useful if you decide to undertake higher level study such as a degree. If your studying other courses, such as a community course or a BTEC, this support isn't available. If you buy study skills books relating to dyslexia you might be able to find some strategies that work for you. For example, making giant mindmaps with post it notes, cut outs of pictures etc really helps me.

www.amazon.co.uk/.../ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0

there might also be the availability of a note taker, depending on your severity. 

find out if your prospective institution does testing for dyslexia, if not then you need to do it via your GP 

You might have initial screening which will be a few questions and some tests eg you are told a set of numbers and you have to repeat them backwards, you will be asked spelling and things.  It is ok, they are just seeing if you are dyslexic and then you are sent for the proper test which is similar but there is more of it.  You can ask for breaks, they go at your pace as that is part of it as well and they are assessing your severity.  Ask for the report in written and electronic formats.  Keep the printed one safe.  You might also be tested for Irlen Eye Syndrome and be given coloured plastic overlays for your books/computer screen to help calm down the white page for you. 

When you start your studies, tell them you are dyslexic, ask for the dyslexic support, speak with them and email your report to them.  They should help you by getting you to do a form for DSA disabled students allowance.  The DSA will have a chat with you about your study needs and come up with the recommended help for you, your dyslexic support should help by discussing it with you beforehand. Or if you are applying for student loans you might have an option on there to declare dyslexia but you will still need to do some form filling and have the official stamp and signature that you are studying there - the learning support will help you. 

There are Access Courses if you are able to do one which will help you back into studying or maybe foundation year? If not the first year is about settling in and getting used to university study and getting to grips with the subjects as much as anything else. For many they are away from home and trying to stand on their own two feet etc. So the first year marks don't count towards the degree. 

Contact the institution(s) ask to visit and for a chat - ask about the courses, subjects, workload and about support and if they have any quiet study areas, how many hours lectures and how many laboratory sessions.  You might only have 2 days lectures but being full time, the other 3 days are for studying, your self learning research, reading and actions etc from those lectures. 

This is well-timed because I filled out my student support plan today as a postgrad and it went really well. I didn't have a diagnosis when I went to university the first time and it was a completely different experience, so I understand your hesitation. 

Colleges and universities will make arrangements to accommodate students with disabilities, this includes working with your learning style and making reasonable adjustments to the environment. For me, there is no point going to an audio lecture because I don't retain information that I can't see, but if I have something I can read then it avoids the frustration. This means I am given handouts in advance and I can sit by the door so I can leave if I am overwhelmed. I'm applying for Disabled Students Allowance (everyone can do this as it isn't means tested) which funds equipment like a digital recorder with software to play it back and a specialist mentor to help manage stress and the transition back to student life. It means if the 'scrambling' happens, then I don't need to stress that I have missed anything because I can have another look at it later, when I am on my own, and talk it through with somebody who understands AS.

My experience of student support has been great, there is a lot of help out there and it would be worth contacting your prospective institution so you know what to expect in advance. 

Blackbird said:

Does anyone else have similar experience of learning? Did you find a way of overcoming any difficulties you may have had?

Greetings. Find a subject to specialise in, and augment what others try to tell you with being "self-taught". If you are relaxed, happy, and know what you are about (i.e. confident, experienced, adaptable) then "Learning" changes --- from being stressful to being an interesting challenge. 

If you are good at something, or enjoy something, then make that your "identity" or "defining self". Then challenges become enjoyable, and other unrelated challenges do not have to count. It is not easy, yet this carries its own worth and will always lend you strength whenever you feel (or are made to feel) "down". (Hopefully anyone understands what I mean!)

Possibly, I use the Grammarly plug in to help with my spelling and I often have to edit my replies too. Here's a link to a list of indicators of dyslexia - www.dyslexia.ie/.../

I often write wrong words or miss the words when trying.

The spell checker helps me a lot.

I often edit the replies here to correct the mistakes.

Could I have this as well?

Many people with ASD have dyslexia too. Dyslexia can cause a lot of challenges with memory retention. Perhaps this could be the cause? I struggle teriibly with my memory but have managaed to gain a masters degree - I've learnt to avoid exam based courses.

I have had similar experience.

I was studying in a University.

The classrooms with huge crowds made me extremely anxious.

It was really difficult for me to cope with noise and people around me.

I was struggling so much. I often missed the classes and the result was that I did not finish.

At the time, I could not understand what was wrong. I did not know about autism. Now I know and it perfectly explains everything.

I think the best I learn when I am alone.