Focusing
on Dyspraxia: Reading and Writing (Part 2)
In this series of articles I will
be focusing on certain areas in which Dyspraxia can cause problems with. The
first of these is reading and writing. In the first part we looked at my
childhood and how I found handwriting, spelling and comprehension challenging
and how I would rarely spend time reading books. In this second part I will be
focusing on secondary school and touching upon the start of my university
degree programme in English Literature and Creative Writing.
When I first joined secondary
school at the age of eleven I found many areas of reading and writing challenging.
Reading aloud in class was scary and writing complete grammatical sentences was
a nightmare. My teachers thankfully noticed my difficulties and so for the
first three years I was given ‘Learning Support’ instead of studying French.
Learning Support was a department
of excellent support staff whose role was to help students who needed that
extra bit of help. As part of this myself and a small group of others in my
year had fifty minute lessons, usually three times a week, were we spent time
improving our English skills. Learning Support was fantastic. The encouragement
the department gave us was overwhelming. During lessons we worked on our
spellings, handwriting, reading, comprehension and even our presentation
skills. This happened in a stress-free, judgemental-free and social-building
environment. I would come out each day having learnt something new and more
importantly having the self-confidence in myself to continue.
The self-esteem I gained through
Learning Support shined through in my English lessons. I had the courage to put
my hand up in class and even attempt to read aloud. The feedback I received in
school reports was pleasing and even my grades rose from D/E to B/C level.
There were occasional knocks in my confidence but the doors were always open at
the Learning Support Department.
Please note that ‘Learning
Support’ was marked on my school record so teachers were aware I was getting
supervision but anything we discussed was confidential without agreement. After
informing the Head of Year Nine of my Crohn’s Disease diagnosis in 2007 I was
given a Study Needs Agreement. Study Needs Agreements are records for anyone
who has a disability. The forms state the nature of your disability and any
specialist arrangements you have because of this.
One of my arrangements concerned
examinations. For my GCSEs I was given 25% Extra Time and Toilet Breaks, but I
handwrote my responses. This was before I was officially diagnosed with
Dyspraxia at the age of eighteen. Naturally though I used my Extra Time to finish
my answers.
When it came to my Financial
Studies examination at AS Level in Year Twelve I ran out of time answering the
long essay question, even with my Extra Time. I was slightly disappointed with
myself but after a detailed conversation and some tests with the Learning
Support Department we agreed I would complete all my future examinations on a
laptop. This was put on my Study Needs Agreement. This change was brilliant as
it gave me the focus I needed during examinations without worrying about if my
hand ached for writing for long durations or if my handwriting became
illegible. So thank you to the Learning Support Department for all your
support.
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| A very kind message I received from the Learning Support staff...Copyright © 2015- Jake Borrett. All rights reserved. |
The encouragement I received from
them combined with enthusiastic English teachers got me interested in the world
of literature. Yes, to the extent I studied English Language and Literature at
A-Level and now study ‘English Literature and Creative Writing’ at University
of Hertfordshire.
Even at degree level I struggle
with some areas of reading and writing. During my first year I often found
myself listening to audio books as there was so much reading to complete. Also
the feedback I received from writing assignments was that my ideas were
excellent but my ‘structure’ and ‘proofreading’ let me down.
As with my secondary school, I
have a Study Needs Agreement in place at University of Hertfordshire although
with a few changes. One of these changes is that I have a Study Skills Tutor.
During my second year I spent weekly or fortnightly one-hour lessons improving
my essay writing and examination planning. This will continue into my final
year from September 2015 onwards. I cannot thank the Disability Services at
University of Hertfordshire enough for their support. I am sure to go into more
detail about them in future articles.
To conclude though, Dyspraxia can
have an impact on various areas associated with reading and writing.
Encouragement given from educational staff, friends and family can improve
self-esteem to the point it gives us the confidence to try and overcome any difficulty
we may be having because our disability. Do not be afraid to except this help.
Excepting help does not mean you are weak but shows you have the strength to
try and succeed. Thank you for reading this article and until next time I hope
you have a brilliant week.
