Supporting Students with Dyslexia in Clinical Practice

1
Supporting Students with Dyslexia in Clinical
Practice

• Sarah Traylor
• Disability Liaison Officer
• School of Nursing Midwifery

2
Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001

• This Act came into law in May 2004 and is an
  amendment to the Disability Discrimination Act
  1995.
• As a result discrimination against disabled
  students in the provision of education, training
  and other related services is now unlawful.
• (Corlett 2004)

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Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001

• Professional practice placements are covered
  under the Act under provision of services
  provided wholly or mainly for students enrolled
  on courses (DRC, 2002)
• Universities have a responsibility not to
  discriminate against students because of their
  disability

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What is Discrimination?

• Treating a disabled person less favourably than
  one treats or would treat a non disabled person
  for a reason that relates to that persons
  disability. (Corlett 2004)

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Discrimination

• Can occur in two ways
• When the HEI treats a disabled person less
  favourably for a reason relating to their
  disability.
• When the HEI fails to make a reasonable
  adjustment placing the disabled student at a
  disadvantage compared to their peers.

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Reasonable Adjustments

• If a disabled student is at a substantial
  disadvantage the education provider is required
  to take such steps as are reasonable to prevent
  this disadvantage. This might include adjustments
  to course requirements or work placements, the
  provision of support strategies and alternative
  ways of delivering courses.

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Maintenance of Educational Standards

• It is NOT expected that educational standards
  should be lowered to accommodate disabled
  students and one of the criteria for determining
  whether an adjustment is reasonable is the
  maintenance of course standards both academic and
  in clinical practice.
• (Corlett 2004)

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Defining Dyslexia

• The British Dyslexic Association definition
• a complex neurological condition .The symptoms
  may affect many areas of learning and function,
  and may be described as a specific difficulty in
  reading, spelling and written language. One or
  more of these areas may be affected.

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BDA definition contd

• Numeracy, notational skills (music), motor
  function and organisational skills may also be
  involved. However it is particularly related to
  mastering written language, although oral
  language may be affected to some degree.
• (Crisfield 1996)

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Characteristics of Dyslexia?

• Dyslexia is often described in terms of deficits
• Problems with space, time and numbers
• Difficulty in reading and recognising words
• Poor short term memory - particularly auditory or
  visual sequential memory
• Difficulty differentiating between left and right
• Weak organisational skills
• An individual wont necessarily have all of
  these difficulties.
• (Sanderson-Mann, McCandless 2005)

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Students with Dyslexia in Nursing

• Dyslexia can effect 3 10 of the population.
  However there is evidence that people with
  dyslexia may be drawn to people orientated
  professions, and to careers such as nursing and
  midwifery.
• (Sanderson-Mann, McCandless 2005)

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Students with Dyslexia

• People react to being told they have dyslexia in
  a variety of ways. Many mature nursing students
  are only diagnosed when they start their nursing
  programme, while others may have been diagnosed
  at school or college.
• Most students will share anxieties that when
  other people know they have dyslexia they may be
  treated in a negative way and their ability to
  function effectively in clinical practice may be
  questioned.

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The Role of the Mentor

• Students need to feel that their mentor is open
  and approachable and will react to their
  disclosure of dyslexia in a positive and
  supportive way.
• The mentors aim is to work with the student to
  help them to develop strategies that enable them
  to achieve the required standard of performance
  in practice. This may involve reasonable
  adjustments within the practice setting.

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Students with Dyslexia

• It is important to recognise that students
  diagnosed with dyslexia may have a range of
  deficits that affect them to various degrees.
• Many students have developed effective coping
  strategies for managing the deficits they have.
• Dyslexia is classified as a disability under the
  SENDA (2001) legislation.

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Support offered to Students with Dyslexia in the
University

• Students with dyslexia are allowed 25 extra time
  in examinations. Those with poor short term
  memory will also be allowed the use of a prompt
  sheet. If reading and understanding text under
  time constraints is an issue they may be allowed
  the services of a reader for the exam question.
  The use of a computer to type their answers or in
  some cases an amanuensis may also be recommended.

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Support offered to Students with Dyslexia in the
university

• A Tintavision assessment will indicate if the use
  of a coloured overlay would assist them in
  reading text printed on a white background.
• Recording lectures, seminars and tutorials
  assists with difficulties in note taking.
• In some cases the services of a note taker in
  lectures may be recommended.

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Disabled Students Allowance

• Students with Dyslexia are eligible to apply for
• DSA which is divided into three sections
• Equipment IT hardware software, digital
• recorder, handheld spellchecker.
• Non-medical Helpers note taker, dyslexia tutor
• General allowance often used for books,
  photocopying/coloured paper etc.

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Support Needs of Students with Dyslexia in
Clinical Practice

• A student who is dyslexic may decide not to
  disclose their disability to staff in clinical
  placements. This is their right, but would mean
  that no support would be available to them in the
  clinical setting.
• If a student decides to disclose their disability
  then a range of support which mirrors that which
  they receive in the University can be offered.

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Support Needs of Students with Dyslexia in
Clinical Practice

• The use of taped handovers in many placement
  areas is very helpful for students with dyslexia
  as tapes can be reviewed to check information. If
  taped handovers are not used then the student
  should be encouraged to take notes and staff
  should be understanding of slow note taking and
  the need to ask questions to check the accuracy
  of notes.

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Support Needs of Students with Dyslexia in
Clinical Practice

• Students may request to record interviews with
  their assessor to ensure that they have an
  accurate record of feedback given and advice
  regarding progress.
• It may also be useful to record instructions for
  sequenced procedures to aid the development of
  competent practice.
• If a student has a coloured overlay they should
  be encouraged to use this in practice to aid
  reading text printed on white paper.

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Support Needs of Students with Dyslexia in
Clinical Practice

• Students may have hand held computers containing
  dictionaries of medical/nursing terminology and
  should be encouraged to use these to check
  spelling when writing patient documentation.
• More time may be required for the completion of
  written documentation and this should be handled
  sensitively.

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Support Needs of Students with Dyslexia in
Clinical Practice

• Students with dyslexia often have difficulties
  with numeracy and will be receiving weekly 1 to 1
  tuition from a specialist tutor to help to
  overcome these and also to help with the
  development of literacy and study skills.
• When administering drugs and calculating drip
  rates and drug dosages, they may need more time
  and support to achieve safe practice.

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Advice you might give to students with dyslexia
on clinical placements.

• If in doubt ask someone to check that you have
  completed work correctly.
• Write messages and instructions down if you are
  worried that you may forget.
• Keep a notebook and use it to record things you
  may want to look up later.
• Repeat instructions to ensure that you have
  understood them.

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Advice you might give to students with dyslexia
on clinical placements

• Make a list of words that you have difficulty
  spelling and refer to this when completing
  documentation.
• Use a handheld spellchecker if you have one.
• Photocopy forms that you need to be familiar with
  and practice filling them in. Fill a photocopy in
  in rough then redo it, until you gain confidence.

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Competence in Practice

• Although mentors/assessors and supervisors are
  responsible for meeting students support needs in
  practice, the student must ultimately be able to
  reach the standard of safe and competent practice
  in all outcomes. In order to do so they may
  require reasonable adjustments in practice and
  should be encouraged to use any measures
  described on the previous slides that they find
  helpful.

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Sources of Advice and Support

• Sarah Traylor is the Disability Liaison Officer
  in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Keele
  University.
• Sarah can be contacted by e mail at
• s.e.a.traylor_at_nur.keele.ac.uk
• or by phone on 01782 556662

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References

• Crisfield J (ed) 1996 The Dyslexia Handbook. BDA
  Reading
• Corlett S. Special Educational Needs and
  Disability Act. Skill - National Bureau for
  Students with Disabilities.
• http//www.skill.org.uk/news/senda.asp
• Accessed on 13.10.05

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References

• Disability Rights Commission
• httpwww.drc.gov.uk
• Accessed on 23/05/07

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References

• Sanderson-Mann, J. McCandless, F. 2005
• Guidelines to the UK Disability Discrimination
  Act 1995 and the SENDA 2001 with regard to nurse
  education and dyslexia. Nurse Education Today
  (2005) 25, 542-549