Dyslexia and SpLD Transition Issues in Secondary Education

Helen Donovan

Anne Rees

Transition

• Introduction

• Key themes

• Key messages

Who are we talking about?

• Young people with SpLD, focus on

dyslexia

– particularly vulnerable to pressures in

secondary education

– Co-occurring difficulties can exacerbate

difficulties (e.g. DCD, ASD, ADHD, SLI)

What are we talking about?

• Fulfilling potential

• Identifying transition points

Year 7

Year 10

Year 12

http://www.spldtransitions.co.uk

Key themes

• Individual factors

• Accessing the curriculum

Individual factors

Individual factors

• Metacognition

• Dealing with social, emotional and

physical factors

– Mentoring /pastoral

• Organisation

Metacognition

• Thinking about thinking

• Understanding own knowledge state

• Reflecting

• Mindful learning

Social, emotional, physical

pressures

• confidence/ self-esteem

• peer pressure

• adolescence

• behaviour

Organisation

• Work

• Timetable/timekeeping

• Navigating around school

Accessing the curriculum

Accessing the curriculum

• Language

• Literacy

• Curriculum

Language

• Receptive

• Expressive

• Subject-specific

Mean…

• What does this mean?

• Don’t be so mean!

• Find the mean of ….

Expressive language

How does someone write like a 15

year old…..

…if they’re reading like a 10 year

old?

Curriculum/academic

• Identify potential difficulties

• EAA

• Increasing academic demands

• Independent learning

• ‘Learned helplessness’

Year 7 screening for ‘hidden’

difficulties

• Working memory – digit span

• Verbal processing speed - rapid

naming

Embedding exam access

arrangements

Year 7

• Screening

• Trial EAAs

• Collect evidence of need

Year 8

• Trial EAAs

• Collect evidence of need

Year 9

• Assess reading, spelling, writing speed, working memory. processing speed

• Collect evidence of need

Year 10/11

• Apply for EAA

• Implement EAA

Year 12/13

• Re-assess

• Apply for EAA

• DSA?

Learned helplessness

• Become over-dependent on helpers

• Learning not viewed as their own

responsibility

So…

• Develop independence using assistive

technology

• load2learn

Literacy

• greatly increased demands for reading

and writing

• quality

• higher order skills

• adapting writing style

• flexible reading skills

Key messages

• Transition spectrum

• Baseline testing to include ‘hidden difficulties’ – working memory and verbal processing speed

• Embedding access arrangements Yr 7

• Metacognition

Thanks for listening, we’d

welcome your comments

Helen Donovan: hdonovan@dyslexiaaction.org.uk

Anne Rees: arees@dyslexiaaaction.org.uk