Dyslexia in the Workplace
Do you or those you employ:
- Easily lose a thread of a conversation?
- Have poor short term memory?
- Have problems prioritising workload?
- Have difficulties keeping focus and taking direction?
- Have poor organisational and time management skills?
- Have difficulty with literacy and/or numeracy?
This could mean a mild or severe form of one of the following:
- Dyslexia definition (click here )
"Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty which mainly affects the development of literacy and language related skills. It is likely to be present at birth and to be lifelong in its effects.
It is characterised by difficulties with phonological processing, rapid naming, working memory, processing speed, and the automatic development of skills that may not match up to an individual’s other cognitive abilities.
It tends to be resistant to conventional teaching methods, but its effects can be mitigated by appropriately specific intervention, including the application of information technology and supportive counselling." (British Dyslexia Association [http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia.html]).
- Dyspraxia definition (click here)
An individual with dyspraxia may have an impairment or immaturity in the organisation of movement, often appearing clumsy. Gross motor skills (related to balance and co-ordination) and fine motor skills (relating to manipulation of objects) are hard to learn and difficult to retain and generalise.
Writing is particularly laborious and keyboard skills difficult to acquire. Individuals may have difficulty organising ideas and concepts. Pronunciation may also be affected and people with dyspraxia may be over/under sensitive to noise, light and touch. They may have poor awareness of body position and misread social cues in addition to those shared characteristics common to many specific learning difficulties. (SpLD Working Group 2005/DfES Guidelines).
- Dyscalculia definition (click here)
Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty involving the most basic aspect of arithmetical skills. The difficulty lies in the reception, comprehension, or production of quantitative and spatial information.
Students with dyscalculia may have difficulty in understanding simple number concepts, lack an intuitive grasp of numbers and have problems learning number facts and procedures. These can relate to basic concepts such as telling the time, calculating prices, handling change. (SpLD Working Group 2005/DfES Guidelines).
- Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (AD(H)D) definition (click here)
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) exists with or without hyperactivity. In most cases people with this disorder are often ‘off task’, have particular difficulty commencing and switching tasks, together with a very short attention span and high levels of distractibility. They may fail to make effective use of the feedback they receive and have weak listening skills. Those with hyperactivity may act impulsively and erratically, have difficulty foreseeing outcomes, fail to plan ahead and be noticeably restless and fidgety.
Those without the hyperactive trait tend to daydream excessively, lose track of what they are doing and fail to engage in their studies unless they are highly motivated. The behaviour of people with ADD can be inappropriate and unpredictable; this, together with the characteristics common to many specific learning difficulties, can present a further barrier to learning. (SpLD Working Group 2005/DfES Guidelines).
DON’T PANIC – for more info and easy solutions click here
The Good News:
We can assess individuals to identify the exact nature of a specific learning difficulty and in what way this will impact on a person’s working life.
From the analysis of a person’s strengths and weaknesses we can recommend suitable adjustments in the workplace and give feedback and advice to the individual and their manager.
We can help your organisation to raise awareness of dyslexia in the workplace, for example, through training, and help managers to enable their staff to work more effectively and efficiently.
Through the coaching and/or counselling process we can help to improve motivation and behaviour.
What to expect from an assessment:
More Good News
The Equality Act 2010 (incorporating The Disability Discrimination Acts of 1995 and 2005) require that ‘reasonable adjustments’ have to be made in the workplace for anyone with a disability. Dyslexia is included in this legislation as a specific learning difficulty. This is not bad news…. ‘Reasonable adjustments’ can be as easy as changing the way a workstation is laid out, how a pc screen looks, the format in which information is given and assistive technology and software. With our expert advice and guidance, your company’s efficiency and productivity can improve enormously.
Yet more Good News
Who would not want to have a dyslexic team member…….
Here are some of the strengths that dyslexic people often demonstrate:
Visualisation skills - they can see the big picture not just the minutiae
Creative and intuitive - their imagination is not constrained by conventional thinking and they are able to think ‘outside the box’ - sometimes just ‘knowing’ what will work
Innovative and original - they tackle problems from different angles and perspectives - their thought processes are not linear and sequential so solutions to problems are inventive and different
Fast thinking and articulate - their agility of thinking often produces a stream of ideas that can be verbalised
Hard working and conscientious – to achieve (particularly academically) will have required enormous effort and application. High achieving dyslexics will have devoted more time and energy to their studies than the average student
Want to know who’s famous, successful and dyslexic? You’ll be amazed – click here
Famous successful dyslexics and what they have achieved - the world of movers and shakers:
Businessmen and leaders: Sir Richard Branson, Bill Gates, F.W. Woolworth, W. Hewlett (co-founder of Hewlett Packard).
Inventors: Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Eddison, Albert Einstein, James Clark Maxwell.
Political and military leaders: Winston Churchill, George Bush, Dwight Eisenhower, Benjamin Franklin, Michael Hesseltine, Thomas Jefferson, J.F. Kennedy, George Washington, George Patton, Nelson Rockefeller.
Culture, Art and Design: Tommy Hilfiger, David Bailey, Leonardo de Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, Andy Warhol, Jorn Utzan.
Film makers and directors: Walt Disney, Linda la Plante, Steven Spielberg, Guy Richie, Quentin Tarrantino.
Composers and musicians: Beethoven, Mozart, John Lennon, Nigel Kennedy, Cher, Toyah Wilcox, Harry Belafonte, Robbie Williams.
Writers and poets: Hans Christian Anderson, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allen Poe, W.B.Yeats, Benjamin Zephaniah, Gustave Flaubert.
Media and Fashion: Jerry Hall, Meg Matthews, Sophie Dahl, Jodie Kidd.
Actors: Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, Danny Glover, Susan Hampshire, Henry Winkler, Orlando Bloom, Keanu Reeves, Keira Knightley.
Sportsmen: Sir Jackie Stewart, Mohammed Ali, Duncan Goodhew, Magic Johnson, Sandy Lyle, Sir Steve Redgrave
Celebrity Dyslexics
Dyslexia affects about 10% of the population and people from all walks of life. Here’s what some well known dyslexics have to say about their experiences:
Richard Branson - “Being dyslexic can actually help in the outside world. I see some things clearer than other people do because I have to simplify things to help me and that has helped others.”
Tom Cruise – “Being dyslexic I had to train myself to focus my attention. I became very visual and learned how to create mental images in order to comprehend what I read.”
Jamie Oliver – “It was with great regret that I didn’t do better at school. People just thought that I was thick, it was a struggle. I never really had anyone to help that understood my dyslexia and who could bring out my strengths.”
Brian Conley – “Because I’m dyslexic I’ve suffered from terrible insecurity. From an early age I’ve had this determination to prove I’m not thick. It’s the thing that’s driven me most in my career. Recently though, it hasn’t seemed to bother me so much. I suppose that’s a combination of age and feeling I’ve finally proved myself. My wife still has to write out all our cheques, though, because I’m rubbish at writing. I get everything mixed up and I’ll end up putting £80,000 instead of £80.”
Einstein – His teachers reported that he was “mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams.”
Misconceptions about dyslexia – click here
It is a common misconception that dyslexic individuals have weak literacy skills and nothing else; this is not necessarily the case. Many well-motivated and intelligent individuals have mastered good literacy skills, but they have other difficulties associated with this specific learning difficulty. For example, they can have poor short term memory which means that they lose the thread of a conversation, forget what they have just read or find it difficult to retain a string of instructions or information. They may have difficulty in planning and organising themselves which can impact on efficiency at work and they may find it difficult to manage their time and prioritise tasks.
Often dyslexic individuals are highly creative and can offer a different perspective on situations. Their input at work can be invaluable. However, if their difficulties are not recognised they can be perceived as being ‘difficult’ or inefficient, which can lead to motivational problems or even disciplinary proceedings.