Dyspraxia and ADHD in Further and Higher Education Mary Colley

1
Dyspraxia and ADHD in Further and Higher
EducationMary Colley
2
An Overview

• Definition of Dyspraxia and ADHD
• Signs symptoms of Dyspraxia and overlapping
  conditions
• Assessment
• Participants to give information on their own
  experiences of the condition
• Pointers on how to help adults with dyspraxia
  and AD(H)D
• Conclusion
• Questions

3
Definition of Dyspraxia

• Dyspraxia is an impairment or immaturity of the
  organisation of movement. Associated with this
  there may be problems of language, perception and
  thought.
  Dyspraxia Foundation
• Another simpler definition could be Getting our
  bodies to do what we want when we want to do it
  in the absence of any clear neurological
  condition
• Other names include
• Developmental co-ordination Disorder (DCD),
  Perceptuo-Motor Dysfunction and Minimal Brain
  Damage.
• It overlaps with many other conditions
  particularly dyslexia, AD(H)D and Aspergers
  Syndrome

4
(No Transcript)
5
(No Transcript)
6
General Overlap
General Overlap

• There is a great deal of overlap between AD(H)D
  and dyspraxia in particular as well the other
  conditions including dyslexia and Autistic
  Spectrum Disorder.
• All the conditions are generally present at
  birth and continue into adulthood in some form or
  another and run in families

7
Dyspraxia Overlap
Dyspraxia Overlap

• Around 70 of people with Aspergers have
  dyspraxia or dyspraxic traits Stern, Fernell
  Gillberg
• Around 53 of dyslexics have Dyspraxia Kaplan
  1998
• Up to 50 of dyspraxics have have AD(H)D see
  Brown, Barkley

8
ADHD 1
AD(H)D Definition etc.

• Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder is a
  specific developmental disorder that comprises
  deficits in behavioural inhibition, sustained
  attention and resistance to distraction, and the
  regulation of ones activity to the demands of
  the situation - Barkley Murphy 1997
• AD(H)D used to be known as Hyperkinetic Disorder
  and minimal brain damage

9
AD(H)D (contd)
AD(H)D 2

• Types of AD(H)D
• Inattentive only
• Hyperactive/impulsive only
• Combination of the two
• The most basic trait is a lack of focused
  attention. It is not that students with AD(H)D do
  not attend they attend to everything....They
  also sometimes over-focus on certain tasks that
  theyre interested in - become totally engrossed
  and dont register anything else (Chris
  Derrington, Northampton University)

10
AD(H)D Overlap
ADHD Overlap

• AD(H)D has a 50 overlap with dyspraxia/ DCD
  Barkley Gillberg)
• 40 Kirby 2008
• A 40 overlap with dyslexia Wilcutt et al
  2007
• 59 of people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder
  had AD(H)D as well.
• 21 of ADDers had Aspergers Syndrome 36
  showed traits of autism - Kirby 2009

11
AD(H)D signs Symptoms
AD(H)D Signs Symptoms

• May have difficulty paying attention in
  lectures/seminars
• May be distracted by their own thoughts
• May act impulsively, e.g. Buy something they
  cant afford very impatient
• May show fidgeting and restless behaviour
• May have problems with interpersonal
  relationships
• May have short term memory and organisational
  problems

12
Signs and Symptoms of Dyspraxia

• Before talking about ways to tackle dyspraxic
  difficulties in students, I will give a brief
  overview of the types of difficulty typically
  faced by dyspraxic adults. As we go through
  these, I will give examples relevant to students.

13
Adults may have difficulty with the following

• Manual practical work /fine motor skills
• Personal presentation and Spatial skills/gross
  motor skills
• Work and personal organisation
• Memory attention span
• Written Expression
• Visual oral skills
• Numeracy skills
• Social, communication and emotional behaviour

14
Manual Practical work/Fine Motor co-ordination

• Problems using computer keyboards and mice
• Difficulty measuring accurately
• Slow, poor and/ or illegible handwriting
• Messy presentation/work
• Difficulty with staplers, photocopying etc.
• Difficulty doing manual work, craftwork
  laboratory work
• Difficulty folding clothes, sheets etc., changing
  duvet covers

15
Personal Presentation Spatial Skills/ Gross
motor skills

• Untidy and rumpled
  
• Clumsy gait
• Poor posture
• Frequently drop things and trip over
• Poor at sport, especially team ball games
• Poor balance/ difficulty going up and
• downstairs and hills
• Difficulty with driving and using turnstiles

16
Organisation (Dyspraxia ADHD)

• Organising paperwork
• Losing things
• Forgetting things
• Time keeping
• Managing overall workload
• Prioritising
• Meeting deadlines

17
Memory and Attention Span (Dyspraxia ADHD)

• Short attention span
• Poor short term memory
• Easily distracted I when studying, especially by
  noise and bright lights. Open plan libraries can
  be a real problem
• Difficulty following instructions and
  discussions, e.g. in seminars
• Slow retrieval of information, especially when
  under stress
• Becoming disorientated, for example, getting lost
  in large buildings and difficulty finding their
  way to new places on time.

18
Written Expression mainly dyspraxia

• Erratic spelling and punctuation
• Awkward and confused sentence structure and
  sequencing
• Poor proof-reading
• Inclusion of irrelevant material in
  assignments/essays
• Slow to complete work

19
Visual and Oral Skills

• Trouble keeping place while reading and writing,
  tracking problems
• Poor relocating - cannot easily look from
  blackboard to note pad
• Difficulty with word finding
• Wrong pronunciation of newly-introduced words
• Speaking indistinctly, loudly, quietly, fast or
  slowly
• Pronunciation problems generally
• Interrupting inappropriately
• Difficulty learning foreign languages

20
Numeracy and Mathematical Skills

• Tendency to reverse and mis-copy numbers, signs,
  decimal points
• Frequent and apparently careless mistakes
• Particular difficulty with geometry- both drawing
  and using equipment such as compass or protractor
• Difficulties with spatial awareness e.g. when
  drawing shapes, graphs, tables etc.

21
Social, Communication and Emotional Difficulties
(dyspraxia ADHD)

• Problems with oral interaction communication
  with staff and other students
• Can appear rude or impatient unintentionally
• Dont understand the unwritten rules of the
  college
• Low self-esteem lack of confidence
• Frustration, defensiveness, aggression
  Difficulty modulating emotions
• Over-talkative excitable behaviour
• Withdrawn reserved
• Anxiety, stress, depression and mood swings

22
On the Positive Side

• Creative and original thinkers
• Good strategic thinkers problem-solvers
• Determined, hard-working
• Highly motivated
• Many have developed their own strategies to
  overcome some of their difficulties
• Empathetic
• Some may be really good at writing

23
Executive Functions in AD(H)D and Dyspraxia
Executive Functions in AD(H)D and Dyspraxia

• Executive Functions are central processes that
  are most intimately involved in providing
  organisation and order to our actions and
  behaviour .Drew
• They include
• Non verbal working memory including foresight and
  planning, hindsight, sense of time and
  concentration
• Verbal working memory or internalisation of
  speech
• Self regulation of emotions and behaviour
• Reconstitution learning from experience
• Barkley 1997

24
General Help for Students

• Relaxation Exercise e.g. yoga meditation
• Social Skills Training/ Assertiveness
• Self esteem Building
• Herbal remedies, fatty acid food supplements such
  as eye q
• Diet
• Mentoring/coaching ( particularly for AD(H)D
• Counselling, NLP, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
  CBT)
• Occupational/Perceptual Therapy
• Study skills courses and time management skills
• Medication

25
Disability/Dyslexia Support

• Grants - help students access grants if necessary
• Inform tutors of the students disability and
  advocate for them if necessary
• Set up support Groups if possible
• Mentoring/coaching - particularly when if
  students are doing work placements and in some
  cases with everyday living
• Provide advice on suitable courses and help when
  settling in
• Policy have a university/policy on helping
  students with dyspraxia etc.

26
In Lectures

• Give clear handouts on a subject in large fonts
• Write new terms on blackboard
• Let them use mini disc players or helpers for
  note-taking ( the former can be difficult for
  dyspraxics to work)
• Repeat summarise main points of the lecture
• Understand that students are easily distracted
• Video lectures if possible
• Use Multi-sensory materials
• Break things down into segments

27
In Seminars Tutorials

• Give students more time in general to frame and
  answer questions
• Help students to prioritise books on the reading
  list
• Give extra time for course work
• Be aware that students are easily distracted by
  noise and movement
• Allow students to take regular breaks
• Understand if students talk too loudly for or
  appear rude or interrupt - remember they find
  following oral discussions stressful)

28
In Seminars and Tutorials 2

• Use existing examples of essays and reports to
  help students know what is expected of them
• Give clear instructions and repeat them
• Demonstrate procedures several times
• Leave nothing to the imagination- spell
  everything out
• Encourage them as much as possible/emphasise
  strengths
• Let other students help them- buddy system

29
Writing Essays Reports

• One to one tuition at least once a week is
  essential
• Help with planning organisation of written work
  e.g spider charts/mind maps
• Help with writing paragraphing
• Existing essays reports to be offered as
  examples
• Help with proof-reading
• Help with time management organisation
• Partitioned areas in libraries to work in
  (carrels)
• Sometimes different formats such as presentation
  will be more suitable for the student than
  writing essays or reports

30
Help with Practical Work

• Wherever possible, excuse them from or give
  them help with practical work (e.g. Training for
  nursery or dyslexia teaching)
• Give lots of extra help and training on essential
  practical work

31
Exams before during

• Extra help with revision, including memory
  strategies
• Extra time
• Computers - being able to use one in an exam
• Scribes when necessary
• Allowances for dyspraxia
• Own room. Many need to study and take exams in
  quiet rooms to avoid distractions

32
Technological Hardware

• Word processors with good spell and grammar
  checks
• Lap tops
• Monitors - large monitors are easier to work with
• Computer mice - one that is easy to control e.g
  anir mouse
• Scanners
• Keyboards - large ergonomic ones
• Mini disc players with large buttons if possible
• Personal organisers
• Satellite navigation for walking
• Provide with footstools and wrist-rests

33
Technological Software

• Voice-activated software such as dragon dictate
• Text-to-speech software such as texthelp
• Planning software such as Mind-Manager or Mind
  Genius
• Predictive software such as penpal and wordbar
• Publisher can be great for producing leaflets,
  newsletters etc if you use the templates
• Screen ruler to help tracking
• Training time

34
Equipment/Gadgets

• Use Dycem, for example, to secure objects in the
  laboratory or when cooking
• Talking calculators with large keys
• Special compasses
• Special scissors e.g giro grips, mini cutters,
  potato peelers
• Corrective pens / ink eraser fluid
• Special pens e.g fat pens - not ball points/
  sloping boards
• Special rulers e.g. with a ridge
• Wet wipes for cleaning

35
Concluding comments
Some courses may be especially hard for dyspraxic
people - especially those that involve practical
skills and/or manual dexterity (e.g. craft work,
physics, chemistry). They may also have problems
with everyday tasks such as using washing
machines. Dyspraxic people are not all the same
some will have most of the symptoms some only a
few. Some will be severe, others mild. In most
cases their dyspraxia will overlap with other
neuro-diverse conditions especially AD(H)D.
Therefore, you need to focus on more than one
condition when supporting students with dyspraxia.