VULNERABILITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DYSLEXIA

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VULNERABILITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DYSLEXIA
OTHER SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES Melani
e Jameson DYSLEXIA CONSULTANCY MALVERN,
UK mj_at_dyslexia-malvern.co.uk
www.dyslexia-malvern.co.uk YOT Dyslexia-SpLD
Trust CONFERENCE Liverpool 2014
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• INTRODUCING MYSELF
• SpLD tutor, assessor and trainer
• Prison teaching / training for NOMS staff
• Adviser to Specific Learning Difficulties
  Charities
• Facilitator of Adult Dyslexic Support Group
• Court work gt Guidelines for the judiciary on
  SpLDs
• CPD for justice staff / Briefings for House of
  Lords debates / liaison with MoJ, YJB, HMCTS
• Materials development, including Guides
  resources

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THE FAMILY OF SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES
MENTAL ILLNESS
A D (H) D
DYSPRAXIA
DYSCALCULIA
DYSLEXIA
ASPERGER SYNDROME
TERMINOLOGY CONFUSION Do not confuse SpLDs with
LEARNING DIFFICULTIES/DISABILITIES LDD
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Is there a link between dyslexia and offending
behaviour?
When dyslexics experience lack of appropriate
support from the early years of education, this
can lead to poor literacy and numeracy
skills lack of confidence and low self
esteem boredom, disaffection frustration,
anger behavioural problems truanting or
exclusion from school poor employment prospects
. ...all of which play their part in the climate
of offending. Jo Matty (magistrate and dyslexia
expert)
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WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SpLDs ? 1
PREVALENCE in the GENERAL POPULATION Studies show
that around 10 of the general population is
affected by SpLDs (5 severely) RESEARCH STUDY
on OFFENDERS The Incidence of Hidden
Disabilities in the Prison Population (2005)
This study (by the Learning Skills Council
and Dyslexia Action) investigated Specific
Learning Difficulties in a number of prisons
CONCLUSION almost 20 have a hidden disability
(SpLD) such as Attention Deficit Disorder
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• WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SpLDs 2
• The behaviour of people with SpLDs can give rise
  to misleading impressions because
• inconsistencies could imply untruthfulness
• failure to grasp the point of the question or
  missing part of a question seems to be evasive
  
• hesitancy can suggest you are unsure about your
  evidence
• a lack of eye contact can be misinterpreted as
  being shifty
• a reaction to stress can be misinterpreted as
  aggression
• the breakdown of coping strategies gives an
  impression of complete incompetence

3 Professional reports from those who are not
specialists in SpLDs can be very misleading
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ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
1. Inattentive distractibility, failing to pay
attention to detail. 2. Impulsive poor
inhibition, blurting out comments. 3.
Hyperactive garrulous, accident-
addiction-prone. Further areas affected in
ADHD listening skills organisation taking
account of the consequences of ones actions and
learning from feedback
ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER ADD dreamy, poor
concentration, spaced out
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DYSPRAXIA / DCD
? Poor social skills, abrupt, over-loud speech -
aggressive? Tactless, no awareness of body
language non-compliant? Clumsiness, speech
unclear drug user? drunkenness? Disorganised,
poor grasp of time, lose focus not
engaged? Weak visual-spatial skills misread
charts/timetables - confused Lack flexibility to
re-schedule, anxious in unfamiliar
situations Poor orientation and navigation
late, lost, dont turn up
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Case study from an SpLD Helpline Paul is
dyspraxic. Socially and physically awkward, he
had few friends at school and dropped out without
qualifications. He is now accepted by a group
which begins to engage in criminal activity.
Paul is arrested. Being naïve and vulnerable he
is left to take full blame for something in which
he played a very small part, while his more
capable friends escape charges.
Despite an Appropriate Adult he admits to
everything that is suggested to him. He does not
mention the dyspraxia and comes before the Youth
Court without any Special Measures or Reasonable
Adjustments to accommodate his difficulties.
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Asperger Syndrome
? cannot see others point of view over-reliance
on routines, inflexible take everything
literally, very blunt direct slow processing
of information panic reaction impaired social
skills, inappropriate behaviour cannot perceive
and apply unwritten social rules may have
obsessive interest in limited range of areas
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ISSUES relating to people of other
nationalities Specific Learning Difficulties are
present in people of all nationalities There is
often a stigma surrounding learning difficulties
in the home country Language difficulties may be
attributed to poor English, rather than to SpLDs
as well Left-handedness is treated differently
in some education systems e.g. special
educational programmes Assessment of SpLDs for
those who speak English as an additional language
is a specialist area
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COMMUNICATION ISSUES Guidance to the judiciary
Effective communication is the bedrock of the
legal process - everyone involved in proceedings
must understand and be understood or the process
of law will be seriously impeded.
Sentence Trouble The Communication Trust
2009 SPEECH refers to articulation fluency use
of pitch, volume intonation LANGUAGE
entails speaking structuring info making sense
of what others say COMMUNICATION
includes non-verbal using language to suit the
situation turn taking considering others
perspectives and expectations
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RESTORATIVE CONFERENCING and dyslexic
difficulties
Understanding when listening Expressing
themselves clearly Remembering
instructions Understanding spoken
messages Staying focused Handbook p6
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Youth Justice Criminal Evidence Act, 1999 -
Special Measures, Registered Intermediaries -
EQUALITY ACT 2010 People with SpLDs may come
within the disability provisions of the Act, by
fitting the definition below Definition of a
Person with a Disability A person has a
disability if he has a physical or mental
impairment which has a substantial and long-term
adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal
day to day activities.
Reasonable steps should be taken to change any
provision, criterion or practice which makes it
impossible or unreasonably difficult for people
with disabilities to make use of a service which
is provided to other members of the public. It
may be necessary to change the way things are
done or provide auxiliary aids and equipment.
Reasonable Adjustments may be necessary
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PAROLE BOARD HEARINGS
PAPER HEARINGS Difficulties Reasonable
Adjustments/Accommodations 1. 1. 2. 2. 3.
3. ORAL HEARINGS Difficulties Reasonable
Adjustments/Accommodations 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3.
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FURTHER RESOURCES The Good Practice Guide for
Justice Professionals Guidelines for Supporting
Clients and Users of the Justice System who
have Dyslexia and other Specific Learning
Difficulties British Dyslexia Association,
2009, PDF revised 2013) www.dyslexia-malvern.co.uk
/docs/justice/Justice guide to SpLDs.pdf
LAUNCHED DURING DYSLEXIA AWARENESS WEEK,
2014 Coping with Courts Tribunals A Guide for
People with Specific Learning Differences
Melanie Jameson www.dyslexia-malvern.co.uk/docs/j
ustice/Coping With Courts Tribunals.pdf
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MORE RESOURCES KIWIs for Young People Key
facts Impact of Specific Learning Difficulty Ways
of Working with Offenders Information
Networks www.dyslexia-malvern.co.uk/docs/justice/
Resources for justice sector staff - Kiwis for
young people.pdf
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Specific Learning DIFFERENCES - are a different
way of thinking processing information -
are largely hereditary
People with SpLDs - are often visual
thinkers Verbal communication may be challenging
Tom West In the Minds Eye (1991) For some
people the handicap and the gift may be two
aspects of the same thing. How we perceive it
depends entirely on the context.
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• TYPICAL DYSLEXIC STRENGTHS
• Creativity originality
• Visuo-spatial skills
• Visualisation
• Intuitive approach
• Lateral thinker
• Affinity for colour / rhythm
• Good oral skills

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ELEMENTS OF SUPPORT in LEARNING/TRAINING 1.
Awareness that these are largely visual
learners 2. Teach the subskills (as well as the
skills) 3. Break tasks into component parts 4.
Teach appropriate study skills 5. Use technology
(to compensate for poor literacy) 6. Memory and
organisational strategies 7. Mentoring / buddy
system 8. Giving frequent feedback and
encouragement These elements of good practice
will assist many learners
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SpLD - FRIENDLY APPROACHES .. to LEARNING
SUPPORT .. to INDUCTION ADMIN PROCEDURES
.. to GIVING INSTRUCTIONS .. to
ACCREDITATION and TESTING .. to WRITTEN
COMMUNICATIONS
ALWAYS TRY TO MINIMISE VISUAL STRESS
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Handbook 10-12 VISUAL STRESS - WHAT ARE THE
ISSUES? 1. Dyslexic people are prone to certain
eye problems 2. These can be treated by
specialist practitioners 3. Use of colour can
make reading much easier 4. Certain types of
text make the problem worse www.ceriumoptical.c
om www.s4clp/org
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IN CONCLUSIONNo-one should be shut off from
opportunities, choice and options in life that
most of us take for granted. We know that once
people are given the chance to excel, they often
do.(Reaching Out An Action Plan on
Social Exclusion, 2006)
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LOOKING TO THE FUTURESECURE COLLEGES

• Consultation Plans for Secure College Rules
• OPPORTUNITIES include
• major role of education, easier to replicate good
  practice
• Some Areas of Concern
• Who will run them? Q6 Who will work in them?
• Q4 Who will carry out ILA assessment? Knowledge
  of SpLDs?
• Q3 Will educn include arts, practical soft
  skills? Q5 Library?
• Q25 Awards sanctions not like prison IEP!
• Q45 potential equalities impact OR is
  attempting to specify groups/cohorts
  counter-productive below Q1

FURTHER CONCERNS.