Dyslexia, dyscalculia and dsa

If you submit the evidence of dyslexia/ dyscalculia to SFE they can arrange for a top up assessment to be done where further recommendations for things like text to speech strategies using Texthelp read & Write, Mind mapping software like inspiration and voice recognition software like Dragon may be helpful. they may also accept a recommendation for a suitable computer to run it on and printer/ scanner to support accessing strategies if not already recommended. They may ask you if you experience text moving, headaches or difficulties reading in brightly light rooms. This would indicate Irlen syndrome which can be closely related to the neurodiversity which we call dyslexia.

Reply 2

OP

Original post by NJones

If you submit the evidence of dyslexia/ dyscalculia to SFE they can arrange for a top up assessment to be done where further recommendations for things like text to speech strategies using Texthelp read & Write, Mind mapping software like inspiration and voice recognition software like Dragon may be helpful. they may also accept a recommendation for a suitable computer to run it on and printer/ scanner to support accessing strategies if not already recommended. They may ask you if you experience text moving, headaches or difficulties reading in brightly light rooms. This would indicate Irlen syndrome which can be closely related to the neurodiversity which we call dyslexia.

Thanks for your help! Do you know if they still give personal organisers? Just because organisation is something I really struggled with and that is mentioned on my dyslexia report. I guess most people now just use phones but because I am on a therapeutic based course we are not allowed phones on or into any lectures/workshops/tutorials and we have a lot of placement where again we are not allowed phones. However we are allowed other electronic things (for example some people on my course have iPod touches and it fine for them to use those) but obviously sometimes it is helpful to be able to organise things to do or email addresses or lecture dates etc whilst still in the lecture and I feel as though a personal organiser type thing would help this. Also it has been recommended in my dyslexia report that I should try coloured overlays to help with reading. Will the dsa arrange for this or will I just try different ones during the assessment or will it be completely separate? Sorry for the questions, just helpful to know some basics so I can have thought about support and stuff before I have my top up assessment!

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Reply 3

Tiger Rag

22

Original post by rainbow_artist

Also it has been recommended in my dyslexia report that I should try coloured overlays to help with reading. Will the dsa arrange for this or will I just try different ones during the assessment or will it be completely separate? Sorry for the questions, just helpful to know some basics so I can have thought about support and stuff before I have my top up assessment!

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Have you asked for an assessment for Irlens Syndrome / has it been recommended?

Reply 4

OP

Original post by OU Student

Have you asked for an assessment for Irlens Syndrome / has it been recommended?

It has been recommended on my dyslexia report...

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Reply 5

Original post by rainbow_artist

Thanks for your help! Do you know if they still give personal organisers? Just because organisation is something I really struggled with and that is mentioned on my dyslexia report. I guess most people now just use phones but because I am on a therapeutic based course we are not allowed phones on or into any lectures/workshops/tutorials and we have a lot of placement where again we are not allowed phones. However we are allowed other electronic things (for example some people on my course have iPod touches and it fine for them to use those) but obviously sometimes it is helpful to be able to organise things to do or email addresses or lecture dates etc whilst still in the lecture and I feel as though a personal organiser type thing would help this. Also it has been recommended in my dyslexia report that I should try coloured overlays to help with reading. Will the dsa arrange for this or will I just try different ones during the assessment or will it be completely separate? Sorry for the questions, just helpful to know some basics so I can have thought about support and stuff before I have my top up assessment!

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We can still access organisers such as iPods or electronic dictionaries. perosnal organisers aren't easy to come by now as phones have replaced them.

if they have suggested that coloured overlays may help, they should have identified you experience Irlen syndrome and specified the overlay colours that helped. You should be able to access a screening during the assessment of need if not. The overlays may be provided for you through your equipment supplier or Irlen centre.

Reply 6

closet_nerd

My friend was given tinted glasses when she had a dyslexia assessment, so they might give you those to help with reading... I don't think she had to buy them, I'm pretty sure they were provided by the school's SEN department or something like that..

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Reply 7

For DSA an Irlen screening would have to be done to obtain the evidence, then the funding body would agree to fund a diagnostic assessment for lenses. SFE will fund lenses and up to £30 for frames. Irlen lenses are filtered lenses not coloured, they filter out the 'annoying' part of light not change the colour you see.

Reply 8

OP

Original post by NJones

For DSA an Irlen screening would have to be done to obtain the evidence, then the funding body would agree to fund a diagnostic assessment for lenses. SFE will fund lenses and up to £30 for frames. Irlen lenses are filtered lenses not coloured, they filter out the 'annoying' part of light not change the colour you see.

Thanks so much for all your help. My report from my dyslexia assessment says "... she will benefit from the following:

o The use of colour overlays and using a different colour screen on her laptop when writing." (With other suggestions written down too...)

Is this enough to go by to get funding for the irlens test etc or would I need to get a formal diagnosis of visual stress and if so do you know where you get that from/how I would go about it?

Sorry for so many questions I just really want to have everything sorted before I have my top up needs assessment as I really want everything to be in place before the start of next year as I really struggle with essay writing (in everything practical, art based, placement based etc I got firsts this year... In all modules that included essay writing the highest I got was a low 2:2...)

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Reply 9

It would depend if the person who wrote the report was an accredited irlen screener or accredited for the chosen screening which could be Chromagen, etc. SFE are tightening up on this- the report must detail the screening test used and state the outcome and how it would affect your studies. We have had issues with wording of the report too- if the report says 'is at risk of' or further assessment' then its been knocked back. Bizarrely it depends who you get in SFE reading the report as there is no consistency.

Reply 10

Tiger Rag

22

I was going to suggest that your college / 6th form might be able to do the assessment (mine did) but it might be too late now.

Reply 11

OP

Original post by OU Student

I was going to suggest that your college / 6th form might be able to do the assessment (mine did) but it might be too late now.

I'm already at uni - just finished my first year! Thanks for the advice. Will get in touch with my disability advisor and ask her about it although it may be worth waiting until I've heard from student finance and booked a needs assessment to see, as I am home for the summer now and live a 4 hour drive away from uni so it's a long way to go just for an assessment. If I get stuff through from student finance early I will have my needs assessment done here in my home town but if I don't hear until September than I will get everything done near where my uni is (they don't have an access centre or do needs assessments at the uni itself...)

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Reply 12