Higher Education

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General info to help Dyspraxic in Higher Ed.



Students In higher Education may have problems with the following

*Planning movements and spatial awareness-they frequently bump and trip over things-they may also have a clumsy posture and muscle tone.
*They may have difficulty in judging heights and distances so they may appear more clumsy. They may also have perception problems.
* They may have poor co-ordination and find difficulty in throwing and catching and with balance. They may also have difficulties in moving body parts without looking at them which could cause problems with sport and dance.
*They may need to use a reminder to work out their left and right such as the finger and thumb on there left hand forms an L.
*They could find difficulties with handling keyboards ,tools, cars, lab equipment safely and easily. They may tend to spill and knock things over.
*They could have problems with handwriting and language skills. Their writing tends to be slow and untidy. Dyspraxic people could have difficulties with copying and pronouncing words. Some may also stutter.
*Concentration-doing more than one thing at a time causes difficulty and they might take a long time to complete a task.
*They will find it hard to make sense of the information they are reading and or listening to. May find note taking hard and the same goes with reading and spelling. Could also keep losing or forgetting things. (Short term memory and sequencing skills.)
*Powers of communication, organization and thought are operated in a muddled way. They have little sense of time, direction and weight. Could constantly be late with assignments and miss appointments. Within tutorial situations they may have difficulty expressing themselves.
*Dyspraxic students may have difficulty responding to external stimulation. They could be over or under sensitive to noise, touch, taste and light. They could also become easily depressed, angry, frustrated and anxious. They could also have low self esteem and have difficulty relating to others in a group situation. These become more apparent in times of stress such as new projects or exams. They may also read social cues incorrectly.
*They may also tend to be erratic and have good and bad days.

Please note that not all Dyspraxic students will show all of these and non Dyspraxic students may also show some of the above.






 

How can students help themselves?


How can students help themselves?
Although the writer of this does not have dyspraxia she is a borderline dyslexic and has dyscalculia. Some of these overlap with dyspraxia so we think you could find some of these strategies helpful.
*If you need help do not be afraid to ask for it. It does not have to be of your teacher a fellow student may be able to explain things in a way you can understand. Help may be available from learning resource centers and some universities also have places where you can go for help with things such as essays. Also take up any help that is offered to you. It will improve your work and maybe even your grades.
* If you can not remember deadlines or are not very organized then try using a student organizer. Keep referring back to it! This sounds obvious but try not to start assignments or revision the night before. Trust me, unless you get very lucky you will not do yourself any justice.
*People may suggest a list of spellings to learn or a spelling bank/ dictionary to help you. Personally I do not find them very helpful as I never looked at it but it is a good idea if you think it could work for you. I used the old primary school method of "look, cover, guess, check and try again!" to learn problem words. Also at the start of your course ask for a list of "key words and phrases" that you will need to be able to spell properly and learn them.

* These are just a few suggestions but try to find some for yourself. It will only benefit you in the long term.









 

 

How can colleges help?

Suggestions include:
* extra help or "learner support" in problem areas.
*Special guidance for the student on ability to complete their course and the suitability of their course is for them.
*Formal tuition in planning and organization of work. Examples of essays, projects and reports may be helpful. Breaking down processes and projects into manageable chunks and also allowing opportunities for feedback and student understanding could prove to be useful.
*Help compensate for poor memory or organizational skills. For example, memories, work timetables, flow charts and handouts- whatever you might think will help the student.
* Signpost towards training in relaxation techniques, assertiveness and confidence building.
* Give entitlement to extra time for coursework and exams. If it is necessary allow access to a reader, word processor or note taker.

Those that need concessions will need to apply for them usually through an examinations officer. In order to do that you will need to have an cognitive assessment from a clinical or educational physiologist.