This element focuses on equipping practitioners with the skills to provide tailored support for learners with dyslexia through a person-centred framework.
Topic Synopsis
This element focuses on equipping practitioners with the skills to provide tailored support for learners with dyslexia through a person-centred framework. It covers the selection and adaptation of teaching and learning resources, systematic monitoring of individual progress, and the critical evaluation and adjustment of support strategies to ensure effective, inclusive, and empowering learning experiences.
Key Concepts & Core Principles
- Definition and characteristics of dyslexia: Understand that dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty affecting phonological processing, working memory, and processing speed, but not intelligence. Common traits include difficulties with decoding words, spelling, and fluent reading, alongside strengths in reasoning and creativity.
- The 'spiky profile' of dyslexic learners: Recognise that dyslexic individuals often have uneven cognitive abilities—excelling in some areas while struggling in others. This concept is crucial for tailoring support to each learner's unique strengths and weaknesses.
- Multi-sensory teaching approaches: Learn how to engage visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic-tactile pathways simultaneously to reinforce learning. Techniques like using sand trays for letter formation, coloured overlays for reading, and mnemonics for spelling are key examples.
- Reasonable adjustments and the legal framework: Know the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and the SEND Code of Practice, including the duty to make 'reasonable adjustments' such as providing extra time in exams, using assistive technology, or offering scribes.
- The role of the learning support practitioner: Understand your responsibilities in identifying dyslexic traits, implementing intervention programmes, and working collaboratively with teachers, SENCOs, and external specialists like educational psychologists.
Exam Tips & Revision Strategies
- When presenting evidence, always map your actions directly to the learner’s dyslexic profile and the learning objectives, using concrete examples of adapted resources and the rationale behind each adaptation.
- In your reflective account, clearly distinguish between initial support strategies and the adjustments made after evaluation, demonstrating a cyclical, responsive approach to support.
Common Misconceptions & Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming a single resource or strategy will work for all learners with dyslexia, rather than personalising based on the individual's unique combination of strengths and difficulties.
- Neglecting to involve the learner in the decision-making process, leading to support that does not align with their self-identified needs or preferences.
- Failing to link monitoring data to tangible adjustments in practice, resulting in static support plans that do not evolve with the learner's progress.
- Over-relying on generic dyslexia literature without applying critical analysis to the specific context and individual learner.
Examiner Marking Points
- Award credit for demonstrating a clear understanding of a person-centred approach by evidencing active collaboration with the learner to identify specific strengths, challenges, aspirations, and preferred learning methods.
- Award credit for showing how teaching and learning resources are selected and adapted to meet individual needs, with explicit justification of choices referencing the learner's dyslexia profile and accessibility principles.
- Award credit for implementing systematic monitoring of learner progress, including the use of appropriate assessment methods and recording tools, and for explaining how the data informs ongoing support.
- Award credit for evaluating the effectiveness of learning support strategies through reflective practice and learner feedback, and for proposing evidence-based adjustments that enhance future learning outcomes.