1.1. Identification within the Scottish Context

Learning Environment

(This can include

Nursery, School , Home, school activities , out of school activities)

Physical environment

Learning and teaching materials

• Environment overly stimulating e.g. too loud, too large, too colourful
• Environment visually distracting

• Use of ear defenders or classroom volume control. Some local authorities have a recommended amount of time which ear defenders should be used for each day.
• Ensure space between displays, keep a consistent/neutral colour scheme to keep the focus on the content of displays
• Ensure the wall displays are not too brightly coloured, overly busy and that they are in an appropriate font
• Avoid the use of yellow and red text
• Avoid the use of Word Art –it is not an image which text recognition can access immediately it will need to be scanned first.

• Discuss support strategies with the pupil
• Differentiate appropriately
• Place learners with tasks and in groups based on their cognitive ability
• Provide opportunities for knowledge and understanding to be demonstrated in ways other than hand written –audio recordings, use of ICT , speech recognition software
• Mark written work on content
• Provide more time for tasks that involve reading and writing and use ICT e.g.

Free text and speech recognition software, Scottish voice – access CALL Scotland’s website and the technology section within the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit

• Texts at appropriate reading age
• Homework policy – consider differentiation, volume and accessibility for all subject areas across the school

• Difficulty following instructions given to class

• Ensure instructions are not overly print heavy
• Wait for class attention before giving instructions or consider using pupil name as prompt to ensure listening
• No more than 2 instructions at a time, sometimes 1 is enough
• Check understanding of instructions/ask them to repeat back
• Chunk instructions
• Use of images to support instructions
• Have written versions available to refer back to.

• Difficulty concentrating for extended periods of time

• Chunk work
• Use timers to break tasks up into manageable smaller tasks
• Allow for brain breaks

• Copying from the board/flip chart

• Keep copying from the board to a minimum
• Use a copying buddy
• When you can provide written copies for those who require it
• Provide digital copies of the text – word documents are suitable

• Poor organisational skills

• Structure and routine
• Practise and rehearse
• Visual timetable if required – spare copies for home as well
• Spare copies of the time table
• Organisational systems put in place for the learner
• Have a supply of vital equipment
• Demonstrate the setting out of written work. Try a range of scaffolding techniques to help the learner use the ones which work for them.
• Demonstrate scaffolding for as long as needed
• Use timers to help the learner keep track of how long they have to complete tasks
• Use checklists to aid memory
• Break tasks down into individual components
• Display deadlines on times lines for important assignments/ assessments

• Poor organisational skills – Homework

• Develop an organisational system for the learner to ensure they know the homework task, understand it and completion date
• Use checklists to aid memory
• Explain homework at the start of the lesson, checking method and provide time limit
• Email copy of homework task to learner and home if possible
• Let them record the home work task on their phone/tablet if applicable
• Encourage a homework routine- set place, time etc.
• Set time limits for homework tasks
• Give plenty of notice of bigger tasks
• Provide homework over a week to allow it to be spread out over the week
• Don’t ask learners to copy homework from the board if this can be avoided
• Differentiate tasks

• Working Memory

• Additional processing time, additional thinking time before asking for answer
• Use visual reminders of key facts/concepts – on the board, on a keyring, attached to learner’s desk e.g. alphabet strip, mini 100 square, multiplication grid
• Let them record/take pictures of tasks on their phone/tablet if applicable

• Parents have dyslexia / literacy difficulties so can have difficulty supporting homework for pupils/supporting their education

• Be sensitive to the situation
• Family learning opportunities,
• Shared starts and finishes (nursery/primary)
• Homework workshops,
• Homework lunch clubs,
• Use of ICT support such as MS Classroom/GLOW 365 which allows pupils online support from peers and teacher from home,
• Use of colour coding for target setting during meetings to reduce barrier of reading for parents following paperwork during discussions,
• Accessible communication with home e.g. phone rather than letter or texts that can be referred back to if memory is affected

• Homework can become a point of stress

• If the dyslexic learner is a young carers – family support with homework, time available to focus on school

• High levels of anxiety within the home in relation to school

• Email copy of homework task to learner and home if possible
• Encourage a homework routine - set place, time etc.
• Set time limits for homework tasks
• Give plenty of notice of bigger tasks
• Provide homework over a week to allow it to be spread out over the week
• Consider offering homework to be handed in on a Monday rather than a Friday as pupils may have clubs or parents may be working and find it difficult to support through the week
• Don’t ask learners to copy homework from the board if this can be avoided
• Differentiate tasks
• Provide opportunities for parents to contact Class teacher about homework if confusion arises – email, communication note book, phone call.

• Increased likelihood of siblings being dyslexic.
• Close family members are dyslexic

• Listen to parental concerns and engage in effective communication as early as possible – this could be in nursery.
• Explain the identification pathway process – even at nursery stage. Ensure that parents understand how the evidence is gathered to support a collaborative identification.
• Do not automatically dismiss parental concerns or information of dyslexia within the family. It does not automatically mean that the learner is dyslexic but it will increase the possibility of this being the case.
• Ensure parents understand you are listening to them and taking their concern seriously
• Keep in touch, share strategies which are working at school with home.

• Difficulties when young siblings ‘over take’ their older sibling who has dyslexia

• Support the learner to understand their strengths.
• Ensure text is age appropriate and not only reading age appropriate
• Encourage the use of audio books
• Support the family to understand dyslexia – signpost to Dyslexia Scotland’s website and Dyslexia Unwrapped for the learner.

• Accessibility of the curriculum
• Co-occurring difficulties e.g. motor skill difficulties, sensory impairments, print disability

• SQA Assessment Arrangements
• Utilising advice from Call Scotland
• Make use of ICT to make the curriculum more accessible e.g. speech to text software
• Physical adaptations e.g. sloping desks, magnification of texts
• Make appropriate use of the free ‘Books for All’ website
• Flexibility of curriculum planning and design – e.g. appropriate course choices and opportunities

• Anxiety – mental health difficulties including depression

• Stress related illness e.g. chronic eczema, panic attacks,

• Space for privacy/quiet areas where the learner can retreat to have ‘down time’ or engage in smaller group activities.
• Flexibility of curriculum planning and design – e.g. appropriate course choices and opportunities
• Key worker who can build a level of trust with the learner
• Effective communication with parents
• SQA Assessment Arrangements

• Low self-esteem and widening gaps in learning as pupil finds it too difficult to ask for help as they don’t want to stand out

• Low self-esteem leading to low attainment, feelings of isolation, withdrawal, anger or inappropriate behaviour and disengagement from learning

• Exclusion from classes, activities and potentially school

• Disengagement from and avoidance of learning, leading to low attainment and achievement

• Have supports accessible and available to all pupils e.g. resources in a class support box, word banks included in displays, pupil passports
• Set challenging but achievable tasks
• Teach to level of ability, not to level of literacy
• Mark for content
• Offer opportunities for learning that cater to strengths
• Praise effort and perseverance
• Ask the learner what works for them and for their ideas on how you can help them
• Find out what motivates the pupil and use this to engage them e.g. reading farming magazines, focusing on learning the Highway Code if they are motivated to learn to drive
• Alternative curricular approaches e.g. outdoor learning
• Alternative methods of sharing knowledge e.g. mind mapping
• Encourage reading for enjoyment by providing reading of interest to individual e.g. farming magazines, newspaper,
• Use audio and ebooks books