Dyslexia: An Employer's Guide
1. DyslexiaDyslexia is often regarded simply as a difficulty with reading and writing, but in fact literacy difficulties are no more than "surface symptoms" of deficits in more fundamental cognitive abilities, i.e., short-term memory, phonological processing, information processing, perceptual, spatial and motor skills. The literacy (and numeracy) difficulties associated with these deficits may be severe and obvious, or they may be more subtle, manifesting themselves in general slowness rather than inaccuracy in tasks involving written English.
2. Dyspraxia
Deficits in three of the areas mentioned above – perceptual, spatial and motor skills – are sometimes grouped together separately under the label 'dyspraxia'. If dyspraxic difficulties are severe, they may need to be treated separately from the dyslexic difficulties (e.g., by an optometrist, physiotherapist or perception therapist). While dyspraxic difficulties are often associated with dyslexic difficulties, the converse is not necessarily the case.
3. Emotions
By the time a dyslexic person reaches adulthood s/he will probably have been struggling for many years with difficulties which may never have been recognised or understood. In such cases the original difficulties are likely to be bound up with a constellation of unpleasant – and perhaps debilitating – emotions: anger, confusion, embarrassment, anxiety, depression. Confidence and self-esteem will also be low.
4. Workplace difficulties
The dyslexic difficulties outlined above lead to a myriad inefficiencies in the workplace. Among the problems most often reported are: following written and spoken instructions; remembering and recording telephone numbers, messages and the content of meetings; filing and looking up entries in directories; dealing with maps, charts and tables of figures; finding one's way in strange, and even familiar surroundings; writing memos, letters and reports; presentation of written work or figures; keying on a word processor or calculator; formulating one's own thoughts rapidly enough to take part in discussions; keeping track of appointments and meetings; scheduling work and meeting deadlines.
5. Interaction with colleagues
People with undiagnosed dyslexic difficulties are a mystery not only to themselves, but also to those for whom, and with whom, they work. They may be withdrawn and seem unwilling to pull their weight, or they may be oversensitive and aggressive. In general such employees are often difficult to 'place': they seem ambitious to progress in their career but are constantly hindered by inefficiency and a baffling inertia.
6. Assessment
An assessment should include the following components:
(a) the taking of a detailed educational/occupational history;
(b) a comprehensive assessment of cognitive abilities;
(c) assessment and detailed analysis of literacy and phonological
processing skills, including timed tests of reading and writing;
(d) a consideration of emotional problems related to the dyslexic difficulties;
(e) analysis of the way in which all of the above relate to the employee's difficulties at work.
7. Tuition / training
Training programmes need to cover all aspects of an individual's difficulties. They should include advice on IT support, and help with literacy skills, work-related reading and writing, memory and comprehension, visuo-spatial skills, sequencing, work organisation, efficient work methods for specific tasks, oral interaction and dealing with emotions. Funding for training can be obtained from the local Access to Work Business Centre.
8. How employers can help
Employers could help their dyslexic staff by: giving advance notice of tasks whenever possible; offering help and support with new or difficult tasks; being available to provide guidance when necessary; presenting complex written instructions in flow charts; tape recording important instructions; encouraging the employee to repeat instructions and messages; offering help with prioritising and organising the workload; not talking too fast; providing equipment and materials to make work easier (e.g., coloured paper, text-to-speech software, voice dictation systems); providing a quiet workspace; showing approval and giving praise when appropriate; and avoiding harsh criticisms or careless remarks that could undermine confidence.
9. Positive aspects of dyslexic difficulties
Dyslexic people who try to succeed in their work despite their difficulties know the meaning of hard work, long hours and determination. They have a 'grit' which earns the respect of any employer who has some understanding of dyslexia. Further, the fact that they are not in the general mould of analytical thinking may mean that they develop other, more holistic ways of dealing with workplace tasks. Many dyslexic people excel, for instance, in lateral thinking, they are creative and innovative, and are aware of links and associations that may escape the more linear thinker; they often have good powers of visualisation, excellent practical skills, and an untaught intuitive understanding of how systems work.
10. Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
If a dyslexic person's difficulties are severe enough to impede his/her efficiency in day-to-day activities (such as writing a cheque), then s/he may be covered by the Act. The employer would then be obliged to make 'reasonable adjustments' to reduce or remove any substantial disadvantage caused to that dyslexic person by any of the employment arrangements in force. For example, care would need to be taken that s/he was not unfairly disadvantaged in such things as filling in application forms, interviews, proficiency tests, terms of employment, promotion, transfer or training opportunities, benefits, dismissal or redundancy.
11. Further reading
Employers Forum Briefing Paper 6: a practical guide to Employment Adjustments for People with Dyslexia. Available from Employers Forum on Disability, 020 7403 3020. Dyslexia in the Workplace by Diana Bartlett and Sylvia Moody. John Wiley. Dyslexia: How to Survive and Succeed at Work by Sylvia Moody. Vermilion Living with Dyspraxia edited by Mary Colley. Dyspraxia Foundation.
© Author of this article: Dr Sylvia Moody, Dyslexia Assessment Service, London. This article can be freely reproduced with due attribution of authorship.