1. Pilot research at university students from Romania By Georgiana Ghitulete (Ro) and Dr Ian Smythe (UK) with collaboration of Dr Magdalena Dumitrana (Ro)

2. "This presentation was prepared for the European Project "Provision and Use of Information Technology with Adult Dyslexic Students in University in Europe"

3. Hyperion University Placed in Bucharest Private university Open in 1990 21 Faculties 4-5 years of study 8000 Students

4. Pilot research details Recognizing Strengths and Weaknesses of Students and Needs Assessment 1.Adapting the English questionnaire (developed by Ian Smythe) to Romanian language 2. Finding a friendly university 3. Applying the questionnaire to the 100 university students 4. Data results processing 5. Changing the questionnaire

5. Study sample  100 Hyperion university students (boys and girls)  All kind of study fields  Average age: 22 years old

6. Methodology Questionnaire (“Adult Checklist” developed by Ian Smythe)  with 37 identifiers (non-literacy and literacy)  33 out of 37 have 4 response choices  4 out of 37 have 2 response choices (yes, no)

7. Methodology  Directly by Georgiana Ghitulete and Magdalena Dumitrana  Paper based questionnaire  Applied in groups of 15-40 university students

8. Data processing  Using two different colours, we clasified literacy identifiers (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 14, 16, 19, 22, 23, 25, 32, 34) by non-literacy identifiers (5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 36, 37)  The results were graphical presented as following:

9. 1. When writing, do you avoid using some words because you cannot spell them?

10. 2. Is filling in forms a problem for you?

11. 3. Do you read books for pleasure?

12. 4. How easy is it for you to learn to write a foreign language?

13. 5. How easy do you find it to recite the alphabet?

14. 6. How easy do find it to sound out words? (eg. e-le-fant)

15. 7. Do you get confused when given several instructions at once?

16. 8. Do you make mistakes when taking down telephone messages?

17. 9. If asked to repeat a phone number you have just heard, do you mix up or miss out numbers?

18. 10. Do you mispronounce long words?

19. 11. Do you mix up numbers, like 95 and 59?

20. 12. Do you forget people`s names even though you have just been told them?

21. 13. Do you lose your place or miss out lines when reading?

22. 14. Do you make mistakes copying things down?

23. 15. How easy do you find visualising an object or pattern that you have just seen?

24. 16. What do you consider your reading speed to be?

25. 17. Would you say you are clumsy?

26. 18. Do you confuse words when saying them, such as “autobuz” for “troleibuz”?

27. 19. Do you confuse visually similar words when reading (eg. lac, loc)?

28. 20. Do you find it difficult to find the right word to say in everyday conversation?

29. 21. Do you confuse the names of things, such as objects (eg. “tabla” for “scaun”)?

30. 22. When reading, do you mistake a word for one which means something similar, such as “doctor” for “asistenta”?

31. 23. When writing do you find it difficult to organise your thoughts on paper?

32. 24. How often do you obtain a wrong number when using the telephone?

33. 25. Are you told your handwriting is difficult to read?

34. 26. Do you have difficulty telling left from right?

35. 27. Is map reading or finding your way to a strange place confusing?

36. 28. Do you find it difficult to organise yourself?

37. 29. Do you misplace personal items such as keys?

38. 30. Do you mix up dates and times, and miss appointments?

39. 31. Do you find it difficult to do sums in your head without using your fingers or paper?

40. 32. Do you re-read pages or paragraphs you have just read to understand them?

41. 33. Do you think of unusual (creative) solutions to problems?

42. 34. When you were at school did you write shorter essays than others?

43. 35. When you were at school did you learn your multiplication tables easily?

44. 35. When you were at school did you have difficulty when asked to read aloud?

45. 36. When you were at school did you take longer than others to read a page of a book?

46. Conclusions  Very hard to find a friendly university (lack of understanding and awareness of the dyslexia issues)  No response to the internet applying of the questionnaire (lack of technology and interest at national level)  A part from students asked for a moreover response choice (“never”)

47. Conclusions As a result of the research a dyslexia adult checklist is being developed, in collaboration with Dr Ian Smythe and Prof Linda Siegel. Contact: Georgiana Ghitulete email: ghitulete_g@yahoo.com for further details.