1. Dyspraxia and ADHD in Further and Higher Education Mary Colley

2. An Overview Definition of Dyspraxia and ADHD
Signs & symptoms of Dyspraxia and overlapping conditions
Assessment
Participants to give information on their own experiences of the condition
Pointers on how to help adults with dyspraxia and AD(H)D
Conclusion
Questions

3. Definition of Dyspraxia
‘Dyspraxia is an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement. Associated with this there may be problems of language, perception and thought.’ Dyspraxia Foundation
Another simpler definition could be ‘Getting our bodies to do what we want when we want to do it in the absence of any clear neurological condition’
Other names include:
Developmental co-ordination Disorder (DCD), Perceptuo-Motor Dysfunction and Minimal Brain Damage.
It overlaps with many other conditions particularly dyslexia, AD(H)D and Asperger’s Syndrome

6. General Overlap General Overlap
There is a great deal of overlap between AD(H)D and dyspraxia in particular as well the other conditions including dyslexia and Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
All the conditions are generally present at birth and continue into adulthood in some form or another; and run in families

7. Dyspraxia Overlap Dyspraxia Overlap
Around 70% of people with Asperger’s have dyspraxia or dyspraxic traits Stern, Fernell & Gillberg
Around 53% of dyslexics have Dyspraxia Kaplan 1998
Up to 50% of dyspraxics have have AD(H)D see Brown, Barkley

8. ADHD 1 AD(H)D Definition etc.
Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder is a specific developmental disorder – that comprises deficits in behavioural inhibition, sustained attention and resistance to distraction, and the regulation of one’s activity to the demands of the situation - Barkley & Murphy 1997
AD(H)D used to be known as Hyperkinetic Disorder and minimal brain damage

9. AD(H)D (contd) AD(H)D 2 Types of AD(H)D: Inattentive only
Hyperactive/impulsive only
Combination of the two
“The most basic trait is a lack of focused attention. It is not that students with AD(H)D do not attend: they attend to everything....They also sometimes over-focus on certain tasks that they’re interested in - become totally engrossed and don’t register anything else” (Chris Derrington, Northampton University)

10. AD(H)D Overlap ADHD Overlap
AD(H)D has a 50% overlap with dyspraxia/ DCD Barkley; Gillberg)
40% Kirby 2008
A 40% overlap with dyslexia Wilcutt et al 2007
59% of people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder had AD(H)D as well.
21% of ADDers had Asperger’s Syndrome – 36% showed traits of autism - Kirby 2009

11. AD(H)D signs & Symptoms
May have difficulty paying attention in lectures/seminars
May be distracted by their own thoughts
May act impulsively, e.g. Buy something they can’t afford; very impatient
May show fidgeting and restless behaviour
May have problems with interpersonal relationships
May have short term memory and organisational problems

12. Signs and Symptoms of Dyspraxia
Before talking about ways to tackle dyspraxic difficulties in students, I will give a brief overview of the types of difficulty typically faced by dyspraxic adults. As we go through these, I will give examples relevant to students.

13. Adults may have difficulty with the following:
Manual & practical work /fine motor skills
Personal presentation and Spatial skills/gross motor skills
Work and personal organisation
Memory & attention span
Written Expression
Visual & oral skills
Numeracy skills
Social, communication and emotional behaviour

14. Manual & Practical work/Fine Motor co-ordination
Problems using computer keyboards and mice
Difficulty measuring accurately
Slow, poor and/ or illegible handwriting
Messy presentation/work
Difficulty with staplers, photocopying etc.
Difficulty doing manual work, craftwork laboratory work
Difficulty folding clothes, sheets etc., changing duvet covers

15. Personal Presentation & Spatial Skills/ Gross motor skills
Untidy and rumpled
Clumsy gait
Poor posture
Frequently drop things and trip over
Poor at sport, especially team & ball games
Poor balance/ difficulty going up and
downstairs and hills
Difficulty with driving and using turnstiles

16. Organisation (Dyspraxia & ADHD)
Organising paperwork
Losing things
Forgetting things
Time keeping
Managing overall workload
Prioritising
Meeting deadlines

17. Memory and Attention Span (Dyspraxia & ADHD)
Short attention span
Poor short term memory
Easily distracted I when studying, especially by noise and bright lights. Open plan libraries can be a real problem
Difficulty following instructions and discussions, e.g. in seminars
Slow retrieval of information, especially when under stress
Becoming disorientated, for example, getting lost in large buildings and difficulty finding their way to new places on time.

18. Written Expression mainly dyspraxia
Erratic spelling and punctuation
Awkward and confused sentence structure and sequencing
Poor proof-reading
Inclusion of irrelevant material in assignments/essays
Slow to complete work

19. Visual and Oral Skills
Trouble keeping place while reading and writing, tracking problems
Poor relocating - cannot easily look from blackboard to note pad
Difficulty with word finding
Wrong pronunciation of newly-introduced words
Speaking indistinctly, loudly, quietly, fast or slowly
Pronunciation problems generally
Interrupting inappropriately
Difficulty learning foreign languages

20. Numeracy and Mathematical Skills
Tendency to reverse and mis-copy numbers, signs, decimal points
Frequent and apparently ‘careless’ mistakes
Particular difficulty with geometry- both drawing and using equipment such as compass or protractor
Difficulties with spatial awareness e.g. when drawing shapes, graphs, tables etc.

21. Social, Communication and Emotional Difficulties (dyspraxia & ADHD)
Problems with oral interaction & communication with staff and other students
Can appear rude or impatient unintentionally
Don’t understand the unwritten rules of the college
Low self-esteem & lack of confidence
Frustration, defensiveness, aggression – Difficulty modulating emotions
Over-talkative & excitable behaviour
Withdrawn & reserved
Anxiety, stress, depression and mood swings

22. On the Positive Side Creative and original thinkers
Good strategic thinkers & problem-solvers
Determined, hard-working
Highly motivated
Many have developed their own strategies to overcome some of their difficulties
Empathetic
Some may be really good at writing

23. Executive Functions in AD(H)D and Dyspraxia
Executive Functions are central processes that are most intimately involved in providing organisation and order to our actions and behaviour .Drew
They include:
Non verbal working memory including foresight and planning, hindsight, sense of time and concentration
Verbal working memory or internalisation of speech
Self regulation of emotions and behaviour
Reconstitution – learning from experience
Barkley 1997

24. General Help for Students
Relaxation& Exercise e.g. yoga & meditation
Social Skills Training/ Assertiveness
Self esteem Building
Herbal remedies, fatty acid food supplements such as eye q
Diet
Mentoring/coaching ( particularly for AD(H)D
Counselling, NLP, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT)
Occupational/Perceptual Therapy
Study skills courses and time management skills
Medication

25. Disability/Dyslexia Support
Grants - help students access grants if necessary
Inform tutors of the student’s disability and advocate for them if necessary
Set up support Groups if possible
Mentoring/coaching - particularly when & if students are doing work placements and in some cases with everyday living
Provide advice on suitable courses and help when settling in
Policy – have a university/policy on helping students with dyspraxia etc.

26. Give clear handouts on a subject in large fonts
In Lectures
Give clear handouts on a subject in large fonts
Write new terms on blackboard
Let them use mini disc players or helpers for note-taking ( the former can be difficult for dyspraxics to work)
Repeat & summarise main points of the lecture
Understand that students are easily distracted
Video lectures if possible
Use Multi-sensory materials
Break things down into segments

27. In Seminars & Tutorials
Give students more time in general to frame and answer questions
Help students to prioritise books on the reading list
Give extra time for course work
Be aware that students are easily distracted by noise and movement
Allow students to take regular breaks
Understand if students talk too loudly for or appear rude or interrupt - remember they find following oral discussions stressful)

28. In Seminars and Tutorials 2
Use existing examples of essays and reports to help students know what is expected of them
Give clear instructions and repeat them
Demonstrate procedures several times
Leave nothing to the imagination- spell everything out
Encourage them as much as possible/emphasise strengths
Let other students help them- buddy system

29. Writing Essays & Reports
One to one tuition at least once a week is essential
Help with planning & organisation of written work e.g spider charts/mind maps
Help with writing & paragraphing
Existing essays & reports to be offered as examples
Help with proof-reading
Help with time management & organisation
Partitioned areas in libraries to work in (carrels)
Sometimes different formats such as presentation will be more suitable for the student than writing essays or reports

30. Help with Practical Work
Wherever possible, excuse them from – or give them help with practical work (e.g. Training for nursery or dyslexia teaching)
Give lots of extra help and training on essential practical work

31. Exams: before & during
Extra help with revision, including memory strategies
Extra time
Computers - being able to use one in an exam
Scribes when necessary
Allowances for dyspraxia
Own room. Many need to study and take exams in quiet rooms to avoid distractions

32. Technological Hardware
Word processors with good spell and grammar checks
Lap tops
Monitors - large monitors are easier to work with
Computer mice - one that is easy to control e.g anir mouse
Scanners
Keyboards - large ergonomic ones
Mini disc players with large buttons if possible
Personal organisers
Satellite navigation for walking
Provide with footstools and wrist-rests

33. Technological Software
Voice-activated software such as dragon dictate
Text-to-speech software such as texthelp
Planning software such as Mind-Manager or Mind Genius
Predictive software such as penpal and wordbar
Publisher can be great for producing leaflets, newsletters etc if you use the templates
Screen ruler to help tracking
Training time

34. Equipment/Gadgets
Use Dycem, for example, to secure objects in the laboratory or when cooking
Talking calculators with large keys
Special compasses
Special scissors e.g giro grips, mini cutters, potato peelers
Corrective pens / ink eraser fluid
Special pens e.g fat pens - not ball points/ sloping boards
Special rulers e.g. with a ridge
Wet wipes for cleaning

35. Concluding comments
Some courses may be especially hard for dyspraxic people - especially those that involve practical skills and/or manual dexterity (e.g. craft work, physics, chemistry). They may also have problems with everyday tasks such as using washing machines.
Dyspraxic people are not all the same; some will have most of the symptoms; some only a few. Some will be severe, others mild. In most cases their dyspraxia will overlap with other neuro-diverse conditions especially AD(H)D. Therefore, you need to focus on more than one condition when supporting students with dyspraxia.