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Supporting Neurodivergent Learners and Those With Learning Difficulties
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From 18th March 2024, Compass are starting to roll out Cognassist assessments which support our neurodivergent learners by identifying any additional needs prior to learning to help reduce educational barriers.
During learning disability week last year, Compass collaborated with learning disability nurse, Jess Lea, to discuss how learning difficulties and neurodivergences can affect “high functioning”, or “high masking”, adults when in education.
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Jess relates her experience. “As a person who was diagnosed with autism at 32, I’ve spent my early life feeling like there was something wrong with me. I spent my teenage years thinking that having this or doing that would finally make me feel ‘normal’ – it didn’t. I learned to accept myself a bit more in my twenties, I knew I was ‘quirky’ and when I felt brave enough to let that out a little bit, I found that people liked that. By the time I finally was diagnosed at 32, now a qualified learning disability nurse, I was able to mostly unmask. I feel free, I’m still awkward and overwhelmed sometimes, but it’s such a relief to know why I feel that way. I’m not failing at life, I’m just autistic and that’s fine by me.
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I think the main thing I would have liked when in education is for some consistency. Some tutors seemed to forget, or would make adjustments and then think I was ‘cured’. There is also an expectation in higher education that you will be an independent learner, which I am for the most part, but when you struggle to initiate conversations you can be left without answers to simple questions. Giving me an explicit opportunity to ask questions would have been great, or actually making sure they responded to my emails – I find it easier to ask questions about something once I’ve had time to think about it, and to formulate how the question should sound.
Work has been easier – I work in a learning disability team, where reasonable adjustments are like second nature. My team leader has always told me to let her know what I need, which I always have done. Clear instructions are important to me, I don’t like vagueness, so she is never vague. I also have a lot of coping mechanisms to allow me to do my job. I plan my day meticulously, and give myself time in the day to decompress – even if it’s just 5 minutes in the car between appointments, or rehearsing in my mind what I will say before I make a phone call. I find email easier to use, for this reason! I think all these coping mechanisms could make people see me as ‘high functioning’, but I prefer the term ‘high masking’. I’m still autistic, I’ve just learned ways to hide it. And maybe on the surface I do, I have a degree, a family, a good job, and people tend to think I’m confident and organised… until I’m tired or stressed and then it might come out – I’m masking, and that is how I function.”
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When asked what they wish tutors knew about their learning difficulties, friends of Compass also shared their personal experiences (the following comments are anonymous):
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Dyslexia
“Being dyslexic, my reading level and understanding of material takes longer than the average person. It can be very frustrating especially when in a mixed group classroom, you can feel as though you are behind or struggling with the curriculum but in actual fact you’re only struggling with the pressure of time.
I personally find that visual and audio learning are my strong suit. When given the same information in a visual/audio format or written format, the information presented in the audio/ visual format allows me to understand in a much faster way than the written. Having a tutor that understands this makes all the difference.
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Spelling and grammar are something that can cause embarrassment when pointed out in a group setting (happens more often than you may think). Often I will proof read a document that I have written and not be able to spot spelling mistakes. This is because I often can’t process the mistakes and this can look like ‘lazy writing’.
Something that one teacher did, and I haven’t ever forgotten, they wrote down correct spellings for me (of common misspelt words) and gave them to me to help me to remember, and to spot when I had made a mistake. This simple assistance really helped me, and made me feel as though my tutor had taken a personal interest in me and believes I am capable of better work with a little help.”
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ADHD
“I think knowing that I struggle with my attention span and it can feel very stressful trying my hardest to listen especially when its not really something I’m enjoying. It can be really stressful to really try and concentrate. I am more of a kinetic and visual learner.”
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“It would be useful for tutors to know that it is hard for me to concentrate on tasks that require concentration for long periods of time. It is easier for me to get tasks and assignments done when they are broken down into smaller chunks. Learning about the pomodoro method has helped me to focus more when writing assignments. If I have to watch a video, subtitles definitely help me to process the information more easily as well. Sometimes time blindness can be an issue and something that works for me is my to do list app that is open on my desktop all day to make sure I don’t forget any of my tasks, assignments or duties. These tasks are broken down into categories based on different aspects of my job and I put a deadline on each task. I then move the tasks I want to work on to a ‘my day’ section so I am not distracted by tasks I don’t need to think about that day. I also use a physical planner for scheduling which tasks I will do when and for how long and I keep this open on my desk all day long – this helps me to better visualise my day. Having clear deadlines helps me organise my assignments and workload.”
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General Advice for Supporting Learners with LD’s/neurodivergence.
- A quiet room/ atmosphere. Depending on the individual, learners may benefit from music when studying.
- Patience with students – i.e. don’t rush them.
- Take a learner led approach and ask what they would prefer. For example, asking if they feel comfortable in the classroom environment.
- Warm lighting rather than harsh white lighting.
- Switch up the information, keep it fresh.
- Don’t apply pressure, timed assignments can be stressful.
- Limit distractions if in a physical classroom.
- Visual learning (can be particularly useful to people with dyslexia)
- Keep it as simple and straightforward as possible, don’t overwhelm the learner.
- One to one learning/ assistance.
- Regular breaks and change of scenery can be beneficial where possible.
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