Top Ten Tips for Students with Dyslexia and Related Specific Learning Difficulties.

For any students struggling with dyslexia or any other specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) that you may not have told us about, letting me know, in my role as student support manager (SSM), is important so that if you do require support, I can point you in the direction of who to contact.

Whether or not you are receiving specialist support, there are some tips on how to better manage your academic work.

  1. Always start assignments as early as possible: SpLDs tend to affect memory and reading which can make research more time consuming.
  2. Stay organised: This is essential in order to study effectively; make appointments, plan ahead and hand in assignments. Organisational skills are also often affected by SpLDs, so the more you manage your time and resources; the more successful you’re likely to be! This can be done by: colour coding files/notebooks into subjects/topics; putting monthly/yearly planners up on your wall so you always know what’s ahead of you; do daily and weekly checklists of tasks; load all deadlines onto planners; keep papers in order of date and topic.
  3. Manage your time: Make sure through being active and organised that you make the most of time so you can meet your deadlines and have a life without causing yourself more stress than you need to. You can do this by setting yourself realistic targets and make a real effort to meet them; set reminders on your phone so that you are not late for lecturers etc.; do work at regular intervals – DO NOT cram!
  4. Make sure you understand the assignment brief: There is nothing more futile than doing so much work that you won’t be rewarded for. If in doubt, speak to your tutor and/or the SSM.
  5. Plan, Plan, Plan: Don’t sit at a blank, white screen waiting for inspiration. After working out what the assignment brief is, you can then mind map ideas. Then, for each idea – read relevant material and write a paragraph. The next stage would be to organise ideas into sections and elaborate.
  6. Take frequent, short breaks from the computer: This will help concentration. Also, long sessions at a screen can affect your eyes. Consider putting up a coloured background to decrease glare. Don’t forget to eat and drink plenty of water as dehydration can slow the brain down.
  7. Get to know how you learn: Take an online VARK (Visual, Auditory, Reading, Kinesthetic) test to determine your preferred learning style. This will help you study in the most effective way for you so you can play to your strengths. For example, if you’re primarily an auditory learner, you could record lectures, thoughts etc. in order to listen back to; you could read your work aloud; you could download software that reads out articles/books and speech-to- text software. However, if you combine your preferred learning style with other sensory styles, you could improve all round!
  8. Now that you know what type of learner you are – you could also determine how else you best learn: where in the house/flat will you set up a study area? What time of the day are you likely to be at your best? Do you like small study groups? Do you need absolute silence or music/TV in the background?
  9. Assistive technologies are useful study tools. Mind map software such as Mindmaple and Mind Genius are effective in helping you get your ideas down. Dragon and Read&Write Gold are speech-to-text and text-to-speech softwares. As SpLDs generally affect literacy, ‘Grammarly’ is a useful, free tool that can improve your writing. Some of the specialist software is funded by DSA, but there are some apps that be downloaded for free.
  10. Don’t forget that for any student to be successful whether they have a SpLD or not, the key is motivation. Stay motivated, don’t give up and enjoy learning! If you’re struggling or if you have any queries, don’t be afraid to ask the staff at CNELM. 
Last modified: Monday, 29 May 2017, 4:00 PM