Adults and Employers
Case Study One
66 yo man who had worked in accountancy all his adult life. He had failed professional exams by a small margin and his employer was keen for him to secure extra time to enable him to pass on his next attempt (final).
X described how at school he was told he was ‘lazy’ and ‘not very bright’ by teachers and how he had hated school and left as soon as he could. He had always wondered if he had dyslexia, his father and grandfather had both had severe literacy problems.
X was asked to complete a detailed pre assessment questionnaire in advance of his assessment; he came to my consulting room at my home for the assessment and we reviewed his questionnaire.
I spent time talking to X and building rapport with him before commencing the assessment. I also made sure he had a hot drink and was relaxed. He coped well with the tests and enjoyed many of them.
The results showed X had strengths in his cognitive ability, scoring above well over 90% of his age group, showing he is easily intellectually capable of passing his exam. X was very emotional on hearing this when I fed back his results, saying it was “like a revelation” to finally know he was “actually pretty clever” and that his teachers all those years ago had been wrong. X had weaknesses on the tests diagnostic for spld and was underachieving in nearly all his literacy skills. He easily met the criteria for extra time and I also recommended workplace adjustments in his assessment report.
X asked a number of questions about what his results meant, all of which I answered at the time. He contacted me three months later to tell me he had passed his exam and that his employer found his assessment report very helpful in putting place adjustments for X.
The employer referred another member of staff to me 6 months later.
Case Study Two
50 yo female working as a laboratory assistant for a scientific research institution. Her employer contacted me seeking an assessment for X, about whom concerns had been noted with regard to her reading, writing and spelling skills, all of which were holding her back in the workplace. Her employers wanted to find out ways to support X at work and to look into supplying her with specialist equipment to help her in her role.
X was very apprehensive about the assessment. X’s line manager and HR manager emailed me about this and asked me to supply information in advance of the assessment about nature of the assessment and for me to reassure X about the process. I was pleased to do this, as it is important to try to allay fears in the examinee. In the weeks leading up to the assessment, I communicated several times with these staff members, answering their questions and offering as much reassurance as I could; these were passed onto X.
On the day of the assessment, I spent time with X informally chatting, to establish rapport. She soon relaxed and I explained in more detail what the assessment consisted of and that she could have rest breaks as often as needed. This reassurance was vital and X progressed through the assessment in a relaxed manner and completed all the tests. X had been worried about not being able to visit the toilet during the assessment; she was very happy to know that this was of course no problem.
I gave her full results (feedback). Her results and score profile were strongly indicative of spld (dyslexia) and I went over what recommendations I would make. The recommendations were multi sensory tuition in literacy skills (one to one), specialist equipment and software for use in the workplace and reasonable workplace adjustments.
Within a week X received her assessment report and the recommendations were acted upon. Both X’s line manager and HR manager were very pleased with the assessment report and the recommendations made to help X.
Case Study Three
44 y o female working in an academic environment who was finding some aspects of her role to be causing her difficulty. Specifically, the new open plan office was very distracting for X and her role had altered so that she was required to complete large volumes of reading, write summaries and communicate with other team members. Meetings were a problem for X; she found the fast pace daunting and again, could not keep up with the reading in meetings. X had become stressed and unhappy at work and her HR manager referred her to me.
In advance, X was asked to complete the pre assessment questionnaire and on meeting her, I went through this with her in great detail, paying particular attention to the aspects of her roles that had been causing her most difficulty. The assessment took place at her workplace in a quiet room. X was not nervous and rapport was easy to establish and maintain.
X completed the full assessment in around 3 hours and I fed back results to her. X was of very superior intelligence with relative weaknesses in her working memory, phonology and she was significantly underachieving at some aspects of literacy.
X was happy with the results and we then had a discussion about what recommendations I could make to ensure workplace adjustments were put in place. These included her using a laptop and being given a room alone to work on it to minimise distractions, being given reading material well in advance of meetings, redesigned lighting at her work station, screens put around her workstation and specialist software to help her write reports.
This was an in depth case and the outcome for X was very rewarding for her. I gather that X has since been promoted.
Case Study Four
25 yo female primary school teacher. Very anxious, and on anti depressants and anti anxiety medications. She initially contacted me wanting an assessment for possible dyscalculia and decided to give it some thought. 2 months later, she decided to go ahead. This was a very big decision for X and she needed reassurance about her decision to go ahead, which I provided. It was made clear to X that she could change her mind and decide not to go ahead at any time.
I spoke to X on the phone and listened to her describe her difficulties with maths which were related to how she performed in team meetings when she was often required to solve maths problems, in front of others. This was causing X to be very stressed and unhappy. It was a very big decision for her to decide to come and be assessed; her line manager was supportive but X still needed reassurance that the results were completely confidential, which I gave over the phone.
X wanted me to travel to her home for the assessment and I was happy to do so. X had in advance of this been asked to complete the pre assessment questionnaire. This covers educational background and current difficulties under many different areas. The questionnaire is quite lengthy.
I went through it with X and added information where necessary. We had an in depth discussion of the specific work roles that caused her the most difficulty. X was then assessed using the full battery of tests available to gain a comprehensive and detailed profile of scores, showing X’s strengths and weaknesses. Her profile of scores was strongly indicative of dyscalculia and mild dyslexia.
X was actually very relieved to receive the diagnosis and cried with relief; she told me how she had feared the results might show she was ‘thick’ or ‘slow’. We then discussed what recommendations would be most helpful and I informed her of her rights in the workplace regarding adjustments.
When X received her written assessment report 4 days later, she had some questions and I was pleased to be able to answer these via email, and via phone. X had a meeting with her line manager and the recommendations were put into place. X had some one to one multi sensory tuition in maths, she followed my recommendation to access CBT (an online free NICE-approved website) and to use some specialist software. The outcome for X was extremely empowering.
Dyslexia Case Study
Difficulty with reading, writing, spelling and using sounds.
17 yr old male referred to me by his mother, who was concerned he had dyslexia. There was a family history of dyslexia and although X had passed his GCSE’s, his grades were lower than expected by teachers. Now in his lower 6th, he was struggling with the reading and writing demands of his A levels. He had previously encountered some difficulties acquiring literacy skills at primary school and had been given extra help by family members and private tuition. A short teacher assessment had been carried out when he was at primary school but the results were not known.
In class, he found note taking and copying hard and despite having had normal eye test results, he found words appeared to blur on the page and he needed to follow lines with his finger or use a ruler. His written work was marred by errors of grammar and he found it hard to structure his written work.
I asked him to fill out a pre assessment questionnaire in advance of the assessment; I went through this with him at the assessment. I completed a full assessment and gave results and feedback to X and his mother and one week later they received the assessment report via the post, and a PDF version to share with the school. The results showed that X was of high cognitive ability and easily capable of A grades. He had specific weaknesses in all areas diagnostic for dyslexia (working memory, processing speed and phonology) and these impacted significantly on all aspects of literacy. I made recommendations in his assessment report – special access arrangements for A levels (extra time, a reader) and for study skills and learning support from the school SENCO.
Other recommendations were oriented to his future needs – the DSA and support for when he attended University.
X passed his A levels at grades A, A, A, B and got a place on his preferred course and University, where he took advantage of all the recommendations made in his assessment report; he is doing well and is set to gain a 1st class degree in Pharmacy.
Dyspraxia Case Study
Young lady aged 16 yrs 8 mnth, studying BTEC National Diploma at college and wanting to go on and study at Uni.
Referred to me for assessment by her tutors who could not read her handwriting and noticed the student had great difficulty keeping up with note taking in class.
Took a full background history of difficulties with handwriting, co-ordination and balance and asked her to complete an in depth screening instrument for dyspraxia / DCD. The results of this showed that there was a very high probability that the student had dyspraxia.
Completed a full assessment which revealed specific weaknesses in processing speed, handwriting speed, visual-motor integration and spelling. Additional test for dyspraxia was included.
Made recommendations – use of word processor for all writing and exams, the DSA for when she attends Uni, referral to an occupational therapist for exercises to help improve balance and co-ordination, specialist tuition in writing and spelling, study skills support and the support of a mentor to aid organisational skills. Student passed her BTEC and 3 years later she graduated with a 2:1.
Dyscalculia Case Study
Young woman aged 23, graduated with a 2:1 and studying PGCE (Teacher training). Took her 4 attempts to pass maths GCSE and she had extensive one to one private tuition to attain this but despite endless practice, tuition and hard work, still finds it very hard to retain maths facts and to know how to tackle problems. Sometimes she got the right answer to maths problems but was not sure how she had done so. She had a huge fear of maths and had seen her GP because of anxiety. Her self-esteem and confidence were low and she felt a failure with any maths activity and was worried about passing QTS exam (maths) without extra time.
I took detailed history of her maths difficulties and undertook a full assessment. X was very nervous on the day and had to have several breaks and was tearful so I was very gentle and sensitive when assessing. Gave her feedback on her results, which showed she had dyscalculia – deficits in all maths skills and in short-term memory and processing speed.
X was initially upset on hearing the results but over the next half hour, after discussing with X what the results meant for her in terms of being able to access support, extra time and workplace adjustments, she could see the results in a positive light. It was important for me to encourage X to focus on the many positives of the assessment, for example, that she had a high level of cognitive ability.
Outcome for woman was she had intensive one to one multi sensory tuition in maths, extra time for QTS exam which she passed. She found the websites and further reading section in her report especially helpful in assisting her to move forwards; her confidence and self-esteem were raised and she had some CBT as a result of my recommendation. She now has a job as a teacher and is doing well.
ADHD Case Study
Young man aged 18 studying at uni and finding that he was struggling to cope with the demands of his course. He had difficulty organising his time and tended to put work off until the last minute; he had failed one assignment.
He had been in trouble at school for inattentiveness, impulsivity, fidgeting and speaking out of turn and as result he had a poor educational experience, underachieving at GCSE and A level. His self-confidence had been adversely affected by this.
He has difficulty switching off and focussing, finds it very hard to concentrate for lengthy periods, needs to be active and burn off energy, tends to procrastinate, had difficulty finishing projects and with paying attention to fine details.
He was referred to me by learning support staff at uni for a full assessment after his academic advisor had spoken to the student about his difficulties with studying. The academic advisor said his written work did not reflect his oral contributions in seminars or his understanding of his subject (BA in International Relations)
I assessed the student, undertaking full testing. I also undertook an observation of his verbal and non-verbal behaviours in the assessment. I took a detailed background history of his difficulties with attention and concentration and a discussion of how these impact on his studies. He also completed an ADHD screening instrument which is based on the DSM IV.
Results showed he had mild dyslexia and adhd, with specific weaknesses in his working memory and phonological skills. His handwriting speed was significantly slow and he had some problems with spelling and reading comprehension. I made recommendations in the assessment report to as par as possible remove the barriers caused by ADHD and to provide X with resources for further information and help.
As a result of the assessment report he was offered mentoring support at uni, help with organisation, study skills and time management, had full DSA and in exams a separate room to minimise distractions. He passed his degree and is now working full time.