SLD/Dyslexia

studentphil

Sue, the tutor shouldn't be telling him to go away, he should be helping your son with this project and taking the time to help him do it. If your son wasn't disabled that would be what he would have to do, so your son should get that equal help from subject staff. That seems to me that in the here and now the help should be coming from subject staff until help comes from other areas.

Savvy_Sue

I don't think it is that the tutor doesn't want to know, it sounds to me as if the kind of help DS1 needs is NOT the kind the tutor would give. DS1 knows his stuff, he has no difficulty assimilating it, he just doesn't cope well with getting it down on paper, at least partly because he doesn't know WHAT he needs to put down on paper.

His tendence to 'pedantry as an art form' means that it's hard for him to tell people things they should already know. My husband's advice to "never underestimate the stupidity of the examiner" has taken him so far, but he's getting stuck now.

studentphil

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I don't think it is that the tutor doesn't want to know, it sounds to me as if the kind of help DS1 needs is NOT the kind the tutor would give. DS1 knows his stuff, he has no difficulty assimilating it, he just doesn't cope well with getting it down on paper, at least partly because he doesn't know WHAT he needs to put down on paper.

His tendence to 'pedantry as an art form' means that it's hard for him to tell people things they should already know. My husband's advice to "never underestimate the stupidity of the examiner" has taken him so far, but he's getting stuck now.

Yes, I can see that, I don't think he is on his own there though as the very rigid nature of assessment and lack of willingness by academics to change styles of thinking and teaching seems of great disadvantage to many people with SPLD type problems. Academics see only a very limited style of output as successful and that seems to be to the loss of muich talent. I still don't understand why if you write an exam full of spelling errors why it puts you into a third or low 2.2 straight away because you are not doing a spelling test, but yet the academic says he is correct to mark you down for that.

I do think a subject tutor should be able to offer some insight into WHAT is needed and help with structure.

It is a good rule of thumb to write like the reader is a lay person as your husband says, but the tutor should be able to help in how you balance that will showing the higher level skills that good marks demand.

Savvy_Sue

But if the tutor has said to go to Student Support, it would be pretty daft of my son not to do so. To turn around to the tutor and say "This is your job not Student Support's" wouldn't be likely to endear him to his tutor.

studentphil

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

But if the tutor has said to go to Student Support, it would be pretty daft of my son not to do so. To turn around to the tutor and say "This is your job not Student Support's" wouldn't be likely to endear him to his tutor.

Indeed, but I think that the issue rests with both tutor and support services to address. Wouldn't you expect a non- disabled student to get some advice from his tutor on structing assessments?

celyn90

mummytofour wrote: »

I am now the owner of a purple filter! Thank you for the advice.

Cool, glad it helps :T I'm purple too most of the time, sometimes rose is nice. Much easier to read when the words don't dance the conga off the page .

Hi Sue, I don't think the tutor doesn't want to know either - he may just not be able to give advice to the same extent that he knows student services will. They are specially trained to help Hope he gets on okay with them, in my experience they are lovely. :A

[/quote]I still don't understand why if you write an exam full of spelling errors why it puts you into a third or low 2.2 straight away because you are not doing a spelling test, but yet the academic says he is correct to mark you down for that..[/quote]

*sigh* I have sat, set and marked University examination papers, taught in HE and FE and worked in SPLD support roles. I can say without any doubt that it doesn't put you into this degree grade straight away, please stop scaring people.

studentphil

celyn90 wrote: »

Cool, glad it helps :T I'm purple too most of the time, sometimes rose is nice. Much easier to read when the words don't dance the conga off the page .

Hi Sue, I don't think the tutor doesn't want to know either - he may just not be able to give advice to the same extent that he knows student services will. They are specially trained to help Hope he gets on okay with them, in my experience they are lovely. :A

I still don't understand why if you write an exam full of spelling errors why it puts you into a third or low 2.2 straight away because you are not doing a spelling test, but yet the academic says he is correct to mark you down for that..[/quote]


*sigh* I have sat, set and marked University examination papers, taught in HE and FE and worked in SPLD support roles. I can say without any doubt that it doesn't put you into this degree grade straight away, please stop scaring people.[/quote]


That was my experience that any problems in English was heavly marked down, so it just depends on your subject. I would love to know where all these great disabilty friendly universities are because I doubt I will ever get over the awful time I had at university and the emotional damage it did me.

Savvy_Sue

Thanks celyn. SP studied philosophy and feels he didn't get the support he should have had. DS1 is studying computing, and for a person with maths/science leanings writes impeccable English. His uncle has a better degree class than me, and he has SEVERE dyslexia, so a) we don't have any worries about that and b) we know if it were a problem there are ways round it.

FWIW, DS1 doesn't think the tutor is trying to get rid of him either, and if a student needs MORE support than the 'average' student and the tutor sends them to student support, then that's the avenue we'll pursue until we reach its logical end.

Being an ever-supportive mum, I'm not sure DS1 needs more than a fierce nag and to get his act together :rotfl: - I even bought him a round tuit before he went off to Uni, but that doesn't seem to help.

tomorrow I will phone our local surgery, and try to persuade DS1 to pick up the phone to contact his Uni surgery. Possibly even his old school as well, who are supposed to be getting his records out of the 'archive'.

studentphil

I honestly don't know why I could have enjoyed all secondary school so much and then I went to university and it left me so very emotionally damaged, lacking in confidence and unhappy. In many ways I have a fear of exams and essays now and the whole thought of ever trying to study again makes me feel rather unwell. I thought university was meant to be good for you rather than put you off learning for life.

annie-c

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Thanks celyn. SP studied philosophy and feels he didn't get the support he should have had. DS1 is studying computing, and for a person with maths/science leanings writes impeccable English. His uncle has a better degree class than me, and he has SEVERE dyslexia, so a) we don't have any worries about that and b) we know if it were a problem there are ways round it.

FWIW, DS1 doesn't think the tutor is trying to get rid of him either, and if a student needs MORE support than the 'average' student and the tutor sends them to student support, then that's the avenue we'll pursue until we reach its logical end.

Being an ever-supportive mum, I'm not sure DS1 needs more than a fierce nag and to get his act together :rotfl: - I even bought him a round tuit before he went off to Uni, but that doesn't seem to help.

tomorrow I will phone our local surgery, and try to persuade DS1 to pick up the phone to contact his Uni surgery. Possibly even his old school as well, who are supposed to be getting his records out of the 'archive'.

Sue, I work in a University and am familiar with our Student Support Services. I don't know exactly how the systems work, but one thing I do know is that it is not at all unheard of for a parent to accompany a student to an initial interview with an advisor.... given that your son's difficulties lead him to struggle with getting started then maybe you could arrange a joint appointment for the two of you. You might be able to fill in any gaps in his recall of previous events and take notes so that you have a clear idea of the next steps needed.

Universities are well aware that students are 'consumers' as well as learners who pay a high price for the service they get. There would be no shame at all in the tow of you making an appointment together - on the contrary it sounds as though a little early intervention on your part now might be just the job to put him on the path to greater independence as time goes on.