Local Offer - Specific Learning Difficulties

Dyslexia is a specific literacy difficulty, which means it causes differences with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing. Unlike a learning disability, a person’s intelligence is not affected by dyslexia.

It is estimated up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia. Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that can present challenges daily, but support is available to improve reading and writing skills and to ensure children and young people are successful in their learning journey.

Children with dyslexia may present with difficulties in reading, writing, and spelling. 

Most parents first notice signs and symptoms of dyslexia in their child when they start school, and they begin learning to read. Some children can experience visual difficulties where the letters appear to move or blur on the page. If your child does complain of difficulties like these, an optician’s appointment is the first place to start to rule out any underlying visual needs.

For children who have difficulties learning to read, the effort needed to concentrate can be exhausting and can often lead to frustration and a reluctance to try to learn.

Children in Doncaster schools are not routinely screened for dyslexia. Our inclusive High-Quality Teaching and Graduated Approach is designed to support learners with any barriers to learning. Some schools in Doncaster may do initial dyslexia screening, but this will not lead to a diagnosis. The key message here is action over diagnosis! Schools have the duty to use their best endeavours to support children with identified Special Educational Needs. Children do not need a diagnosis for support to be provided around their education.

If you are concerned about your child’s progress in education, contact the Special Educational Needs Coordinator on your child’s setting.

• Allow your child to pick a book to read together and let them start reading.
• Read at the child’s pace – do not rush them.
• If your child makes a mistake, allow them a few seconds to have another go before saying the word yourself.
• At the end of each page or section, talk about what has happened or what might happen next to help with your child’s understanding.
• Switch between reading together and your child reading alone to keep your child’s interest.
• Listen to audio books alongside – they are a great way for a child to become familiar with a text.
• Give plenty of praise and encouragement when they are reading or writing. It can be extra tricky for them to do these tasks.
• Download British Dyslexia Association's free guide to supporting a child or young  person with dyslexia

Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It will be unexpected in relation to a child or young person’s age or level of academic ability in other subjects.

It is estimated that 3%-6% of the population are affected by dyscalculia yet it is very understudied in comparison to dyslexia.

Dyscalculia is not related to a person’s general level of intelligence. Children and adults of any intellectual ability can be affected by dyscalculia or dyslexia.

Watch this video on what dyscalculia means by understood.org

Some features of dyscalculia include:

• Specific difficulties with certain areas of maths such as fractions or time and money but not with number skills.
• Misunderstand some of the mathematical terms and language such as ‘greater than’ or ‘less than’.
• Difficulties with sequencing and following procedures.
• Forgetting previously learned procedures and maths skills quickly.
• Struggles to understand and extract information from charts and graphs.
• Avoids situations where maths may be involved such as playing darts or rounders.

Children and young people with dyscalculia have difficulty in remembering numbers or with adding up, multiplying, fractions etc. They find the sequencing of numbers and number patterns difficult to organise. They may also have difficulties with the sounds and patterns that make up words (Dyslexia).

Children in Doncaster schools are not routinely screened for dyscalculia. Our inclusive High-Quality Teaching and Graduated Approach is designed to support learners with any barriers to learning.

Some schools in Doncaster may do initial dyscalculia screening, but this will not lead to a diagnosis. The key message here is action over diagnosis! Schools have the duty to use their best endeavours to support children with identified Special Educational Needs. Children do not need a diagnosis for support to be provided around their education.

If you are concerned about your child’s progress in education, contact the Special Educational Needs Coordinator on your child’s setting.

• Play math apps and games with them that allow your child to practice essential skills in a fun way such as Ludo, Snakes and Ladders even Candy Crush!
• Do not keep your child in the dark. Talk to them about the difficulties dyscalculia can cause and be honest, e.g. ‘You know how you struggle to remember your times tables, or knowing how much change to give? It is ok, some people find this hard.”
• Make sure they have access to a calculator that they know how to use.
• Try using showing your child or young person how to use graph paper to help them to keep number work in straight lines and columns.
• Give them a quiet space to work.
• Use pre-set phone reminders and alarms to help your child keep track of time.
• Acknowledge their struggles and praise hard work — even if the results aren’t always perfect. Many children and young people with dyscalculia develop maths anxiety.
• Help them to identify their specific strengths and offer positive reinforcement of these consistently. 

There are lots of fantastic resources available on the National Numeracy Strategy website and a further information for how to support your child or young person.

Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, also known as dyspraxia, is a common disorder which can affect both the fine and gross motor co-ordination of an individual. An individuals’ intelligence with DCD, is in line with the general population. A child or young person’s presentation of difficulties may change throughout their life course but are likely to affect their participation in activities such as self-care, riding a bike or playing with others.

Features of developmental co-ordination disorder may include:

• Difficulties with playground activities such as hopping, jumping, running, jumping, and catching or kicking a ball.
• Difficulties walking up and down stairs.
• Writing, drawing, and using scissors – their handwriting and drawing may appear scribbled and less developed than their peers.
• Doing up buttons and laces can be difficult.
• Bumping into objects, dropping things, and falling over as if unbalanced is common.

It is not usually clear why co-ordination does not develop as well as other abilities in children with DCD. However, there are several risk factors that could increase the risk of a child’s likelihood of developing the condition that have been identified. These include:

• Being born prematurely, before 37 weeks of pregnancy
• Being born at a low birth weight
• A family history of Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, although the gene responsible has yet to be identified.

You can find information on symptoms of developmental co-ordination disorder on the NHS website.

You should talk to your GP, health visitor or special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinator (SENDCO) if you think your child has developmental co-ordination disorder. They may refer your child to another healthcare professional who can do an assessment.

This could be:

• a paediatrician – a doctor specialising in the care of babies and children who will usually be based locally (community paediatrician)
• a paediatric occupational therapist – a healthcare professional who can assess your child's functional abilities in daily activities, such as handling cutlery and getting dressed.
• a paediatric physiotherapist – a healthcare professional who can assess your child's movement (motor) skills.
• an educational psychologist – a professional who assists children who are having difficulty progressing with their education because of their special educational needs or disabilities.

• Make small adjustments at home to encourage greater independence in your child or young person (e.g., elasticated shoes, trousers, easier fastenings on clothes, strategies for organisation and time management)
• Provide opportunities for regular practice of activities and exercises by involving your child in everyday activities such as cooking (mixing, spreading), household chores (folding clothes, putting away cutlery, mopping the floor) and simple games (catching a ball, hopscotch).
• Let your child or young person choose activities that they particularly enjoy or wish to try.
• Use your child’s interests as a focus for motivation e.g., cutting out newspaper pictures of their favourite sport.
• Encourage practice at every opportunity. ‘Little and often’ is best for learning – ten minutes every day rather than one long session each week.
• Break down tasks into smaller units to be learned; make sure that your child knows what they are working towards and what the end goal looks like e.g., the different components in learning to tie a shoelace.
• Try to ensure that your child or young person practices movement skills in a variety of different ways so that they can generalise to new situations e.g., different activities for ball skills: throwing and catching with different size balls of different weights, with the child in different positions.  
• Always praise success and celebrate hard work with your child!