SEND Outreach Service- Specific Learning Difficulties Team

Dyslexia is a common Specific Learning Difficulty/Difference (SpLd) that can cause problems with reading, writing, and spelling. Having a SpLD does not mean that a child/young person cannot achieve and succeed in learning. They may, however, need additional help and support.

Although the signs of dyslexia are different for everyone, indications include:

• difficulties with reading, writing and spelling 
• difficulties with phonological awareness e.g., rhyme, alliteration, segmenting and blending, linking sounds to letters
• understands information when told verbally, but has difficulty comprehending information when it is written down
• sequencing difficulties e.g., writing letters in the incorrect order
• difficulties with fine motor/handwriting skills
• short term and working memory difficulties
• difficulty planning and organising tasks
• difficulty with time perception

Well-founded intervention can make a difference and most learners with a profile of dyslexia will respond to support.

It is important to note that many children/young people with dyslexia will have a range of strengths and talents.

Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers.

Although the signs of dyscalculia are different for everyone, indications include:

• poor number sense – may rely on rote learning
• struggles with estimating and rounding
• difficulties with reasoning – struggles to see patterns and make connections
• cannot see the relationship between numbers
• difficulty in matching the numerical symbol to the numerical quantity
• poor mental arithmetic skills
• difficulties in remembering and recalling mathematical facts and procedures, even with extensive practice
• struggles to count backwards
• calculations may take a long time to complete
• the inability to tell whether answers are right or nearly right
• difficulties keeping track of steps when problem-solving