Who should I contact with any concerns or questions I might have?
Contact the Disability Officer (Broze O'Donovan) on 061-490112 Monday through Friday. You can also email your questions or concerns to
broze.odonovan@lit.ie .
If the Disability Officer is not available, you can try the Access Officer, Linda Barry, on 061-490103 or
linda.barry@lit.ie .
If your query is specific to a student with dyslexia, contact the Dyslexia Support Tutor, Ann McLoughlin, on 061-208833. Ann is in office from September to May.
What kinds of disabilities are there among the student population at L.I.T.?
There are currently students at L.I.T. whose nature of difficulty/disability is as follows:
- Specific Learning Difficulty (Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Non-verbal Learning Difficulty, Dyscalculia, ADD/ADHD, Aspergers Syndrome)
- Mental Health Condition
- Physical Disability
- Sensory (Hearing/Vision impairment or loss)
- Significant Ongoing Illness
What is a Specific Learning Difficulty?
A Specific Learning Difficulty (SLD) involves a distinct disability in the area of learning. It is not a visible disability in the way that many physical disabilities are visible. As such, it is often impossible to distinguish whether or not a person has dyslexia from observing them in a non-academic environment.
Dyslexia is by far the best-known SLD. Often an individual with SLD does not process information at the same rate as others, and has difficulty assimilating and retaining new information. However, the key thing to remember about SLD is that, in order for someone to be diagnosed with an SLD, they must show significant discrepancy between overall ability and specific areas of ability i.e., average to above average I.Q. but low scores on one or more of the tests for basic word reading, spelling, working memory, writing etc., This can only be identified through psycho-educational assessment by an educational psychologist.
Other less common Specific Learning Difficulties are:
- Dyscalculia (Difficulty with Maths)
- Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD - also known as dyspraxia)
- Attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (ADD or ADHD).
- Aspergers Syndrome (Autistic Spectrum)
- Nonverbal Learning Difficulty (NLD)
With dyslexia, the SLD most frequently encountered by lecturers at LIT, an individual shows significantly lower scores in tests relating to working memory and literacy (such as word recognition and word construction) than would be expected given their overall cognitive ability, i.e. their full-scale I.Q. As a result of these difficulties, students with dyslexia often fail to master the alphabetic principle (the awareness and understanding that letters are symbols that represent sounds) during primary school, and therefore do not go on to develop phonemic awareness (the ability to blend letters into sounds that then form words).
Failure to master these early stages of literacy is NOT the result of laziness or lack of motivation on the part of the student. On the contrary, dyslexic students often must work twice as hard to achieve half the results of their non-dyslexic classmates. There are varying degrees to which a student's dyslexia might affect his/her fluency (the ability to read and write with automatic recall and no hesitation) in reading, writing and spelling. However, even students with dyslexia who can read and write fluently experience difficulty with reading comprehension.
Dyslexia also often involves significant disability of the working (short-term) memory; students with dyslexia face particular challenges in retaining information long enough for it to be transferred to the long-term memory. In addition, a poor working memory can affect students with dyslexia during practicals, as it may prevent them from "holding" sequences of instructions in their short-term memory long enough to accurately complete a task – they may have to check and re-check instructions to make sure they are doing something right.
There are numerous theories as to why and how individuals develop dyslexia. It is often noted that dyslexia seems to run in families. Almost all the students we work with would be able to name at least one family member who is either diagnosed with dyslexia or exhibits indicators of it.
Usually an individual will show signs of dyslexia from earliest childhood, thus suggesting that it is present from birth, but it is also possible to acquire dyslexia as the result of head injury.
Dyslexia is permanent and does not "go away." However, the early implementation of coping strategies can dramatically influence outcome for individuals with dyslexia. If you are interested in finding out more, the webpages of The Dyslexia Association of Ireland and the British Dyslexia Association both offer a large volume of accessible information.
What is Aspergers Syndrome?
AS is a complex brain disorder and is seen as part of the autistic spectrum. Generally, those affected by the condition have an IQ within the normal range but may have extremely poor social and communication skills. Common characteristics can be a lack of empathy, little ability to form relationships, one-sided conversations and an intense absorption with a special interest. Sometimes movements can be clumsy and poor organizational skills are almost always a hallmark trait. However, with the proper support people with AS can lead full and productive lives.
The above information on AS was taken from the official website of Aspire, the Asperger Syndrome Association of Ireland (http://www.aspire-irl.org).
It's very important to remember that AS is a brain disorder and is not the result of a "poor upbringing." Like dyslexia, it cannot be overcome if the student "tries harder," although many strategies can be put in place to help the student cope. Students with AS usually require ongoing individualized support if they are to succeed in their studies. They may at times be perceived by others as lazy, rude, disrespectful and "weird." This is largely down to their difficulties with understanding nonverbal communication and interpreting the nuances and intricacies of social behaviours. Adding to this, students with AS are often hypersensitive to the opinions of others and can feel isolated and vulnerable. In many cases they were bullied in primary and secondary school. However, as they are often very able, understanding and support can make the difference between success and failure at third level.
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) are neurological disorders characterized by poor and short attention span, difficulty in focussing and self-motivating, hyperactivity and restlessness (both mental and physical) and impulsivity.
A common public misunderstanding of ADHD is that of hyperactive little boys bouncing off classroom walls and driving their parents and teachers to distraction. However, ADHD manifests itself differently in different individuals, and it is possible to have full-fledged ADD without exhibiting any symptoms of hyperactivity – a version of the disorder that is more likely to be found in girls.
Although not in itself an SLD, ADD/ADHD can coexist with any number of SLDs, with a co-morbidity rate estimated to be as high as 35%. Even on its own it can pose a significant barrier to learning, as attention, focus and motivation are all such important parts of the learning process. ADHD/ADD can also involves "hyper -focussing" on subjects of particular interest, to the detriment of everything else.
What is dyspraxia (developmental co-ordination disorder)?
Students with dyspraxia experience difficulties with movement, co-ordination, fine and gross motor control and aspects of learning, such as reading and writing. These students are often of average or above average intelligence. It is not uncommon for dyspraxia to coexist with another SLD. Unlike dyslexia, which is usually not "visible" outside of an academic environment, the difficulties with co-ordination caused by dyspraxia can result in a student appearing "clumsy" and can sometimes mean that these individuals are socially vulnerable. For more information, visit
http://www.dyspraxiaireland.com.