Supporting Dyspraxia & Dyslexia Across All Ages
Audience:
Occupational Therapists (students, trainees, qualified OTs)
Support workers
Tutors, teachers, care staff
Length: Flexible (can be split into Levels 1–3 sessions)
Focus: Practical, accessible strategies for daily living, learning, and
work.
🔹 LEVEL 1 — Awareness (Introductory)
Goal: Recognise dyspraxia and dyslexia, understand their impact, and learn
basic support strategies.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of Level 1, participants will:
Know what Dyspraxia and Dyslexia are
Recognise common signs at all ages
Understand how difficulties affect daily life
Learn simple support strategies for everyday tasks
Content & Activities
1. Understanding Conditions
Dyspraxia: Coordination, planning, motor skills
Dyslexia: Reading, spelling, processing words
Can affect children, adults, elderly
Both can impact confidence, independence, daily tasks
2. Everyday Examples
Trouble opening jars, bottles, or containers
Struggling to use scissors, cutlery, or tools
Slow handwriting, spelling errors
Misreading labels, forms, or instructions
3. Practical Support Strategies
Use jar openers, adapted cutlery, grips
Provide coloured paper, large print, clear labels
Break tasks into small steps
Give extra time for tasks
Use visual or verbal prompts
4. Activity
Identify 3 everyday challenges for someone with dyspraxia
Suggest 1 simple adaptation for each challenge
🔹 LEVEL 2 — Application (Practical Skills)
Goal: Apply knowledge to daily living, learning, and therapeutic contexts.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of Level 2, participants will:
Plan and provide practical support for people with dyspraxia and dyslexia
Use assistive technology and adaptive tools
Teach independence strategies
Monitor progress and adjust support
Content & Activities
1. Daily Living & Therapy Tasks
Cooking, personal care, cleaning, using tools
School or work tasks: note-taking, reading forms, completing documents
Exercise or movement routines
2. Practical Strategies
Adaptive equipment: jar openers, ergonomic pens, scissors with grips,
keyboard shortcuts
Visual supports: coloured overlays, large print, diagrams
Technology: speech-to-text, reminder apps, timers, calendars
Teaching methods: step-by-step instructions, demonstrations, checklists
3. Case Study Activity
Scenario:
Child with dyspraxia struggles with handwriting and using scissors in
school
Adult with dyslexia struggles to read instructions and fill forms at work
Task: Plan practical strategies to support them, including equipment,
environment, and teaching methods
4. Reflection
Which strategies can be applied at home, school, or work?
How can independence be promoted?
🔹 LEVEL 3 — Leadership & Advanced Practice
Goal: Lead, mentor, and design inclusive systems for supporting dyspraxia
and dyslexia across the lifespan.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of Level 3, participants will:
Lead OT teams and support staff in inclusive practice
Create structured support plans
Apply legal, professional, and ethical responsibilities
Implement inclusive policies in workplaces, schools, and care settings
Content & Activities
1. Advanced Assessment & Planning
Assess motor, cognitive, and literacy skills
Identify strengths and barriers
Develop individualised support plans
Review and update plans regularly
2. System & Policy Design
Accessible environments (coloured cues, ergonomic tools, assistive tech)
Staff training in awareness and practical support
Documentation of adaptations and adjustments
Advocacy for resources (equipment, software, extra time)
3. Leadership & Team Management
Coach staff in OT techniques and support strategies
Promote neurodiversity awareness and inclusion
Monitor outcomes (independence, confidence, participation)
Encourage strength-based approaches
4. Case Study & Strategic Exercise
Scenario:
Elderly resident with dyspraxia and dyslexia struggles with medication
management, forms, and mobility aids
Task:
Design a support plan, including adaptive tools, environmental cues, and
staff responsibilities
Consider review, monitoring, and independence strategies
🔹 UNIVERSAL PRACTICAL STRATEGIES
Area
|
Dyspraxia
|
Dyslexia
|
Support Tools / Adaptations
|
Daily Tasks
|
Poor coordination
|
Reading labels
|
Jar openers, ergonomic tools, colour-coded labels
|
Writing
|
Slow, messy
|
Spelling errors
|
Speech-to-text, word processors, templates
|
Reading
|
-
|
Misreads, skips words
|
Large print, coloured overlays, clear fonts
|
Planning
|
Hard to sequence tasks
|
Hard to follow instructions
|
Checklists, step-by-step guides, visual aids
|
Confidence
|
Frustration & anxiety
|
Avoidance
|
Praise, encouragement, small achievable goals
|
🔹 KNOWLEDGE CHECK (All Levels)
Name three tools that help with dyspraxia in daily life.
Give two strategies to support dyslexia reading tasks.
How would you adapt a classroom or workspace for a learner with SpLD?
Why is independence important for people with dyspraxia or dyslexia?
Name one legal responsibility for OTs and educators.
📘 Easy Read Occupational Therapy Training Modules
Supporting Dyspraxia & Dyslexia Across All Ages
Audience:
-
Occupational Therapists (students, trainees, qualified OTs)
-
Support workers
-
Tutors, teachers, care staff
Length: Flexible (can be split into Levels 1–3 sessions)
Focus: Practical, accessible strategies for daily living, learning, and work.
🔹 LEVEL 1 — Awareness (Introductory)
Goal: Recognise dyspraxia and dyslexia, understand their impact, and learn basic support strategies.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of Level 1, participants will:
-
Know what Dyspraxia and Dyslexia are
-
Recognise common signs at all ages
-
Understand how difficulties affect daily life
-
Learn simple support strategies for everyday tasks
Content & Activities
1. Understanding Conditions
-
Dyspraxia: Coordination, planning, motor skills
-
Dyslexia: Reading, spelling, processing words
-
Can affect children, adults, elderly
-
Both can impact confidence, independence, daily tasks
2. Everyday Examples
-
Trouble opening jars, bottles, or containers
-
Struggling to use scissors, cutlery, or tools
-
Slow handwriting, spelling errors
-
Misreading labels, forms, or instructions
3. Practical Support Strategies
-
Use jar openers, adapted cutlery, grips
-
Provide coloured paper, large print, clear labels
-
Break tasks into small steps
-
Give extra time for tasks
-
Use visual or verbal prompts
4. Activity
-
Identify 3 everyday challenges for someone with dyspraxia
-
Suggest 1 simple adaptation for each challenge
🔹 LEVEL 2 — Application (Practical Skills)
Goal: Apply knowledge to daily living, learning, and therapeutic contexts.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of Level 2, participants will:
-
Plan and provide practical support for people with dyspraxia and dyslexia
-
Use assistive technology and adaptive tools
-
Teach independence strategies
-
Monitor progress and adjust support
Content & Activities
1. Daily Living & Therapy Tasks
-
Cooking, personal care, cleaning, using tools
-
School or work tasks: note-taking, reading forms, completing documents
-
Exercise or movement routines
2. Practical Strategies
-
Adaptive equipment: jar openers, ergonomic pens, scissors with grips, keyboard shortcuts
-
Visual supports: coloured overlays, large print, diagrams
-
Technology: speech-to-text, reminder apps, timers, calendars
-
Teaching methods: step-by-step instructions, demonstrations, checklists
3. Case Study Activity
Scenario:
-
Child with dyspraxia struggles with handwriting and using scissors in school
-
Adult with dyslexia struggles to read instructions and fill forms at work
Task: Plan practical strategies to support them, including equipment, environment, and teaching methods
4. Reflection
-
Which strategies can be applied at home, school, or work?
-
How can independence be promoted?
🔹 LEVEL 3 — Leadership & Advanced Practice
Goal: Lead, mentor, and design inclusive systems for supporting dyspraxia and dyslexia across the lifespan.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of Level 3, participants will:
-
Lead OT teams and support staff in inclusive practice
-
Create structured support plans
-
Apply legal, professional, and ethical responsibilities
-
Implement inclusive policies in workplaces, schools, and care settings
Content & Activities
1. Advanced Assessment & Planning
-
Assess motor, cognitive, and literacy skills
-
Identify strengths and barriers
-
Develop individualised support plans
-
Review and update plans regularly
2. System & Policy Design
-
Accessible environments (coloured cues, ergonomic tools, assistive tech)
-
Staff training in awareness and practical support
-
Documentation of adaptations and adjustments
-
Advocacy for resources (equipment, software, extra time)
3. Leadership & Team Management
-
Coach staff in OT techniques and support strategies
-
Promote neurodiversity awareness and inclusion
-
Monitor outcomes (independence, confidence, participation)
-
Encourage strength-based approaches
4. Case Study & Strategic Exercise
Scenario:
-
Elderly resident with dyspraxia and dyslexia struggles with medication management, forms, and mobility aids
Task:
-
Design a support plan, including adaptive tools, environmental cues, and staff responsibilities
-
Consider review, monitoring, and independence strategies
🔹 UNIVERSAL PRACTICAL STRATEGIES
| Area | Dyspraxia | Dyslexia | Support Tools / Adaptations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Tasks | Poor coordination | Reading labels | Jar openers, ergonomic tools, colour-coded labels |
| Writing | Slow, messy | Spelling errors | Speech-to-text, word processors, templates |
| Reading | - | Misreads, skips words | Large print, coloured overlays, clear fonts |
| Planning | Hard to sequence tasks | Hard to follow instructions | Checklists, step-by-step guides, visual aids |
| Confidence | Frustration & anxiety | Avoidance | Praise, encouragement, small achievable goals |
🔹 KNOWLEDGE CHECK (All Levels)
-
Name three tools that help with dyspraxia in daily life.
-
Give two strategies to support dyslexia reading tasks.
-
How would you adapt a classroom or workspace for a learner with SpLD?
-
Why is independence important for people with dyspraxia or dyslexia?
-
Name one legal responsibility for OTs and educators.
No comments:
Post a Comment