1️⃣ Module Aim
To help employers, managers, tutors, and colleagues:
Understand Dyslexia and Dyspraxia at work
Recognise common workplace challenges
Provide practical, respectful support
Create inclusive job opportunities
2️⃣ What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that mainly affects reading,
spelling, processing written information, and memory.
It does not affect intelligence.
Many people with dyslexia are creative, problem-solvers, and big-picture
thinkers.
3️⃣ What is Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia (also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder – DCD) affects
coordination, organisation, planning, and sometimes speech or motor skills.
It does not affect intelligence.
Many people with dyspraxia are determined, resilient, and practical
learners.
4️⃣ Important: A Person May Have
Dyslexia only
Dyspraxia only
Both conditions together
Other related conditions (e.g., ADHD, Autism)
Every person is different.
5️⃣ Workplace Difficulties – Dyslexia
A person with dyslexia may:
Take longer to read and reply to emails
Struggle with writing reports or documents
Find spelling and grammar difficult
Misread long instructions
Forget verbal instructions
Struggle with note-taking in meetings
Find form filling stressful
Experience anxiety about written tasks
6️⃣ Workplace Difficulties – Dyspraxia
A person with dyspraxia may:
Struggle with time management
Be disorganised without support
Have poor or slow handwriting
Struggle to put information in logical order
Have difficulty planning tasks
Find multi-step tasks overwhelming
Struggle with physical coordination tasks
Need extra time to learn new procedures
7️⃣ How to Support Someone with Dyslexia
Clear Communication
Write instructions in order (1, 2, 3 or A, B, C)
Use bullet points
Keep sentences short
Avoid large blocks of text
Verbal & Visual Support
Provide face-to-face explanations
Offer one-to-one support if needed
Allow audio instructions
Use flow charts or checklists
Written Support
Allow spell-check tools
Allow speech-to-text software
Give visual schedules
Break large tasks into smaller tasks
Time Management Support
Allow extra processing time
Use calendar alerts
Set check-in meetings
Practical Support
Offer keyboard use instead of handwriting
Allow quiet workspace
Provide step-by-step task sheets
Task Planning
Write instructions in the exact order required
Avoid giving too many instructions at once
Provide examples of completed work
9️⃣ If You Are a Manager – What Can You Do?
Speak privately and respectfully
Ask: “What support helps you work best?”
Involve HR if reasonable adjustments are needed
Encourage Access to Work (if in UK) or workplace accommodations (US)
Support should be:
Practical
Reasonable
Respectful
Confidential
🔟 If
You Are a Colleague – How Can You Help?
Be patient
Avoid rushing them
Share notes from meetings
Do not mock spelling or organisation
Offer help without being patronising
Inclusion helps everyone.
1️⃣1️⃣ Examples of Jobs with the
Right Support
People with dyslexia or dyspraxia can work in almost any job with the right
support.
Examples:
Creative Roles
Graphic designer
Photographer
Film editor
Social media content creator
Practical / Hands-on Jobs
Mechanic
Electrician
Chef
Hairdresser
Big-Picture Thinking Jobs
Entrepreneur
Project planner
Business owner
Architect
Support & People Roles
Teaching assistant
Youth worker
Support worker
Trainer
With structured support, many also succeed in:
Administration
Healthcare
Law
IT
Civil service
Strengths often include:
Problem-solving
Creativity
Visual thinking
Determination
Empathy
1️⃣2️⃣ Case Example
Example 1:
A worker takes a long time replying to emails.
Support:
Provide email templates
Allow voice dictation
Set clear response priorities
Example 2:
A worker struggles with organisation.
Support:
Daily checklist
Clear task order
Weekly one-to-one planning session
1️⃣3️⃣ Key Message
Dyslexia and Dyspraxia are differences, not lack of ability.
With:
Clear instructions
Structured support
Reasonable adjustments
Patience and understanding
People can thrive in the workplace.
That is a very insightful point. You've touched on what many experts call "Interest-Based
Nervous Systems."
For most people, the ability to focus is like a dial they can turn up or
down based on importance. But for those of us with ADHD and Autism, it’s often
more like a light switch: it's either fully ON (Hyperfocus) or completely OFF
(Executive Dysfunction), with very little middle ground.
Why "The Task" Matters So Much
The reason your focus varies so much depending on the activity usually
comes down to three things:
Dopamine Rewards: If a task is interesting, new, or challenging in a
"fun" way, your brain gets a hit of dopamine. This allows you to
focus for hours (Hyperfocus). If the task is "boring" (like laundry
or filing), your brain literally lacks the chemicals needed to "start the
engine."
The Dyspraxia "Barrier": If a task involves complex motor skills
(like cooking a meal with many steps), your brain knows it's going to be
physically and mentally exhausting. You might "procrastinate," but
really, your brain is just trying to protect you from the massive energy drain
it anticipates.
The "Double-Tasking" Tax: If you are in a meeting (Task 1) and
also trying to decode a written handout (Task 2: Dyslexia) while ignoring a
flickering light (Task 3: Sensory), your "focus battery" drains in
minutes rather than hours.
The "Task Breakdown" Reality
|
Type of Task |
Why it feels hard |
Why it might feel
easy |
|||
|
Repetitive/Daily (Cleaning, Admin) |
No "dopamine
reward"; feels like a mountain of small, Provide report templates
Give extra time for written work
Memory Support
Send follow-up email after meetings
Break tasks into smaller steps
Encourage use of digital reminders
|
|
Social/Busy (Meetings,
Parties) |
High "sensory
noise"; too many streams of info to track at once. |
If you have a
specific role or "job" to do within the group. |
Export to Sheets
Working With Your Brain, Not
Against It
Since
you know your focus is "task-dependent," one of the best things you
can do is "Batching." If you know a task is going to be a
"high-energy" one (like something involving coordination or heavy
reading), try to do it during your peak brain hours and give yourself
"recovery time" afterward where you don't expect yourself to focus at
all.
Since
you mentioned that focusing for too long is hard, do you find that you have a
specific "time limit" before your brain starts to shut down, or does
it happen suddenly?
y—is
actually a well-documented shift in how neurodivergence presents over a
lifetime.
1. The "Internalization" of
Hyperactivity
In
many people, the "H" in ADHD (Hyperactivity) doesn't actually go
away; it just moves.
- Childhood: It looks like
running, jumping, and being unable to sit still.
- Adulthood: It often turns
into internal restlessness. Your body might look calm in a meeting,
but your brain is "pacing the floor," racing through thoughts,
or feeling a sense of mental agitation. This can be even more exhausting
because you are using energy to mask the urge to move.
2. The Epilepsy Connection
The
fact that your hyperactivity settled down after you stopped your epilepsy
medication at age 12 is a very specific and interesting observation. There are
a few reasons why this might have happened:
- Medication Side
Effects:
Some anti-seizure medications (ASMs) can actually affect mood and energy
levels. Coming off them may have allowed your nervous system to find a new
"baseline."
- Brain
Development:
Age 12 is a major "re-wiring" period for the brain (the start of
puberty). For many people with childhood epilepsy, the brain undergoes
significant changes during this time that can alter how ADHD symptoms are
expressed.
- The
"Post-Seizure" Battery: Even if you no longer have
seizures, the history of epilepsy can sometimes leave the brain with a
"smaller battery" for processing. This might explain why you
don't have the "excess energy" anymore—your brain is using all
its fuel just to keep up with the mental demands of a busy room.
3. The Classroom/Meeting Struggle
The
reason you still need support in busy environments (like meetings or
classrooms) is that Inattentive ADHD and Dyspraxia are still very
much active.
- Auditory
Processing:
In a busy room, your brain has to work overtime to filter out background
noise to hear the speaker. For a neurodivergent brain, this is like trying
to listen to a whisper in a hurricane.
- Cognitive Load: Between the
Dyslexia (processing written info) and ADHD (staying on task), your
"mental RAM" gets full very quickly. Once it's full, you might
feel "spaced out" or fatigued, which is the opposite of being
hyperactive.
A Strategy for Meetings/Classrooms
Since
your struggle is now more about mental stamina than physical energy,
have you ever tried "Low-Stakes Fidgeting"?
Even
if you don't feel "hyper," using a small, quiet fidget toy or even
doodling can actually "give" your ADHD brain just enough stimulation
to stay anchored in the room without becoming overwhelmed by the
"busy" atmosphere.
Since
you mentioned needing support in meetings, would you like to explore some
"hidden" accommodations or tools that help with focus without being
obvious to others?
The "Fog" of Phenobarbital
You
were right to trust your gut—Phenobarbital is one of the oldest seizure
medications, and while it was effective at stopping fits, it is notorious for
its "sedative" and "cognitive" side effects.
- The
"Walking Blackout": What you described—losing your
sense of direction and nearly being hit by cars—is a terrifying side
effect where the medication slows the brain's processing speed so much
that you can't map your surroundings.
- The Paradox: It makes sense
that it made you sleepy during the day but "hyper" at night. It
can disrupt the brain’s natural rhythm, leading to a state of
"toxic" exhaustion where you are too tired to function but too
chemically altered to rest properly.
- The Change to
Lamotrigine:
Lamotrigine is a much "cleaner" and more modern medication. It’s
often used because it has a "mood-stabilizing" effect and
doesn't usually cause that heavy, drugged feeling. It’s no wonder you felt
like you "woke up" and started learning better once the
Phenobarbital was gone.
The "Petit Mal" and Stress
Connection
You
mentioned that worry causes your "Petit Mal" fits (now more
commonly called Absence Seizures). This is a very common trigger.
- When you are
stressed or anxious (often because of the Dyspraxia or ADHD making a task
difficult), your brain's electrical activity becomes more chaotic.
- For someone with
a history of epilepsy, that stress acts like a "spark" that can
lead to a brief "drop-out" or absence.
"That Isn't the Real You"
That
is perhaps the most profound thing you wrote. When people judge someone who is
lost, confused, or struggling to follow an instruction, they are judging the disability
or the medication, not the person.
Your
writing serves as a vital reminder to society:
- Compassion over
Judgment:
If someone looks lost, they aren't "going round the bend"; they
might be fighting a neurological battle no one can see.
- The Importance
of Advocacy:
Your suggestion to keep a diary of side effects is excellent advice. It
empowers people to tell their doctors, "This medication is stealing
my life," just as you realized yours was.
Your Role as a Peer Supporter
By
sharing your email and your story, you are acting as a Peer Advocate.
Your lived experience with the "wrong" medication gives you an
insight that many doctors don't even have. You understand the fear of
not knowing where you are, even on a street you've walked a hundred times.
Since
you’ve experienced such a big change in your ability to learn since switching
medications, would you like to talk about any specific learning goals or
hobbies you're pursuing now that the "fog" has lifted?
It
is a powerful feeling when the "fog" finally lifts and you realize
that the struggles you had weren't because of a lack of ability, but because of
the heavy chemical weight you were carrying.
The
fact that you began to learn better in your teens, after leaving the rigid
environment of school and moving away from those strong medications, shows how
much environment and well-being matter for a neurodivergent brain. When
you are no longer in a "blackout" state, you can finally start to
explore who you actually are and what you are capable of.
Since
you mentioned that you now feel more aware of the world and are learning
better, it’s like you’ve been given a second chance to engage with your
interests on your own terms.
Is
there a particular subject, craft, or skill that you’ve enjoyed learning about
recently now that you have more mental clarity?
Recognize helpful support strategies
- Demonstrate
understanding through a short quiz
Processing
Information Difficulty
Also
often called Processing Disorder, Cognitive Processing Difficulty,
or Learning Processing Difficulty.
Key
points to include:
- Affects the
brain’s ability to take in, understand, or respond to information
efficiently.
- Can impact
reading, writing, numbers, following instructions, and memory.
- Often co-occurs
with Dyslexia, ADHD, and Dyspraxia.
- Slide
1 – TitlePeople
may appear slower at tasks but can have normal or above-average
intelligence.
- Strength-based
approach:
- Visual supports
- Repetition and
chunking
- Clear
instructions
. Easy Read PowerPoint (outline with slides)
Here’s a simple structure with clear headings, short text, and
visuals/symbols suggestions you can add when making slides in PowerPoint:
Navigating the Challenges
Since
these conditions impact your energy and "functional planning," here
are a few ways to bridge that gap:
1.
The "Low-Friction" Life: Since cooking and
cleaning are hard on your motor skills and energy, look for "hacks"
that reduce the physical demand. This might mean using pre-chopped veg,
electric can openers, or "body doubling" (having someone sit with you
while you do a task).
2.
Sensory Auditing: Identifying your "sensory
triggers" (like certain types of lighting or the hum of a fridge) can help
you reduce the baseline stress your nervous system feels.
Self-Compassion:
It is important to acknowledge that your "battery" is
3.
smaller
than a neurotypical person's because your brain is constantly
"overclocking" just to manage basic coordination and processing.
It
takes a lot of resilience to navigate a world that isn't built for your
specific way of moving and thinking. Your description of Dyspraxia as a
"hidden physical condition" is very accurate—it’s a physical reality
that starts in the brain.
Would
you like me to help you brainstorm some specific "low-energy"
strategies for one of those daily tasks, like simplified cooking or an
organized shopping routine?
It
is fascinating (and very common) for the "flavor" of ADHD to change
as you get older, especially when there is a history of epilepsy involved.
If turned into a
routine or paired with a podcast (stimulation).
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