‘Many of the students were unaware of what Dyslexia actually is or described it as a disability rather than a difficulty when asked. They now understand that Dyslexia is a learning difficultly and very importantly does not impact their intelligence. This has helped to boost their self esteem with regards to their diagnosis. To further the development of their self esteem we talked about many famous/successful people who also have or had dyslexia such as Albert Einstein. All of the students then acknowledged that despite their Dyslexia they are still able to achieve their goals. This ideology was at the centre of the sessions. As the sessions were predominantly group based , this highlighted to the students that there are others who also have Dyslexia and encouraged a sense of belonging. The students are now also aware of strategies they can use to support their learning and ways in which teachers can help. Their overview sheets have been updated to include strategies the students think will support their learning. This has increased our ability to provide tailored, individualised support.
