Useful tools
Evidence-based tools and resources have been developed by some of the research teams involved in SLDN and are available for teachers and related practitioners to use or to consult for guidance. We have included some examples here that you may find useful, and you can find out more via the links to the relevant sites.
AddUp Toolkit
A toolkit designed to help teachers and parents to identify dyscalculia.
This toolkit provides information on how to get support for children with dyscalculia. It is designed to raise awareness of dyscalculia and mathematical learning difficulties.
MetaSENse
Raising educational outcomes for students with SEN and disabilities (MetaSENse) was funded by the Nuffield Foundation do undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of interventions to improve educational abilities for children with different special educational needs and disabilities to understand what works best for which children and in which settings.
ToolsforSchools/IN-Hub
ToolsForSchools and IN-hub are engagement projects run by the University of Exeter to improve provision for school-staff and increase inclusion for neurodivergent people in schools. IN-hub is a database of resources developed to help school-staff support neurodivergent people.
EPICThinkLearn
EPIC ThinkLearn supports neurodivergent children to better understand who they are and how their brain works. It encourages parents, teachers and clinicians to see things from the child’s perspective and to pick resources from its toolkit to match their child’s goals.
PAASS Access Arrangements
This project investigated the efficacy of exam access arrangements for students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD). Findings are of interest to practitioners, academics, families of students with SpLD, examination boards, policy makers, and academics specialising in related disorder groups. To disseminate the research as wide as possible a variety of outputs will be produced.
SEND: Developing Quality Inclusive Practice is a suite of online courses provides the knowledge and skills to improve provision in schools for pupils with SEND. The 16 units can be taken at any time and in any order making it possible to curate your own CPD pathway, learning at your own pace and focusing on your key areas of interest. The course is run by the Centre for Inclusive Education (CIE) at IOE, UCL’s faculty of education and society, and is aimed at aspiring special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs), early career teachers, learning support assistants and teaching assistants.
Relevant organisations
There are many organisations that focus on supporting specific learning differences, providing resources for individuals or researching this important area. Some are included below but SLDN is not directly associated with these organisations so is not responsible for content on these websites.
Resources
In the Media
Why schools need to look beyond dyslexia
17 May 2023
It’s important to continue to raise awareness about dyslexia, but lesser-known literacy and language difficulties also deserve our attention, says Maggie Snowling.
DSA and genetics: discovering the latest scientific results
13 February 2023
Dr Silvia Paracchini discusses the genetics of dyslexia with the Italian Dyslexia Association in a live streamed event.
Host of genes and genetic variants linked to dyslexia identified
20 October 2022
Research sheds light on hereditary aspect of disorder in largest such study to date. A host of genetic variants associated with dyslexia have been identified by researchers, shedding light on the hereditary aspect of the disorder.
Genomic research that can help explain personality traits and behaviour raises ethical questions
12 April 2022
Increasingly cheap and powerful technology means genomic data can be generated at scale, allowing the investigation of the genetic basis for all sorts of traits, including our behaviour and personality.
The Genetics of Dyslexia | Specific Learning Disorders, Scotland
13 Jan 2022
In this episode of Dyslexia News Darren chats to Dr Silvia Paracchini & Dr Michelle Luciano following on from their project ‘Specific Learning Disorders in Scotland’ receiving a £10,000 funding boost from the Royal Society of Edinburgh. We delve into the genetics behind dyslexia and the different ways that the learning difference effects people including the impact interests and personality traits have on dyslexia.
Publications
Discovery of 42 genome-wide significant loci associated with dyslexia
Reading and writing are crucial life skills but roughly one in ten children are affected by dyslexia, which can persist into adulthood. Family studies of dyslexia suggest heritability up to 70%, yet few convincing genetic markers have been found.
Nature v Nurture
The question of whether it is genes or environment that largely shapes human behaviour has been debated for centuries. During the second half of the 20th century, there were two camps of scientists – each believing that nature or nurture, respectively, was exclusively at play.