Mmm, all very good, but what steps are being taken to get this advice in 
front of all the EP's and others writing these reports?
I would suggest sending every EP a copy with a covering letter on DfES headed 
notepaper might get their attention.
Mick Trott
In a message dated 14/11/05 09:56:04 GMT Standard Time, [log in to unmask] 
writes:

<< An important recommendation of the SpLD Working party is that the front
 cover of the report should state if the student has a specific learning
 difficulty or not. This is because Awards Officers are not in anyway
 qualified to make a judgment as to whether the report confirms an SpLD
 or not.  The DfES Guidance on DSA / dyslexia is clear and detailed, but
 still uses jargon ("Evidence of cognitive disabilities or neurological
 anomalies...) that council admin officers are not familiar with. What
 they need to know is does this student have a SpLd, for which DSA
 support applies or perhaps they are just not very bright, for which it
 does not.  
 
 Bryan Jones,
 Manager, Disability Support Services
 & North London Regional Access Centre,
 Middlesex University 
 Tel: 020 8411 5366
  
 
 -----Original Message-----
 From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff.
 [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jeff Hughes
 Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2005 6:33 PM
 To: [log in to unmask]
 Subject: Re: Sat nav through DSA
 
 
 I am not entirely happy with the new suggested format but it should help
 especially if some (historic) confusions are removed AND if the EPs in
 the working party had been more confident of their clinical skills.
 (There si great danger in permitting medics, especially psychiatrists,
 to gain complete control of the diagnostic process for some conditions.
 In other countries psychologists can prescribe under some
 circumstances!!!)
 
 Jeff
 
 In your message regarding Re: Sat nav through DSA dated Sat, 12 Nov 2005
 03:59:52 EST, Michael Trott said that ...
 
 > Jeff,
 > You are rare among EP's in being closely involved in the DSA from 
 > various perspectives and in your engagement in this forum and NADO. I 
 > do not believe your fellow EPs are as aware of the DSA as yourself. 
 > Neither do I believev that they are aware of the way in which this 
 > relatively new audience for their reports - LEA awards officers and 
 > assessors - would find it helpful to have information presented. You 
 > say SKILL have covered this but how many EPs are aware of
 > SKILL itself.
 > If the SKILL Guidance covers the requirements then we need to get that
 in
 > front of your fellow EPs.
 
 > Mick Trott
 
 
 > In a message dated 11/11/05 22:00:25 GMT Standard Time, [log in to unmask]
 
 > writes:
 
 > << Mick
 >
 >  To answer your comments on both forums ...
 >
 >
 >  The issue with the LEA that is refusing is that THEY do not 
 > understand the  needs of students AND seem not to have read the 
 > guidance available to them.  It is clearly nonsense to presume that 
 > dyslexia is the only diagnosable  condition of any relevance.
 >
 >  Also, I would suggest that the misuse of EP reports is as likely to 
 > be  because of a lack of understanding about current diagnostic 
 > thinking in the  administrators as because the EPs are misinformed 
 > about HE provision.
 >
 >  We already have almost clear guidance in the form of the working 
 > party  report and the SKILL Handbook. (Neither of which is entirely 
 > consistent  with itself but both of which point to a widening of 
 > thinking about the  Specific Difficulties that so frequently are 
 > assumed to equate directly to  dyslexia and are not always described 
 > with sufficient specificity.
 >
 >  jeff
 >
 >
 >
 >  In your message regarding Re: Sat nav through DSA dated Fri, 11 Nov 
 > 2005  15:25:49 EST, Michael Trott said that ...
 >
 >  > Often the EP report lacks the supporting information one requires 
 > for  > anything 'outside the normal provision'.  > I had a similar 
 > request for Sat Nav from a social work student but could find
 >  > no reference to any sort of spacial problem in the EP report.
 >
 >  > I had a chat with an Ed Psych today who does lots of reports for 
 > students and  > he was completely unaware of how his reports were 
 > used. Like many other Ed  > Psychs he was writing his reports as if 
 > they were for school aged students.
 >  > Recommending laptops and teaching strategies that just are not
 going to be
 >  > provided in HE.
 >
 >  > There is a discussion going on on the NADO list of which some of us
 
 > may be  > aware abiout an LEA who will not agree to a DSA award 
 > because the report does  > not say say the student has dyslexia but 
 > describes other difficulties.
 >
 >  > It would be really useful if a guide could be prepared for Ed 
 > Pyschs  > conducting reports for DSA applicants. I am sure that most 
 > EPs would be only  > too happy
 >  > to revise their presentation.
 >
 >  > Mick Trott >>
 
 
 
 
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