The research referred to in the BBC radio programme was carried out
by Dr Beverley Steffert, Birkbeck College. She delivered a paper on
this at the Dyslexia in Higher Education Conference at Dartington in
November ('96). Her research could have implications for the
suitability of assessment methods and for diagnosis of dyslexia in
HE. The dyslexic symptoms of these students varied from high to low,
but they all achieved average or above average reading and spelling
scores. Therefore they would not have been considered as having
learning difficulties at school and would not have received
assessment. Beverley's hypothesis is that among some dyslexics
problems do not manifest themselves at the level of word recognition,
but at a higher level where the structural complexities of academic
writing place heavy demands on their working memory. This is not the
sort of skill which can be tested by the commonly used forms of
assessment.
Kate Dresser
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