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Screening gives deaf children a better start
Nearly 9,000 children with hearing impairment have better chances of success at school and their parents are better prepared to support them, thanks to the NHS hearing screening programme.
16 May, 2012 marks the five millionth baby in England to be screened by the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) since the programme began in 2001. The programme detects hearing problems in the first days of a baby's life.
Delays in identifying a hearing impairment have a huge impact on a child's communication and language development, which in turn can adversely affect their social interaction and educational development, with consequent longer-term risk to mental health and quality of life. But long-term UK and international research has shown that identifying deafness in babies and providing the right support means these children develop communication skills at the same rate as their hearing peers.
95% of babies identified by the screening programme now have full diagnostic tests to identify their individual needs by the time they are five weeks old. High quality early support is vital especially since around 90% of deaf babies are born into families with no experience of deafness.
Dyslexia groups’ concern about exam changes
Posted 17 February 2012
Planned changes in the exam marking system may affect dyslexic students. 5% of marks in GCSE will be awarded for spelling, punctuation and grammar, as part of a drive to improve communication skills, the Department for Education has announced. The plans have met with concern from some dyslexia organisations and experts, who fear that the new system will penalize hundreds of thousands of students with genuine reading difficulties.
The DfE explained the decision in a white paper in 2010 which stated: ‘When young people compete for jobs and enter the workplace, they will be expected to communicate precisely and effectively so we think that changes in the last decade to remove the separate assessment of spelling, punctuation and grammar from GCSE mark schemes were a mistake.’
Dyslexia groups are already uneasy about the number of adequately trained teaching staff available to give dyslexic students the support they need.
Visual impairment predicted to rise
Posted 17 February 2012
Recent research estimates the number of people affected by advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is set to increase dramatically. The study carried out by the University of London estimates that the current UK prevalence of late stage AMD is 2.4% of the adult population (513,000 cases) and that the figure will rise by one-third over the next ten years, reaching nearly 700,000 by 2020. The study was funded by the Macular Diseases Society. A spokesperson for the society reportedly called on the government to give AMD a higher priority. The study was generally covered accurately in the papers, however the Daily Express chose a headline predicting a ‘blindness epidemic’.
New font could help dyslexic readers
Posted 17 February 2012
A new version of a font developed specifically for dyslexics is now available for Mac and Windows, and is soon to be compatible with iPads, too.
People with dyslexia can often transpose or rotate letters and have difficulty differentiating letters that look similar, such as i and j. They may even see the letters moving, or in three dimensions, as they try to read them.
The Dutch graphic designer and dyslexic, Christian Boer, designed the new font (Dyslexie) to make letters more distinct from each other and to minimise the risk that the reader transposing them. The letters also have wide spacing between them, improving the readability.
Boer introduced an English language version of the font late last year. More information can be found on Boer’s website.
Autism and motor skills linked
Posted 17 February 2012
Children on the autistic spectrum often also have difficulties with their motor skills. They may also find it challenging throwing a ball, using scissors or learning to write. However, until now, it has not been known whether the difficulties are linked to the autism. New research from the Washington University School of Medicine suggest a clear connection. The authors say that the data substantiates the role of genetics in autism: ‘This is further evidence that autism spectrum disorder is a largely genetic disorder.’
Dyslexia Awareness Week 2011
Posted 31 October 2011
Dyslexia is far more common than most people assume, affecting as many as one in eight people. However, if identified early, most dyslexic people quickly learn to cope well and need be at no real disadvantage in life.
Dyslexia Awareness Week (DAW) is Monday 31 October - Sunday 6 November. It is a nationwide week aimed at raising awareness about dyslexia and literacy issues throughout the UK. So what is going on during National DAW 2011?
For starters, the British Dyslexia Association have been holding competitions around art, writing and invention in the lead-up to the week itself and will be announcing the winners on 1 November. www.bdadyslexia.org.uk.
Early identification is key in securing the support needed. So local Dyslexia Action Centres are hosting activities ranging from open days to £20 literacy test appointments. Find out more at www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk.
There are plenty of useful resources online, to use during the week. The Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre website features an A-Z of famous dyslexics, from Muhammed Ali and Richard Branson to WB Yeats and Benjamin Zephaniah. See www.arkellcentre.org.uk/
Harassment is 'commonplace experience'
Posted 31 October 2011
A report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission has outlined some of the ways in which disabled people are subject to bullying and harrassment.
'Hidden in plain sight' is the final report of an inquiry into disability-related harassment. The report uncovers that harassment is a commonplace experience for disabled people, but a culture of disbelief and systemic institutional failures are preventing it from being tackled effectively. As well as reporting on the extent of harassment the report also includes case studies and makes recommendations to public authorities to help them deal with the problems uncovered.
The report comes following a lengthy inquiry by the Commission, launched on 3 December 2009, International Day of Disabled People. The aim was to look into the actions of public authorities to eliminate disability-related harassment and its causes.
'Hidden in plain sight' was launched on 12 September 2011 and is available in various formats.
Mencap campaign gains momentum
Posted 31 October 2011
Earlier this year, Mencap announced the launch of 'Stand by me' - a three-year campaign aimed at tackling disability hate crime - in light of the fact that the police's current plans to tackle disability hate crime are failing, leaving vulnerable people at risk of violence, harassment and abuse.
An associated Ipsos MORI poll confirmed that the public share the charity's anxiety about the growing rates of disability hate crime. 48% said that they believe disabled people are more likely to be targets of abusive comments or aggressive behaviour compared to other people.
Mark Goldring, Mencap's chief executive, said: 'The tragic deaths of Fiona Pilkington and Francceca Hardwick in 2007 and David Askew in 2010 are just two examples of where low-level harassment ignored by police was allowed to escalate into sustained abuse with fatal consequences. It is estimated that as many as 9 out of 10 people with a learning disability are verbally harassed or exposed to violence due to their disability.'
Find out more and support the campaign
Henry Winkler receives honourary OBE for dyslexia work
Posted 31 October 2011
US Actor Henry Winkler has been awarded an OBE for his work on dyslexia awareness in the UK.
The star of 'Happy Days' has travelled the UK visiting schools to talk about the learning condition and share his own experience. Winkler was diagnosed with dyslexia in adulthood. His series of children's books describe the adventures of Hank Zipzer, a boy dyslexic who Winkler calls the 'World's Greatest Underachiever'.
Receiving his award at the British Embassy in Washington, he said: 'Receiving this honour is a very humbling experience. My goal when I started working with children was never to bring accolades on myself but to change how people think about those around them for whom learning is a struggle.'
Autism charity calls for better education opportunties for young people
Posted 24 October 2011
Ambitious about Autism has launched a new campaign to secure more and better education options for young people when they finish at school.
The charity wants young people, families, college leaders, local authorities and politicians to pledge support and join the campaign. It has warned that unless young disabled people have a legal right to educational support up to the age of 25, many will be unable to gain the skills needed for their future and will become a subsequent financial burden to adult social services.
Ambitious about Autism is the national charity for children and young people with autism. The organisation provides services, raises awareness and influences policy.
Its online survey revealed a significant gap in further education provision for young people with autism. Parents told the researchers that it is not generally their choice to keep young people with autism at home instead of in formal learning, describing a lack of alternative options. Young people with autism have described their desire to learn the skills to help them achieve independence later in life.
Find out more and pledge your support
World Sight Day
Posted 13 October 2011
Today (Thursday 13 October 2011) is World Sight Day, which takes place annually on the second Thursday of every October, to focus global attention on blindness, visual impairment and the rehabilitation of the visually impaired. Booktrust wants every child to experience the joy of stories, books and reading. That's why over the last few years we have worked in partnership with RNIB, the National Blind Children's Society, health professionals and children's book experts to develop resources for children with sight impairments which are delivered through our free book packs, Bookstart, Booktime and Booked Up.
Read more about World Sight Day
Inclusive book winners 2011
Posted 30 May 2011
The Inclusive Children’s Book Award is the only UK award dedicated to highlighting mainstream children’s books which include positive images of disability. Administered by nasen, the inclusive book award is one of a range of nasen awards relating to special educational needs and disability.
The inclusive book award prides itself on involving children themselves in the judging process, and this year’s panel received invaluable input from Treloar College in Hampshire and Earl’s High School in the West Midlands.
The winner of the 2011 Awards were announced in Bolton on 24 May.
The 2011 Inclusive Children’s Book Award winner was:
The Pasta Detectives by Andreas Steinhöfel (published by Chicken House)
The other shortlisted titles were:
Just Because by Rebecca Elliott (Lion Hudson)
The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books)
Desperate Measures by Laura Summers (Piccadilly Press)
2011 Judges: Jackie Epps, Alexandra Strick and Ros Bartlett
Find out more about the nasen awards
Benjamin Zephaniah on dyslexia
Posted 20 May 2011
Benjamin Zephaniah recently called on parents, teachers and pupils to be more 'collaborative' to stop children slipping through the net - and revealed he was failed by a teacher who dismissed his dyslexia. In an article in the Evening Standard, Zephaniah admits to even having signed his rights away on a record contract which he couldn’t read.
New project to discuss disability
Posted 20 April 2011
A PhD student at Birkbeck, University of London, whose research explores the representation of physical disability in twentieth century children's literature, has set up a project to promote discussion about the representation of physical disability in contemporary Western culture. The project will look at how the physically disabled body is represented in literature, culture and society.
Harriet Cooper, the project organiser, said: 'As a PhD student working in this area, I feel that there are still many anxieties, myths and fears about physical disability circulating in society. The discussion group will consider how cultural and literary representations of the physically disabled body can dispel these myths, but equally can sometimes perpetuate them.'
The project will facilitate both virtual and face-to-face events and spaces for anyone interested in this topic to talk openly. A discussion group on 'The Physically Disabled Body in the Arts: Visual Culture, Sound and the Performing Arts' will take place in University College London’s South Wing Council Room on Wednesday 8 June at 6:30pm, and will be followed by another discussion group on Wednesday 22 June 6:30pm, to look at 'The Physically Disabled Body and the Written Word: Literary Representations'.
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