in collaboration with the Study Advice and Student Counselling Service
There are different types of disabilities: a physical disability, a chronic illness, a psychological problem, a learning disability (dyslexia, dyscalculia), a concentration disorder (ADHD, ADD), or an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These tips will focus on learning disabilities, on ASD, and on ADHD. Every year, a significant number of students with disabilities apply for special arrangements. In recent years, the number of applications has even tripled. In the 2013–2014 academic year, there were approximately 240 students at the University of Antwerp with a learning disability, 70 students with ASD, and 40 students with ADHD.
Lecturers often have questions about how to take these students’ needs into account. It’s not easy to offer extra support to these students without it affecting the final competences of the study programme. In this tip, we will address specific frequently asked questions when supervising and assessing students with learning disabilities, ASD, or a concentration disorder.
Where does the student’s own responsibility lie?
Students with disabilities can request special arrangements. Examples of such arrangements are: being allowed to use other students’ notes, being given extra exam time, taking an exam in the font of their choice, being first or last in line for an exam, or taking an exam on a computer with compensatory software. Students are expected to apply for these special arrangements themselves by providing a medical certificate. It is up to the student to decide whether or not to make their condition known. It sometimes happens that students don’t want to be noticed or treated differently, and therefore choose not to mention their disability to their fellow students and/or lecturers.
Which aspects should I take into account when setting papers for students with dyslexia?
Students with dyslexia often have great difficulty writing papers. They need much more time to prepare them than other students. Reading is slower, and writing is also more difficult. Providing extra time can be helpful. Students with dyslexia can also use compensatory software (e.g. text-to-speech software, such as Sprint or Kurzweil), but this is not a miracle solution. For example, incorrect sentence structures are not remedied. Therefore, when assessing a paper, it may be useful to distinguish between the language used and the content. The use of a list of weighted criteria can prevent students with dyslexia from being judged too harshly on spelling errors.
Which tools can help students with dyscalculia take exams?
These students often have difficulty with procedures (including non-mathematical procedures) and numbers (including years, etc.). Extra time can help them think more calmly. Going over their answers orally afterwards, where they can clarify their reasoning, can also help to better assess students with dyscalculia. The final competences of a subject must also be considered. If arithmetical operations are not part of the final competences, a simple calculator can help, so they don’t give a wrong answer because of a calculating error. A limited formula sheet can also help students with dyscalculia to find solutions to set problems themselves. In any case, it would be a great help for students with dyscalculia if there was more focus on how the solution was arrived at, and not just on the final solution. This would prevent these students from being judged too harshly on counting errors, mistakes in copying numbers, and so on.
How can I support a student with autism in group work?
Many students with autism find it difficult to cope with group work. It’s not always easy for them to communicate fluently with their peers and get their ideas across. Usually, students with autism don’t inform their fellow students about their diagnosis, so their classmates aren’t aware of their struggles. It can be of great help to students with autism for the lecturer to monitor the group work closely (e.g. by deciding which students to put together, or by providing interim feedback to assess the state of affairs) and for the lecturer to take the initiative to check on the student with autism to see how the group work is going. When working with peer assessment, it’s important to include interim peer assessment. As is the case for all students, these interim moments are important to get feedback so that they can make adjustments. Perhaps the most decisive factor is the lecturer’s general attitude. If students feel welcome to approach the lecturer, even when they are confused or frustrated, they are much more likely to report any problems.
Do students with ADHD get more leeway than other students?
Studying and ADHD don’t seem to go well together. Students with ADHD do all sorts of things that lecturers don’t like: showing up late to class, handing in assignments late, or telling incoherent stories during oral exams. A student with ADHD can be very motivated and very intelligent, and still have a lot of trouble with appointments and deadlines. While it is certainly not the intention to bend rules or deadlines for these students, it’s important to realise that they have a disorder that severely disrupts certain functions (such as attention, concentration, planning and organising). Students usually don’t ask for adjustments; all they ask for is understanding and extra support. If an assignment was handed in too late, it may be useful to discuss with the student how this happened and how this can be remedied for the next assignment. An interim feedback moment or additional clarification of the assignment can be very useful, or you can refer them to the Study Advice and Student Counselling Services. What these students do not need is a lecture. They are looking for real solutions.
Want to know more?
Lecturers of the University of Antwerp can address further questions to: stip@uantwerpen.be More information from UAntwerp about the procedure and possible aids for studying with a disability.
The Study Advice and Student Counselling Services has also issued several brochures with practical tips for both students and lecturers:
- Baets, R., Roels, N., & Vloeberghs, I. (2013). Verder studeren met dyslexie. Universiteit Antwerpen.
- Vloeberghs, I. (2011). Focus op faalangst: Faalangst begrijpen en aanpakken. Universiteit Antwerpen.
- Vloeberghs, I., & De Pau, R. (2014). Verder studeren met autisme: Praktische handvaten voor studenten, docenten en begeleiders in het hoger onderwijs. Universiteit Antwerpen.
See also this ECHO Tip from 2014 on supporting students with disabilities (in Dutch).