How does dyslexia impact on the educational experiences of healthcare students? A qualitative study

Abstract

Learning disabilities (LDs) is a generic term and comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders which manifest with an impairment of intellectual or social functioning and affects the way an individual learns new things in any area of their life. 1,2 Specific LDs include conditions such as dyslexia, development coordination disorder (DCD), dyscalculia, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 3,4 Dyslexia constitutes the most common form of LD and affects up to 10% of the population globally. 5 Dyslexia is associated with difficulties in word-level decoding, and affected individuals find it hard to recognise printed words, have great difficulties "sounding out" unfamiliar words and often also read slowly. 6 An estimated 6% of students enrolled in higher education (HE) in England have a formal diagnosis of specific LDs, and the numbers appear to be on the rise. 7 Figures from medical schoolsshow that approximately 2% medical students disclose dyslexia. 8 Importantly, a significant number of students in HE may not have a Abstract Aims: To explore the impact of dyslexia on the educational experiences of undergraduate students in medicine, dentistry, dental therapy and biomedical sciences. Methods:It was a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews. The study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at a University in the South West region of the United Kingdom. Purposive sampling was used, and the participants included undergraduate students from the schools of medicine, dentistry and biomedical sciences. Results:The sample consisted of fifteen undergraduate students including five from medicine; four from dentistry; three from dental therapy; and three from biomedical sciences. All students had a formal diagnosis of Dyslexia. The students shared their views and experiences regarding disclosure, transition into the university, learning environments, assessments and challenges after graduation.Conclusions: This is the first study to explore the impact of dyslexia on the educational experiences of healthcare students from multiple programmes in a variety of educational settings. The findings show that the students were confident regarding disclosure of their dyslexia and had a formal diagnosis of dyslexia established during their school years. Although the participants experienced typical academic difficulties associated with dyslexia, problem-based learning (PBL) was perceived to be enjoyable and less stressful than traditional lectures and no specific challenges were reported in acquisition of clinical, communication and team-working skills.previous diagnosis of dyslexia, and they are often investigated when students tend to struggle in medical schools. 9Legislation in the UK protects disabled students from being treated "less favorably" and LDs should not be considered a barrier as doing so may obscure talent that may be mutually beneficial to both HE and the individuals. 11 However, the representation of students with disabilities remains low in ...

Barriers and Facilitators in the Transition From Higher Education to Employment for Students With Disabilities: A Rapid Systematic Review

“…Negative attitudes in nursing were also reported by Shpigelman et al (2016), who found that nursing students held negative attitudes toward colleagues with disabilities, as well as toward people with disabilities in general. Despite the findings of negative attitudes, however, Ali et al (2020) reported some positive placement experiences and found that students with disabilities had no difficulties in communicating with patients or learning practical clinical skills. However, students reported difficulties with writing up clinical notes.…”

“…The most frequently reported barrier among students and graduates was their concern over disclosing a disability (Stein, 2012;Atkinson and Hutchinson, 2013;Walker et al, 2013;Luckowski, 2014;Cunnah, 2015;Easterbrook et al, 2015;Nolan et al, 2015;Clouder et al, 2016;Nolan and Gleeson, 2017;Vlachou and Papananou, 2018;Ali et al, 2020;Grimes et al, 2020;Saltes, 2020;Vincent, 2020;Odame et al, 2021;Shpigelman et al, 2021;Sullivan, 2021). These concerns stemmed mainly from the fear that disclosure would result in stigma from peers, faculty staff, placement educators, and/or employers.…”

“…In some instances, disclosing a disability acted as a facilitator in receiving adequate support. Students and graduates who had positive experiences of disclosing their disability felt that the process opened doors to accessing support services and enabled them to receive help that they would not have received otherwise (Ashcroft and Lutfiyya, 2013;Cunnah, 2015;Ali et al, 2020). Foundation doctors in Walker et al (2021) expressed positive experiences of disclosing their disability, stating that it helped colleagues become more accepting through understanding their differences.…”

“…Disability support services were helpful in some instances, and students felt that accessing these services early-on in their higher education provided benefits with receiving support (Stumbo et al, 2011;Georgiou et al, 2012;Stein, 2012;Bettencourt et al, 2018;Vlachou and Papananou, 2018;Ali et al, 2020;Vincent, 2020;Pesonen et al, 2021;Shpigelman et al, 2021). Students with autism in one study found it particularly beneficial when career services and disability support services collaborated in providing autism-specific pre-employment provision (Vincent, 2020).…”

Relationship between dyslexia awareness and stigma among nursing students in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

“…Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects up to 10% of the global population (Ali et al, 2020 ). It is sometimes misdiagnosed as a visual-perceptual disorder, although it is a language-based reading impairment.…”