Wellbeing Services in Devon

Specific learning differences

The AccessAbility team provides advice and support for students with specific learning differences including Dyslexia, Dyspraxia/Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD), Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia. 

Students with specific learning differences may benefit from 1:1 study skills support from a specialist tutor, access to assistive technology, and specific arrangements for exams and teaching. 

ADHD assessments describe ADHD as either an educational or medical condition. We support students with both types of assessment, as well as those on waiting lists to be assessed. Please talk to our team if you have questions before or after getting a diagnosis. 

Get support for your specific learning difference

To agree support for your specific learning difference, please complete our initial form, then select Disability Support. Choose the 'Setting up an ILP' option to continue with your request. Following review by an advisor, an ILP will be set up and stored on the Student Record System. Please note that you do not need to have a diagnosis to get support in place. 

When requesting an ILP, AccessAbility invites you to share some supporting evidence of your diagnosis. This might be a diagnostic assessment report from an educational psychologist or a suitably qualified specialist teacher. 

Tests conducted for JCQ access arrangements in schools are not usually sufficient evidence to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), but can be provided to begin the ILP process, as can confirmation from your school/college of your previous adjustments. For reference, here is an example of what the first page of a JCQ/Form 8 may look like.

For diagnoses of ADHD and dyspraxia/DCD, a report of an assessment by a qualified medical professional, an educational psychologist, a speech and language therapist or occupational therapist may be suitable. If you are already on a waiting list for an ADHD assessment, a letter or email from a general practitioner or diagnostic service stating you have been referred for assessment will help us to set up an ILP for you.

If you are not on the referral list/have not spoken with your GP yet, please still contact us for a discussion and support. 

If you are unsure, or have questions about your supporting evidence, please attach any documentation you have to your ILP request form, or email it to accessability@exeter.ac.uk. We will let you know if we need any more evidence and will guide you on options for obtaining this. 

You may have been fully assessed and diagnosed prior to studying here, and you should not need a new assessment if this is the case. However, some people with an undiagnosed SpLD will find that their difficulties become more noticeable when studying at university level. In this case, you may benefit from an assessment.  

An assessment which results in a diagnosis will enable you to further access our support and may also allow eligible students to access funding from the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). 

AccessAbility does not provide assessment for specific learning differences, but we can advise you how to get a full diagnostic assessment. Contact AccessAbility to discuss your difficulties or for help with screening/assessment. We can also offer advice on beginning the ADHD assessment process with your GP. 

If you have been advised to have a full diagnostic assessment, or you need an updated report, please see our SpLD Assessment info sheet for details of qualified practitioners, locally and  nationwide. 

An SpLD assessment may cost more than £350. However, if paying for an assessment might cause you financial difficulty, there may be additional funding available. You can read more about financial help available to students here. The Students’ Guild can help you apply for the Success for All fund – submit an enquiry on the Students’ Guild Advice website to find out about this support. 

If you have been advised to have a full diagnostic assessment, or you need an updated report, please see our SpLD assessment information sheet for details of qualified practitioners locally, and nationwide. 

If you are seeking a diagnosis for ADHD or autism, you should contact your GP to discuss your concerns and any onward referrals. NHS Choices has some useful information and guidance on their website on Autism and ADHD, including advice on how to access assessment. 

SpLD Screening:

If you need firm evidence of a Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) for a DSA application, for example, or for adjustments to professional exams (Degree Apprentices), you should consider having a full diagnostic assessment.

However, there are screening tools or checklists available online that you may wish to access. These would not give you a full diagnosis, but you may prefer to complete one first in order to explore, for example, having an ILP created, or before you commit to a full assessment. 

Examples of screening tools are below. These are not endorsed or recommended by the University of Exeter. If you are an enrolled student, there may be additional funding available to help with the costs. 

ADHD 

If you think you may have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, please contact your GP for a referral. You may wish to use an online screener to support your conversation with your doctor. 

If you have a diagnosis of a specific learning difference such as dyslexia, your Individual Learning Plan (ILP) may require your department to apply marking guidelines when marking your work. This means that the person marking your work will take into account areas of weakness caused by your specific learning difference, and not penalise you unduly. 
  
Read more about Considerate Marking Guidelines. 

The Library Study Skills team offer one-on-one online or in-person sessions on a number of study related areas such as time management, revision and academic writing. They can discuss your approach to specific pieces of coursework with you. 

Find out more about what the Library Study Skills team can offer on their homepage. 

Most UK students with a diagnosed specific learning difference will be eligible to apply for Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA). DSA can fund such support as specialist equipment, one-on-one sessions with a specialist study skills tutor, or support with other costs you may have to pay due to the impact of your disability. 

For more information about DSA, Disability Rights UK have a helpful guide 

Have a question? Get in touch with us via our contact us page  and we will be happy to help. 

Dyspraxia:

Dyslexia:

ADHD:

Dyscalculia:

General:

Examples of free, open source software:

Please ensure you are happy to download these to your personal computer before doing so. 

Reading, Writing and Transcription

  • Google Docs (web, iOS, chrome & android extension). Create basic documents, spreadsheets and presentations
  • Immersive reader (within Microsoft office). Hear text read out loud, apply a reading ruler and change the background colour
  • Natural Reader  (web and chrome extension) Highlight text or drag and drop files, including pdfs, to hear them read aloud
  • Read Aloud- Can read PDF, Google Docs, Google Play books, Amazon Kindle, and EPUB  
  • Otter.ai (web, iOS, chrome & android extension).  Records and transcribes speech
  • Dictation (within Microsoft Office). Dictate into Word, PowerPoint and Outlook
  • Grammarly (web, iOS, chrome & android extension). Check spelling, grammar and punctuation - please check with your department about usage rules. 

Planning and referencing 

  • Trello (web application). Create boards with tasks and link research, files, lists etc. Collaborative
  • Notion (web, iOS, chrome & android extension). Take notes, make to-do lists and add calendars. Collaborative 
  • Zotero (web, iOS, chrome & android extension). Collect, organise, annotate and cite research 
  • Cite Them Right (web application). Simple referencing tool across all major style

Focus and concentration

  • Pomodoro technique - time management technique to aid focus and concentration. Work in short chunks and take regular breaks 
  • Forest (web, iOS, chrome & android extension). Help manage your concentration and focus by growing a virtual tree
  • Noisli  (web, iOS, chrome & android extension). Create a calm soundscape to aid sleep, study and relaxation