The Dyslexia Institute now has a full-time National Adult Coordinator who is based in the North East.  Our work with dyslexic adults is developing and flourishing (although we suffer from the perennial problem of funding!).

The Dyslexia Institute is involved in four exciting developments which either have taken place or are taking place in the North East.

This course is accredited at Open College Network Level 3 and is open to all basic skills teachers and learning support assistants who are working at Level three or above. 

Candidates who are accepted onto the course would be trained in how to use our new interactive CD-ROM and associated workbooks (ALP-the Adult Literacy Programme ).  This material offers a structured multisensory phonic based program that can be taught to learners on a one-to-one basis or in groups.  These phonic structured programmes are one of the major approaches to teaching dyslexic learners which are being researched at present by NIACE.

Candidates also learn about recent research into dyslexia, how to screen for dyslexia and how to use diagnostic tests.  They learn how to plan and deliver flexible and responsive learning programmes.

We hope to run this in the Autumn term and are looking for some funding. 

This was completed in March 2003 and highlighted considerable gaps in post 16 dyslexia provision in the Tees Valley area.  Most providers felt that they did not have enough knowledge or trained staff to meet the needs of dyslexic learners.  The problems were particularly acute with Work Based Learning. 

The results of this audit led to the  development of the Tees Valley Dyslexia project.

Tees Valley LSC has committed £60,000 to address the shortcomings that were identified in the Dyslexia Audit.  This money will be used to develop and deliver a range of courses for basic skills staff and trainers over the calendar year 2004.

County Durham LSC commissioned a study to identify the incidence of Dyslexia amongst the basic skills population.  It has long been known that the percentage of dyslexic people in the general population is between 4 and 10 percent, but for some time it has been suspected that the figure is much higher in the Adult Basic Skills population.