Coping Strategies & Assistive TechnologyNeil CottrellADSHE Annual Conference, 28th May 2013

Timing and Questions

Overview• Personal Perspective• Assistive technology as coping strategies• How I chose strategies

• Reading• Memory• Organisation• Spelling

• Practical examples• Developing, adapting and sharing

strategies

Background• Dyslexic

• Age 15:• Reading speed: 7 years, 3 months• Spelling: 8.5-9 years

• Support and coping strategies• Cardiff University

• Graduated top of my class in psychology (2009)

Background• Founded LexAble• British Dyslexia Association

• Young achiever of the year (2010)• Technology committee (2012-)

• AbilityNet• Technology4Good award (2012)

• Run workshops internationally• I rely on assistive technology

Why Coping Strategies• Specific learning difficulty• Important to work on key skills• But don’t let higher level skills get left

behind

Example: Analysing a PoemRead

Comprehend

Consider Themes

Form Opinions

Plan Essay

Write Essay

Example: Analysing a PoemRead

Comprehend

Consider Themes

Form Opinions

Plan Essay

Write Essay

Someone reads aloud

Scan and usetext-to-speech

Why Coping Strategies?• What’s important in:

• Education?• The workplace?

• Individual• Strengths and weaknesses

Assistive Technology

• Tackling a specific issue for the individual• Simplicity

Reading• My issues

• Reading speed• Stressful• Almost everything relies on reading

• What I needed• Access all written information• Independent • Instant

People Reading to Me• Traditional strategy• Not a primary strategy

• Slow, embarrassing and a burden• Occasional (e.g. film subtitles)• Please don’t paraphrase

• (except with permission)

Text-to-speech• Most important strategy for me• Learning curve• I could “read” faster than my peers

Prizmo (iOS app)

Memory• My issues

• I forget very quickly• Franticly scribbling notes in seminars• Couldn’t focus properly at the same time

• What I needed• Think and contribute in seminars• Write very little• Remember what was said

Dictaphone• I didn’t like it (personal opinion)

• Hours of un-sorted audio• Too much time and energy

Livescribe

Organisation: preparation• My issues

• Psychology experiments, sports competitions, orchestra concerts

• Preparation / packing was stressful• Always forgot something

• What I needed• Lists• Always know where they are• Tick things off as I packed them

Errands (iOS app)

Organisation: tasks & thoughts

• My issues• Forgot what I was thinking• Where and when• Irrelevant thoughts

• What I needed• Store irrelevant thoughts• Be told where to be and when• Quick to input system

(Smart)phone• Always with me • Jotting down thoughts

• Quick• Organise later

• Calendar & alarms• Tips

• Sort to-do’s by urgency/importance• Sync with computer (e.g. Google calendar) to

visualise day/week/month• Automatic backups

Spelling• My issues

• Distracted by spelling mistakes and typos• Red underlines

• Reports and emails weren’t well written• Spell-checking was long & disheartening

• What I needed• Stop worrying about spelling• Focus on content• Reduce workload• A solution that worked in all of the programs I use

No Solution• Failed strategies

• Ignoring mistakes• Spell-checking was long and disheartening

• AutoCorrect• Not for email, mind maps, online

• At age 15• Frustrated while writing• Developed my own assistive software

In 2009, 6 years later …

Global AutoCorrect• How it helped me

• Focus on content• Fewer red underlines

• Reduced workload• Less time spent spell-checking

• Learning spelling• I knew which words to work on

• My best strategy yet!

Global AutoCorrect• Cardiff University (Dr Trevor Humby)

• Dyslexic participants• Remembered 18% more of what they had

written• 10% more confident in the accuracy of their

answers

Global AutoCorrect• Released in 2009• Now 7 of us in the team• Used in the UK and internationally

Coping Strategies• Specialist• Simple• Discreet• Wacky

• Mainstream• Complex• Overt• Common sense

• Tackling a specific issue for the individual• Simplicity

Assistive Technology

• Tackling a specific issue for the individual• Simplicity

Resources• Getting around my dyslexia: A personal

evaluation of coping strategies• Published in the PATOSS Bulletin (Winter 2010)

• Choosing, evaluating and using assistive technology• Published in British Dyslexia Association’s book,

“Dyslexia and Useful Technology” (October 2012)• Ability Magazine article

• My story

Conclusions

Keep up the good work!

Develop

Share

Adapt