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• From High School to College
• Rights, Responsibilities & Confidentiality
• Process For Accessing Accommodations At WPI
• Services/Accomodations Available for Students With Disabilities
• Temporary Disabilities
• Documentation Guidelines
• Emergency Evacuation Procedures for Students with Disabilities
• Appeals Process and Grievance Procedures
• Suggestions for Faculty
• Resources for Students
  • Transitioning with AD/HD
  • Living With Dyslexia
    • Emotional Support
    • Study Methods/Skills
    • Institutional Support
    • Tips for Educators

Study Methods/Skills

It is important for a dyslexic student to have all the advantages available when it comes to school and learning. Because many people do not know what dyslexia is, they cannot be expected to know how to cater to a dyslexic's learning styles or offer help and advice. A few basic practices can help a dyslexic overcome some obstacles.

Time Management

A daily routine is very important to a dyslexic student because enough time must be allocated to ensure enough time to complete assignments. Some suggestions on how to better one's time management are:

• Set up a planning calendar to allocate time for study, entertainment, and homework
• Times marked on a calendar should be permanent and mandatory
• Mark down assignments, tests, projects and other various appointments on the planning calendar
• Attempt consistent and regular hours for work in order to prevent missing classes
• 40-60 hours a week should be budgeted for study time. Three hours a day for each class is recommended for WPI students
• Figure out during what part of the day you are most productive
• Do not work for large increments of time. It is recommended to work for 50 minutes then take a 10-minute break
• Avoid working under pressure, when tired, or when rushed.
• Find a place to study with little or no distractions (library)

Reading Tips

• Purchase text books with CD ROMS if possible, since they usually convey information in a more multi- sensory manner.
• Many colleges, like WPI, have reading machines for the blind that are helpful for dyslexics who have trouble reading.
• Active reading is useful.
• Highlighting may help to remember the major points of the text.
• Reading out loud may help one in understanding.
• Using a card under the line you are reading will help avoid skipping lines.
• Books on Tape are helpful to eliminate as much reading as possible.
• Large print books may be helpful as well in order to avoid misreading.
• Use blue or red transparencies over a page of text to eliminate visual distortion.

Note taking

• Reading the material ahead of time will help in the note taking process.
• Shorthand may help in the note taking process. Writing down key words or points during a lecture may help, followed later by writing down whole sentences.
• As an alternative to shorthand, making a mind map may be helpful.
• Make sure to leave plenty of space for writing, skipping every other line may be helpful.
• Listen for "signposts" the lecturer gives in class. Many times the professor will drop hints about exam questions.
• If note taking is still hard, use a tape recorder. This allows the student to go back to the lecture to make sure he or she has gotten everything important.
• Photocopying a friend's notes are very helpful as well.
• Also, keeping in mind why you are taking notes is extremely important. Without a purpose, copying becomes a thoughtless process.
• Using different colors to make very important points stand out can also be very helpful.
• Copying pictures or diagrams that help you understand something may also be useful.
• All of these tips attempt to downplay the weaknesses of dyslexia; use any other devices that are visual representations.

Exam preparation

• Look at the syllabus for each class; it will generally tell you all the dates of homework assignments, projects and tests in advance. This will help in planning ahead.
• Obtaining old tests offers insight to how a professor tests the class and can provide practice.
• You need to know how you learn material and use your strengths to your advantage, whether it be visual, aural, writing/reading, or by doing the problems over and over again.
• Revising lecture notes make be helpful because of its repetition
• Ask questions if you do not understand something in your notes.
• Use flash cards with pictures, words, phrases, and anything else that will help you learn the material.
• Using mind joggers like "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally", (Parentheses, Exponent, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction) to remember information or processes.
• A pegging system may also be helpful for exam preparation. It is linking an object to something learned in class; for example, placing a poster entitled "machinery" might help you remember aspects of the Industrial Revolution.
• Also linking a smell to an idea or concept can be used to remember information for a test.

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Last modified: August 28, 2007 15:18:50