Employers Guide - Dyspraxia Foundation

Dyspraxia Foundation Guide For Employers
What adjustments can be made to help?
• Self awareness.
• Staff awareness and understanding
of hidden disabilities and how they
affects the individual.
• Give summaries and key points rather
than full reports.
• If interruptions cause difficulty – place
the desk in a quiet location and put a
Do Not Disturb Sign on the desk or door
when busy.
• Flexi-time can help with distractions
e.g. coming in early, staying on late
• Relaxed dress code.
• Develop listening skills.
• Be aware of non verbal
communication e.g. gesture, facial
expression in self and others.
• Try to be aware of tone of voice.
• Be aware of personal space.
• When beginning a new job, make
sure that the individual has clear
directions and guidelines are given.
• Provide verbal as well as written
instructions.
• If possible give instructions one at a
time.
• It may help to actually show the
individual how to do something as well
as telling them.
• Good lighting is essential.
• Give positive encouragement.
• Be realistic in your expectations.
Case Study: Anne
Anne worked in a technical department, she
was very well qualified and consequently held
a position where she had to interface with all
levels of staff. She was efficient at her job and
popular with senior management. However,
Anne was also considered to be clumsy and
eccentric. On one occasion, Anne was the
victim of a practical joke by some of the
individuals in the office. This had a devastating
effect on her and she was off work for a few
weeks with stress and depression.
On her return, she said to her line manager
that she had always had difficulty with social
relationships. Anne’s focus and concentration
on required tasks was to the detriment of her
understanding of the complexities of the office
social interaction. She had been diagnosed
with “clumsy child syndrome” as a child
and had not linked this with her difficulties
with social relationships. The manager
had attended some training on Hidden
Disabilities and suggested that the condition
was possibly dyspraxia. Anne explored
the definition of dyspraxia and identified
many of the difficulties she had. She had an
assessment from an occupational therapist
who confirmed her dyspraxic tendencies but
also identified areas of strength and ways of
working on areas of deficit. Anne joined a
local group of adults with the same condition.
She began to work on a programme of
social skills, reviewed her dress code and
acknowledged her difficulties to the rest of
the staff. The new awareness made Anne
more relaxed and her social life became
more active. Her work colleagues felt more
comfortable with her and so the team
became more productive and happier.
Produced by Key 4 Learning Ltd