Invisible Communities in SEN: Barriers Beyond Dyslexia

Yerik returned to school early to get the Secondary School Places Allocation results. He was very nervous and said, "If I don't get my first choice, I will feel hopeless!" Yerik has encountered many obstacles on his academic journey due to developmental dyslexia., but he excels in English. He cannot imagine struggling with the Chinese language for the next six years and prefers to attend an English secondary school. The day before the results were released, his mother took him to a distant international school for an interview. She expressed, "I don’t want him to miss out on any opportunities. I hope he has options instead of feeling forced to accept whatever happens."

 

Making Adjustments Cannot Enhance Learning Motivation

Yerik was not diagnosed with dyslexia until he was in primary five. The school informed him that the educational psychologist can only visit the school twice a month. Unfortunately, more students were urgently needed, and he did not even have a chance to wait since the golden treatment had already passed.

 

In implementing integrated education, the Education Bureau (EDB) of Hong Kong encourages schools to adopt the 3-Tier Intervention Model to cater for students with SEN. Tier-1 support is quality teaching in the regular classroom to help students with mild or transient learning difficulties. Students with persistent learning difficulties receive Tier-2 support, including "add-on" intervention. Under Tier-3 support, individual education plans are developed for students with persistent and severe learning difficulties. Schools have set up Student Support Teams to plan, implement and review support services for students with special needs.

 

However, Yerik's mother was disappointed that the school provided no additional learning support except homework and exam adjustments. Moreover, these adjustments cannot improve the Chinese performance of dyslexic students.

 

"For instance, the composition's word count was reduced from 200 to 150. However, he composed only 50 words, falling short of the standard even after the reduction." Yerik's mum said.

 

Parents: Expect Teachers To Encourage, Not Give Up

When asked how Yerik completes his composition homework, he was honest and said: "I give up." However, the teacher neither punished nor urged him to do the Chinese homework. He was ignored as if he never existed. The teacher rarely let him answer questions in class, even though he always raised his hand. As a parent, Yerik's mother is not concerned about the fairness of the examination system. Still, she hopes that teachers can find ways to enhance the learning motivation of students with dyslexia.

Later, Yerik came up with a solution. He wrote in English, translated the text into Chinese using a computer app, and then copied it into his homework book. This was the only composition assignment he submitted in two years. When asked why he tried despite giving up, Yerik replied, "Because I don't want to be scolded by the teacher again."

At the graduation appreciation banquet, the graduates expressed gratitude to their teachers. Yerik took hold of the microphone and said, "Thank you, teacher, for giving up on me." Yerik's mother said, "he was just expressing the feeling of being labelled for many years." Yerik nodded and said, "I want the teacher to understand my feelings."

 

 

Yerik's mother had been exploring private schools for her son since he was in primary five. "What I can do is help him find a way out. This is my way of supporting him," said Mother. However, he tried interviewing in different schools but failed. He had lost confidence and told her mother, "Mom, there is no way I can do it.” His mother was worried, "The overall performance is affected by Chinese language subjects, and he was placed into band three schools, with the majority being Chinese medium schools."

 

The day before the results were released, Yerik's mother took him to an international school for an interview. She saw him chat comfortably with the teacher in English. "It was the first time I saw his eyes light up after an interview." The teacher praised him highly. It is crucial to understand the struggles of children. When children lose hope, parents' love is their strongest support." Yerik's mother expressed.

 

Yerik took the allocation results and happily ran out of the school. He secured his first choice of the institution through the central allocation system, which is an English-medium school. "I am confident that I will be able to study well as long as it's an English-medium school," he stated firmly, hoping to start a new and exciting chapter in his educational journey.

 

Flying Chinese Words

 

"Secondary school is like another world," Wai Kei, a form four student with Dyslexia and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), said. In her world, the words in her textbooks appeared to be like mischievous elves darting around. "Sometimes they even pop up all of a sudden and startle me. It's really scary." She attempted drawing grid lines on tracing paper, using a highlighter to separate the words into different sections, but failed; now, she uses rulers to make it easier to read.

 

Collapsed during the exam

"Dyslexia often leaves me feeling helpless because even though I know the answers during exams, I struggle to write them down," said Wai Kei, explaining her struggle with tackling school tests. She said she first spends ten minutes "catching" the flying words. Another ten minutes to piece together the complete words and another ten minutes to consider the pronunciation. "It takes 30 minutes to read one question," exclaimed Wai Kei. "Once, I was so anxious during exams that I couldn’t breathe. It felt like someone was holding my throat."

 

Wai Kei openly admitted feeling inferior while growing up due to her family background and dyslexia, stating, "My self-confidence plummeted drastically."

She remembers getting zero points for her first dictation in primary one. The teacher scolded her, called her "rubbish," and accused her mother of not educating her daughter. She was sad for causing her mother to suffer. "Once my grandmother found my school reports in my school bag, she called my mother and said something unpleasant." Wai Kei described primary school as hell and thought about skipping school and attempting suicide. "At that time, I felt useless and a burden to others." Wai Kei shared.

 

Dyslexia: Invisible Learning Difficulties

Sandy Leung, Supervisor of School Social Work Services at HKCS, mentioned that over the past decade, the Education Bureau has improved school-based support for teachers and students with Dyslexia. This includes in-service teacher training, assessment tools, learning support schemes, and more. "Sandy emphasised that schools often overlook the fact that academic stress caused by learning difficulties is associated with various detrimental physical and emotional outcomes, such as low motivation, mental distress, and strained family relationships. "In schools, students with hyperactivity disorder, autism, or mental disorders display noticeable behavioural issues, so schools tend to focus on addressing these problems. However, dyslexia is an invisible obstacle, and these students receive comparatively less support."

 

 

Promote a Strength-based Approach Support

Wai Kei is grateful that she has very good teachers, social workers, and classmates in secondary school. "There is always someone to accompany me every step of the way, and I am not alone anymore."

 

Zita, our school social worker who has known Wai Kei for 3 years, stated that schools need to collaborate closely with social workers, parents, and teachers to discuss how to provide support for students with special needs. "Just like our school, we promote a strength-based approach to give each student various opportunities to shine." The school encourages Wai Kei to participate in dubbing, singing, painting, and rock climbing classes. "Although I sometimes fail, I feel great when I successfully reach the top. And when I ring the bell, wow! I feel so good!" Wai Kei said with satisfaction. Now, by participating in various activities, she has gradually gained more confidence in herself. "I realise I can accomplish anything and slowly build my little world."

 

Sandy emphasised the importance of developing the multiple intelligences of dyslexic students through various approaches,"Students with dyslexia have often felt powerless since childhood. A few words from a social worker will not easily help them regain their confidence. It's important to help them build successful experiences in life and restore their self-belief."

 

Wai Kei expressed his gratitude, saying, "What's more important is that the teacher didn't force me to go in a certain direction. Instead, they helped me find different paths to explore who I am."