Taking exams is a huge cause for anxiety. Add dyslexic thinking into the mix and the levels of anxiety can ‘sky-rocket’ to new levels. This article gives some tips on how to reduce the levels of anxiety so that a dyslexic student can focus on doing what they need to do rather than on what could go wrong.
This article is brought to you by Claro Software.
In three months the exams season will be upon us. By their nature, exams are there to test the knowledge and learning that a student has amassed over a period of, in some cases, a couple of years. Sadly exams often become, in reality, a test of how one can pass exams rather than a true test of learning. The reality for many dyslexic students is that exams are another example of testing their weaknesses rather than their strengths. When we are forced to work to our weaknesses this is a ‘perfect storm’ for experiencing anxiety as self-defeating thoughts go haywire and our strategies for coping get tested to the max.
Ironically, if one can calm the mind and manage their feelings of anxiety then the focus will shift to that of getting the job done as opposed to worrying about what is going to go wrong.
I would like to highlight three tips that could help with managing that anxiety and bringing back that focus.
1 - Don’t accept that you HAVE to experience high levels of anxiety.
https://worthit2bme.com/fightflightimmobolize/therapeutic-window-of-tolerance/
Experiencing anxiety is normal. It is anxiety that keeps us safe. If we are walking through a busy city centre we will be aware of the dangers that surround us and we will take measures to ensure our safety. We won’t necessarily feel ‘really anxious’ but we will make decisions that will keep us safe whilst we navigate our way through that busy city centre e.g look both ways when crossing a road, avoid activities or people who could cause us harm. Without a healthy level of anxiety we would not keep ourselves safe.
This kind of anxiety is normal and healthy.
That anxiety will ‘spike’ when we are faced with real danger and it will either trigger the ‘Flight or Fight’ mechanism or it may make us freeze. This happens when our level of anxiety pushes beyond our ‘anxiety window’ (see ‘Window of Tolerance’ diagram).
For many students with dyslexia, it is possible that they carry out their day to day activities experiencing higher levels of anxiety than they need to as there are many strategies that a dyslexic student could take to reduce those levels of anxiety.
Self-Awareness and choosing how anxious you want to be.
Yes, I know what you are thinking…
“How can I choose how anxious I want to be?”
Well, the process starts with the student in recognising the level of anxiety that they are experiencing and choosing whether or not the student wants to experience it. If one doesn’t want to experience anxiety then one can make the decision to get help or put in place new strategies for reducing anxiety. For some students, it may suit them to feel like a ‘victim’ which takes away their personal responsibility to change, thus activating a need to ‘rescue’ by others in responding to the outward signs of anxiety.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that students with dyslexia that experience anxiety look for the attention of others in an unhealthy way, actually, I think that the opposite happens, many dyslexic students ‘go to ground’ and risk missing out on effective support.
The healthy way forward is to recognise that abnormally high levels of anxiety are taking place, and choosing to get support, this is more empowering that waiting for others to notice and then thrust support upon the student.
2 - Talk about how you are feeling.
The reality is, that if a student is dyslexic then they are likely to experience higher levels of anxiety than that of a neuro-typical peer.
It is OK to talk about this experience and to articulate how you do want to feel. Depending upon where the exams are taking place, there should be educational professionals available to provide pastoral or emotional support as well as more specific dyslexia intervention / support. This seems easier to find at university level with ‘Student Services’ but may be a little trickier to find at GCSE or A-level stages depending upon the education establishment that the student may be attending.
Talking to trusted friends about how you are feeling helps, or family members could help. Equally, depending upon the level of anxiety faced, a reliable coach or therapeutic counsellor could be useful to talk to.
3 - Get what you need to be at your best in exams so that you can feel more confident.
In this section I am simply going to list a number of things that you may need to help a student to feel less anxious:
1) Getting enough sleep, food, hydration.
2) Friendships - Don’t allow yourself to suffer high levels of anxiety alone.
3)Are you set up for using appropriate assistive technology in your exam?
I once coached a young person about feeling less anxiety and being confident. The client was sporty and liked certain sports such as hill walking and mountain hiking.
I asked them what they needed to help them to climb a really tough mountain, they responded by giving me a long list of everything that they would need to be able to meet the challenge. By articulating this, they could clearly see what they needed to be successful.
The problem with experiencing anxiety is that it can be difficult to ‘step out’ and think about the bigger picture. With exams anxiety the temptation may be to work late into the night trying to cram information, skip meals, do long hours without breaks. But the dyslexic student has to preserve their cognitive skills and abilities at all costs.
This may require some planning as you lead up to the period of exams so as to get what you need.
When my daughter had her exams, she needed a laptop to write out her answers but this was something that whilst the school needed to put in place, they did drop the ball a couple of times with laptops not being made available. If you as a student know that you need assistive technology to level the playing field in getting the best results for your exams then make sure that you are in dialogue with your exams officer or SENCO to make sure that it happens. You are entitled to use it if you have a diagnosis and it is something that you use in your day to day studies. Don’t take any chances and you can feel confident that the exam process will give you a fair chance of satisfactory levels of attainment. In that alone, your anxiety levels will drop some way down giving you a chance to focus on being the best that you can be.
An example of a commonly used piece of assistive technology, used by many dyslexic students is ClaroRead.
The video below will give you a sense of how it works.