How to Make Adjustments for Disabilities and Learning Difficulties

We all have things that make us different and give us a unique perspective on the world. However, these differences can also make it particularly hard for people during stressful periods such as exam season.

Often, things are moving a bit fast and there's a lot of information to take in, which can be difficult if you have a disability or learning difficulty such as ADHD or Dyslexia. Teachers often don't have the time knowledge or resources to tailor classes for the individual, which can lead people to feel unsupported.

Here are some steps you can take to make your life a little easier during exam season (whether or not you have specific needs!):

1. Identify your needs.
   The first thing you need to do is work out what you struggle with. If you've been diagnosed with a specific disability or learning difficulty, these might be obvious, and you can probably read about them online. However, you might have additional needs during the exam season, perhaps related to anxiety, stress or a change of routine. Try writing these needs down in a list so that you have a clear idea of what you need in order to succeed. People often feel embarrassed or ashamed about their specific learning needs, but just like different people need different sizes of clothing, you need different methods of learning!

2. Ask your teacher about adjustments for your exams.
   Now that you are clearer about the things that you're struggling with, speak to your teacher about what adjustments can be made for your exams. Perhaps you struggle with writing, and typing will make things easier, or maybe you just need a bit of extra time to help you process the information. A key thing to remember is that this is not about giving you an unfair advantage over everyone else, it's about making reasonable adjustments for your needs. Exam adjustments can take a bit of time to arrange, so make sure you ask your teacher as soon as possible about what is available to you.

3. Make adjustments for yourself.
   Just like how you need adjustments in your exams, you also need adjustments in your revision. Do you struggle to work with background noise? Go to your local library or put on some noise-cancelling headphones. Do you find your notes difficult to read? Try writing them on yellow paper or get a sheet of yellow cellophane to put on top. There are so many forums online with advice for how to adjust your revision techniques to suit specific learning difficulties and disabilities, so do some research into what might work best for you.

4. Set your own standards.
   You might feel like you have to do several hours of revision and loads of past papers a day in order to keep up with your revision. However, successfully doing a little bit of revision is better than setting out to do loads and then panicking and not doing any! Be reasonable about what you can expect from yourself and celebrate your key milestones. Just do what you can and be proud of what you've done!

5. Ease your anxiety.
   Exam situations can be very stressful for a lot of people, but there is a lot you can do to help ease that anxiety before the exam even starts! Try listening to exam noises while your working so you're not so sensitive to it on the day. If you find exam papers intimidating, try practising past papers in a friendly, relaxed environment. If you know where your exams are going to be happening, see if you can visit it in advance so that you know what to expect. Even better, try doing some revision in that room so that you create a mental connection between your subjects and that room. Finally, practice some calming breathing techniques for on the day so that you are in the best mental state possible.

6. Don't compare yourself to anyone else.
   We all have our own methods of working and if what works for you is different from what everyone else is doing, so what? If someone is completing past paper in half the time, who cares? Everyone works at their own pace and in their own way, so you do you and don't let anyone make you feel bad about that!