General guidance for mentors/supervisors/practice educators when supporting students with SpLDs on placement Meet with the student before or at the beginning of the placement to discuss their support and strategies Consider the specific needs that the student may have and discuss the following: Ask whether or not the student has concerns about any particular areas of practice. Please be aware though that the student may have been recently diagnosed and may not fully appreciate the impact it may have, or the strategies that are needed. Fully understanding the disability can take some time. Discuss any strategies that they may already have in place to compensate for these difficulties how do they normally manage? As their mentor/ – supervisor/practice educator, is there anything you can do to help support them? Talk about possible solutions and strategies for supporting them. Discuss actual scenarios found in the workplace. Discuss the effectiveness of these strategies, and how plausible or implausible those strategies may be (for example, recording handover). If you are unfamiliar with how to manage a situation, ask within your organisation - it is unlikely that the circumstance is as unique as it may first appear. Discuss alternative strategies that may be beneficial. Write these down for further reference. Meet with the student regularly (as part of routine supervision) to discuss progress and evaluate how the support strategies are working for both student and staff Promote a culture of inclusivity, where individuals feel able to discuss their specific needs without fear of discrimination or negative attitudes UWE hopes that students will feel that their mentor/supervisor/practice educator is open and approachable and will react to their disclosure of an SpLD in a positive and supportive way Bear in mind that most students with an SpLD will do well on placement, but will do even better with the appropriate support Remember that SpLDs affect individuals in different ways, so a strategy that is helpful for one student might not be helpful for another
General guidance for mentors/supervisors/practice educators when supporting students with SpLDs on placement Meet with the student before or at the beginning of the placement to discuss their support and strategies Consider the specific needs that the student may have and discuss the following: Ask whether or not the student has concerns about any particular areas of practice. Please be aware though that the student may have been recently diagnosed and may not fully appreciate the impact it may have, or the strategies that are needed. Fully understanding the disability can take some time. Discuss any strategies that they may already have in place to compensate for these difficulties – how do they normally manage? As their mentor/ supervisor/practice educator, is there anything you can do to help support them? Talk about possible solutions and strategies for supporting them. Discuss actual scenarios found in the workplace. Discuss the effectiveness of these strategies, and how plausible or implausible those strategies may be (for example, recording handover). If you are unfamiliar with how to manage a situation, ask within your organisation - it is unlikely that the circumstance is as unique as it may first appear. Discuss alternative strategies that may be beneficial. Write these down for further reference. Meet with the student regularly (as part of routine supervision) to discuss progress and evaluate how the support strategies are working for both student and staff Promote a culture of inclusivity, where individuals feel able to discuss their specific needs without fear of discrimination or negative attitudes UWE hopes that students will feel that their mentor/supervisor/practice educator is open and approachable and will react to their disclosure of an SpLD in a positive and supportive way Bear in mind that most students with an SpLD will do well on placement, but will do even better with the appropriate support Remember that SpLDs affect individuals in different ways, so a strategy that is helpful for one student might not be helpful for another
Guidance-for-Students-with-Learning-Difficulties.docx