TH Dyslexia

Theresa Hughes BA(Hons), PGDip (SpLDI), GMBPsS, SpLD APC (Patoss), MDG

Dyslexia & SEND Specialist

With over 20 years’ experience of supporting children and young people with SEND, my interest in dyslexia began in the early 2010s when the school I was employed by was asked to take part in a trial of text-to-speech software being developed by Dyslexia Action. I was asked to oversee the project within the school, working with the dyslexic students, collecting data to inform Dyslexia Action’s research and their development of the programme. I found dyslexia fascinating so began my own research into it and attended some courses offered by the British Dyslexia Association.

As I began to understand more about dyslexia, I developed a programme of informal intervention to support students with dyslexia within the school. The SENCo approved of what I had put together and so I began working with those students to try to improve academic outcomes for them. The school also purchased a dyslexia screening programme to enable me to identify students with dyslexic traits. From this I was able to advise staff on the best possible way to support the students in lessons.

I had no formal qualifications in this area, so in 2017 I decided to go to University, choosing to study for an Undergraduate Degree in Psychology (major) with Education Studies (minor). I graduated with First Class Honours and then began to study for a Postgraduate Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties and Inclusion. This gave me knowledge of how literacy skills develop and how to differentiate between literacy difficulties and dyslexia. I also learned how to plan lessons for and teach those with dyslexia in both primary and secondary education. I had gained experience of using psychometric assessments during my undergraduate studies and revisited this in more detail during my postgraduate course. I graduated with Merit in 2022, able to diagnose dyslexia and teach those with it. At this time I was still employed in secondary education, supporting and teaching students with dyslexia but after a lot of soul-searching, decided to leave and become self-employed in 2023. It was a difficult decision as I loved being in a school environment, however, I have retained a positive relationship with the school and the Education Trust it is a member of, whilst getting to support lots of other children, young people and adults too.

I am a graduate member of the British Psychological Society, a member of the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire Dyslexia Association, and a member of the Dyslexia Guild.  I hold a current Assessment Practicing Certificate through Patoss, an enhanced DBS and am fully insured.