Dyslexia: How to treat candidates fairly during testing and selection but still get the information you need

02/06/2011, Author: Maria Gardner

As a test publisher, dyslexia is one of those topics Criterion understands causes a degree of anxiety for recruiters. Clients are concerned about making sure they don’t discriminate against candidates with dyslexia but also want to know how to interpret the data from these candidates along side other (non-dyslexic) candidates.

So, here is a rough guide to Dyslexia – what is it, how does it affect a candidate’s performance and what should you do about it?

What is dyslexia?

There are a number of theories about what dyslexia is and how it affects people. There are also many different forms of dyslexia, as well as varying levels of severity. The British Psychological Society’s (BPS) working definition of dyslexia is that:

“Dyslexia is evident when accurate and fluent word reading and/or spelling develops very incompletely or with great difficulty”.

The British Dyslexia Association’s (BDA) definition also suggests that it can affect other functions as well as literacy, including "speed processing, short-term memory, sequencing, auditory and/or visual perception, spoken language and motor skills"

How does it affect candidates’ performance during recruitment?

As identified under the previous question, because the type and severity of dyslexia can vary so much, the first thing we can’t do is make any assumptions about how it will affect their performance during the selection process – if at all.

It is possible to receive a full assessment by a Chartered Psychologist specialising in adult dyslexia – which provides a written report outlining the type of dyslexia, its severity and recommendations. The cost of this assessment is typically between £300-500. However, not all candidates who report having dyslexia will have undergone this assessment.

What should I do?

The obvious stuff:

1. The first thing to do (and I shouldn’t really have to tell you this!) is to make sure there is a clear and direct relationship between the assessment tools you are using (i.e. ability tests, assessment centre exercises, etc) and the content of the job being recruited for.

2. When sending out the invites to your selection process ask candidates to inform you immediately if they have a disability or any condition that might affect their performance.

3. If a candidate does inform you that they have dyslexia (or any other form of disability) ask how it affects them, and what support they think they might need. If they have had it diagnosed they should also be able to send you their report.

4. Consider, in light of this information, what reasonable adjustments can (or should) be made…

The other stuff (how and where to make ‘reasonable adjustments’):

1. Make practice materials available for any psychometric assessments, particularly ability tests.

Stress exacerbates many dyslexia sufferers’ symptoms. Letting candidates know in advance what will be expected of them in a test reduces this – increasing the chance of you getting an accurate assessment of their abilities and creating a more positive experience of you as a potential employer.

You can refer candidates to practice books like this one: http://amzn.to/k22dit

2. Have paper and pencil and online versions of any psychometrics available. Dyslexia can affect people in different ways so check which version they would find most accessible.

3. If using online assessments check with your provider that their tests meet the latest web content accessibility standards (WCAG 2.0). Tools that meet these guidelines mean that many of the reasonable adjustments you would be expected to make for an online assessment have already been made.

Check out the accessibility button at www.surftocoast.co.uk for an example.

4. Use ‘power’ rather than ‘speed’ tests. Power tests have more generous time limits, meaning that most candidates should be able to complete the majority of questions during this time. This reduces the adverse impact on candidates who need to read more slowly or carefully. Also, the difficulty of the items increase throughout the test, providing a more useful source of information regarding potential.

Here comes the counter-intuitive one…

5. Give candidates with dyslexia the same assessments (with the same time limits) as the other applicants.

Here’s why:

Firstly, the reality is we find that the majority of candidates who report having dyslexia have not undergone a full assessment and diagnosis. Therefore it is difficult for you, as an employer, to make an informed judgement as to what ‘reasonable adjustments’ need to be made.

It is also difficult for you to ask a candidate to justify their claim – if they say they have dyslexia you pretty much have to take their word for it! The sad reality is that a number of our clients with high volume recruitment have seen a significant increase over the last year in the number of candidates requesting adjustments on the basis of dyslexia. Much more than the BDA’s statistics of what percentage of the British population is dyslexic (10%, with 4% of that being severe).

Secondly, ability tests have time limits for a reason and arbitrarily increasing their time limit by 25% (the BDA’s recommendation) will impact or even undermine these:

• To maximise the standardisation of the tests - to encourage a level-playing field by ensuring all candidates spend an equal amount of time on the tests.

• To minimise candidate efforts at collaboration with others when taking the test. A time limit constrains candidate’s efforts to seek help during a remote administration of an assessment

• To increase the reliability/accuracy of the assessment. Psychometric test construction research demonstrates that the reliability of a test increases with the levels of standardisation. The ability test will provide a more accurate measure of the candidate’s ability with a time limit in place. This is fairer to candidates.

• To simulate key demands of the role - where solving a problem or understanding information must be performed within gentle time constraints, e.g. thinking on one's feet, assimilating training material, responding to customer enquiries within an appropriate time frame etc.

Whilst this approach may appear at odds with received wisdom, the reality is that if a candidate hasn’t had a full diagnosis of their dyslexia it is going to be difficult to accurately know what impact it will have on their performance in the job.

The adjustments you make must be in your interpretation of the dyslexic candidate’s results. Giving dyslexic candidates the same assessment with the same time limit as other applicants will provide an insight as to what the impact of their dyslexia might be. You can then take this information into account when considering their suitability for the job and what reasonable adjustments might be needed. This also ensures that you don’t end up having to deal with claims of unfair ‘positive discrimination’ by non-dyslexic applicants.

Note: This is only an issue with ability tests; tests with very short/harsh time limits may be especially problematic. Personality questionnaires do not have time limits.

Conclusion

In the context of all of this advice it is important to remember that dyslexia is recognised as a disability under the Equality Act. Therefore, as an employer you are required to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate any candidate (and subsequent new employee) with a recognised disability – should they disclose it. Not all candidates do.

So, if you remember nothing else from this blog, remember the following:

1. Make sure you use the right tools in the first place (i.e. the content of the assessments match the content of the job)

2. Get guidance from your test publisher about any adjustments they would recommend (this blog reflects Criterion Partnership’s guidance for it’s off-the-shelf tests)

3. Ask candidates to inform you as soon as possible about any special assistance or adjustments they think they may need

4. Take these into account and then treat them the same way as all the other candidates

5. Consider this information in relation to the job they have applied for, their overall suitability, and what reasonable adjustments might be needed

6. Remember that (whilst there is often a focus on the negative aspects) dyslexia is often associated with strengths in the areas of big picture and/or lateral thinking, problem solving – to mention just a few.

Further information

If dealing with dyslexia fairly is something you are concerned about, you can check out these websites for further advice and information:

BPS Occupational Testing & Dyslexia Guide
http://resources.morrisby.com/documents/PTC_Guides/Dyslexia_PTC.pdf

British Dyslexia Association website:
http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/

Equality Act Quick Start Guide:
http://www.equalities.gov.uk/pdf/110406%20Pre%20Employment%20Questions.pdf

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