AUGUST 3 2019 LISTENER 33
NUTRITION
If you take
metformin, you
might need extra
vitamin B1234
PSYCHOLOGY
Feeling “so OCD
right now”? Distress
is the real marker
of the disorder40
TECHNOLOGY
Facebook’s Libra
plan would be
fine if its backer
weren’t tainted41
learning needs. However, that still leaves a gap for
people in tertiary education and the workplace, and
Styles has been involved in a study to see how they
can best be supported.
The first step is screening, for which a range of
tools and methods is available. The one Styles uses
takes about an hour and costs between $100 and
$200. About 80% of the people he screens are una-
ware they have the condition.
“It’s about more than reading and writing,” he
says. “Dyslexic people can have issues with short-
term memory, organisation, time keeping and
sequencing. The process of automaticity [doing
things without thinking about them] takes longer
for them and they can struggle with transitions – a
new job, a new shift.”
Once diagnosed, dyslexics can find help via
Workbridge. This might involve technology such as
reading pens, apps or speech-recognition software,
access to a mentor or reader/writer assistance and
advice related to the presentation of
written matter. Dyslexics do better
with simple sans-serif fonts such
as Helvetica and a buff-coloured or
pastel background rather than stark
white, for example.
Styles runs workshops to upskill
tertiary tutors, many of whom
trained under the regime that didn’t
recognise dyslexia.
“The legacy of the denial is that it
doesn’t matter where you go in the
education system, there is minimal
understanding of dyslexia,” he says.
“It’s not a part of our DNA.”A
valuable part of helping anyone
with this learning difference
is showing people what a
successful dyslexic looks like.
Dyslexics such as Virgin Group
founder Sir Richard Branson
and chef Jamie Oliver often
talk about the advantage the
condition has given them
and how thinking dif-
ferently has left them
with a creative and
business edge.
“Dyslexic people have a
whole range of skills and
talents,” says Styles. “Often
they have visual-spatial and
3D skills that others lack, for
instance. It can be valuable
for a dyslexic person to know
the competitive advantage
they may have in the
workplace.
“Knowledge is really pow-
erful. Once you are aware the
reason you have struggled for
years is that your brain works
differently, that makes all the
difference.” lDyslexics often talk
about the creative
and business edgethey have.
HEALTH BRIEFS
G
ET
TY(^) IM
AG
ES
8900 STEPS FOR THE BRAIN
The physical activity sweet
spot for staving off cogni-
tive decline from Alzheimer’s
disease has been found to be
about 8900 daily steps. Mas-
sachusetts General Hospital
researchers say greater physical
activity appears to slow the rate
of brain-tissue loss over time in
normal people with high levels of
amyloid plaque. The effects are
most prominent at about 8900
steps.
VACCINATION VARIANCE
Women tend to have a greater
immune response to a flu vaccine
than men, but their advantage
largely disappears as they age
and their oestrogen levels
decline, suggests a study from
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health.
Researchers suggest we
ought to move away from a
one-size-fits-all approach
to vaccination and
consider tailoring formu-
lations and dosages to
the age and gender of
the recipient.
HEART ‘HELP’
Analysis by Johns
Hopkins Medicine
researchers of findings
from 277 clinical trials
shows that almost
all vitamin, mineral
and other nutrient
supplements or diets
cannot be linked to longer
life or protection from
heart disease. The
analysis showed
possible benefits
only from a low-salt
diet, omega-3 fatty
acid supplements
and possibly folic
acid supplements
for some people.