Colman Noctor: Time is of the essence in exams for neurodivergent students

Children with dyspraxia or dyslexia are no less intelligent than their peers, but typically read or write more slowly, so they need additional time to complete exam questions. Picture: iStock

DYSLEXIA Ireland is calling on the Government to provide more time in state exams for pupils and students who are dyslexic, dyscalculic, or neurodivergent. I would also advocate for people with dyspraxia (developmental co-ordination disorder). It is a condition that often goes unnoticed.

The charity’s campaign theme is, ‘It’s about time! Fair exams for all’. It highlights a practical need and a symbolic truth: That time itself can be the hidden obstacle many of these young people face.

For a student with dyslexia or dyspraxia, time can be crucial. They may understand the material and have the correct answer in their mind, but struggle to transfer it onto paper before the timer runs out.

From my experience as a university lecturer, I know these students have at least the equal understanding and knowledge of their peers. However, they face invisible challenges: Slower processing speeds, co-ordination issues, or fine-motor difficulties that make writing exhausting. For a child with dyspraxia, handwriting can feel like running a marathon in sand; for someone with dyslexia, reading can resemble deciphering a constantly changing code.

In a timed exam system, this turns in to an unfair race. As Rosie Bissett, CEO of Dyslexia Ireland, notes: “Providing extra time isn’t an advantage; it’s a necessary accommodation that allows these students to demonstrate their knowledge without the barrier of time pressure.”

Yet despite promises and political backing, the State Examinations Commission has not confirmed any changes to the ironically named RACE (Reasonable Accommodations at Certificate Examinations) scheme for 2026. Without these reasonable accommodations at exam time, another generation of bright, capable, and determined students will sit their exams under conditions that test their processing speed more than their knowledge.

The emotional weight of dyslexia and dyspraxia

Behind every learning difference lies an emotional journey. While the academic challenges of dyslexia and dyspraxia are well-documented, the psychological impact is less visible, but often more profound.

Children with these learning differences often face what psychologists refer to as ‘chronic discrepancy stress’, the ongoing tension of knowing you are capable, but unable to perform at the level you (or others) expect. In 2012, psychologist William Stixrud explored this concept, describing how the persistent mismatch between effort and outcome can erode self-esteem and heighten anxiety.

At school, this often manifests as self-doubt. A child with dyspraxia might fear PE because they struggle to keep up physically, while a child with dyslexia might avoid reading aloud out of fear of ridicule.

Over time, these small episodes of embarrassment and frustration accumulate, shaping their self-image. I remember one boy telling me how his teacher awarded points to the table that had their materials packed away first at the end of the day. Because of his dyspraxia, his table never won, which made him feel like he was constantly letting down his peers.

Research confirms what many parents instinctively know: Children with dyslexia and dyspraxia face higher risks of anxiety, low mood, and academic burnout. A 2020 study by the University of Oxford found that dyslexic students reported significantly lower academic self-esteem and higher levels of stress compared to their peers. This finding was mainly due to social stigma and repeated experiences of ‘falling short’, rather than because of lower intelligence or motivation.

When effort doesn’t equal outcome

One of the most challenging aspects for a young person with dyslexia or dyspraxia is recognising that effort does not always lead to reward. They may study for hours, understand the material thoroughly, and still their grades fall short because their written answers were either unfinished or not legible enough.

Even in sport, a child with dyspraxia might put in twice the effort of their peers in their own time, only to fail to make the team.

For children with dyspraxia, whose handwriting and co-ordination difficulties slow down every written task, exams can feel like running out of time before they have even started.

This chronic sense of being ‘behind’ can lead to avoidance. Some children start to disengage emotionally, not because they don’t care, but because caring hurts too much. Others internalise a belief that they’re ‘not smart’, when, in reality, the system just wasn’t built for them.

Parenting through the pressure

For parents, watching their child struggle with the exam system can be heartbreaking. They see the hours of effort, the tears over homework, the fear before exams. They know their child is bright, creative, and insightful, but feel powerless against a system that doesn’t recognise that.

Parenting a child with dyslexia or dyspraxia often involves being their translator, advocate, and emotional support. It’s about maintaining belief in your child when they doubt themselves.

There are a few principles that can have a significant impact:

• Praise persistence, not perfection. Reward the effort, not the outcome;
• Normalise difference. Explain that brains learn in many ways, in that some are fast, and some are deep, and acknowledge the positives associated with depth;
• Model calm around your child’s mistakes, because your reaction teaches a child whether failure is a disaster or a misstep;
• Promote emotional literacy by helping your child name their frustration, shame, or fear, as this is the first step to managing them.

Practical adjustments

For children with dyspraxia, practical adjustments, like typing instead of handwriting or using assistive technology, can reduce much of their daily frustration. For those with dyslexia, audiobooks or speech-to-text tools can significantly improve their learning experience. However, some young people avoid these supports because they do not want to be seen as different and prefer to struggle rather than incur the social cost of needing help.

Nevertheless, most students I have spoken to are receptive to being given extra time to complete exams.

However, the most powerful tool of all is emotional validation, the message that, ‘You’re not broken; you just learn differently.’

Supporting these children starts with redefining ‘fairness’. Fairness is not about sameness. It involves recognising individual needs and catering to them appropriately.

Although the RACE scheme has made some progress, the lack of additional time in secondary schools — additional time is a standard accommodation at most universities and in international exam systems — is unjustifiable.

Dyslexia Ireland’s calls for earlier confirmation of supports, wider access to assistive technology, and a quicker review process are not radical demands; they are the absolute minimum needed to create a level playing field. By delaying reform, we continue a narrative that some children are simply ‘less able’, when, actually, they receive less support.

What’s at stake here is not just academic achievement, but mental wellbeing. For many young people with dyslexia or dyspraxia, the Leaving Cert becomes less an evaluation of knowledge and more a test of stamina.

I have heard many times that students who are struggling say they understand the material, but by the time they have written their answers, time is up. That quiet feeling of defeat can have lifelong effects, influencing self-esteem, career goals, and even how a young person interacts with learning in later life.

When exams focus on how quickly someone can write instead of how deeply they can think, we’ve entirely missed the purpose of education.

Call for compassion and change

This dyslexia awareness month, let’s remember that children with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and ADHD don’t need pity. They need parity.

They need a system that acknowledges their effort, values their insight, and gives them the time to show it.

It’s not just about the time on a clock. It’s about giving time: For understanding, inclusion, and for the system to finally catch up with the children it’s meant to serve.

As a psychotherapist of many years, I have seen the toll that navigating the education system with these challenges can take on the emotional life of a child. But as a parent of children with these difficulties, I have become even more passionate about and invested in being a voice for these young people. Because, for them, it truly is about time.

It is time to act, time to listen, and time to make education reflect not just what they can write, but who they are.

• Dr Colman Noctor is a child psychotherapist