Sequential Cycles

by Lucia Turco







Dyslexia is a genetic condition of the brain that affects 10% of school age children in the UK. Unlike the common understanding of this condition as being only related to problems with reading and writing, dyslexia is a combination of many problems. In particular, dyslexic people struggle with conventions and abstractions and have difficulties with the perception of time, sequential time aspects and associating events to their timing. The clock is a complex and abstract convention that translates something perceived as linear (the sequence of daily events) into something cyclical.

‘Sequential Cycles’ questioned if it was possible to design an educational tool to teach children a strategy to learn how to properly use conventional clocks. The project is the result of direct collaboration with children and teachers within Fairley House, a leading school for learning difficulties in Pimlico, London, over the academic year 2010/2011. Its two outcomes make it possible to visualise and play with the conventions within the clock through a multi-sensory approach. Successful evaluation has been carried out both in the domestic environment, with a dyslexic child and her family, and in the educational environment, with a group of children at Fairley House School.


I am very proud to say that Lucia is recipient of the Notable Student CORE 77 Award for Strategy/Research Design.