Organisational Reflective Practice
These gendered barriers are evident in organisational settings. In one workplace (West Midlands, UK), a female child in care displaying dyspraxic traits—disorganisation, anxiety, and task-sequencing difficulties—was repeatedly overlooked because her quiet diligence was seen as personality rather than learning need. This reflects Montgomery’s (2019) concept of gendered invisibility, where compliance conceals legitimate support requirements.
Applying Schön’s (1983) reflection-in-action model enabled critical interrogation of staff assumptions and their gatekeeping role in assessment. Consequently, gender-sensitive screening protocols were introduced to disrupt systemic blind spots. Universal screening tools assessing executive function, working memory, and emotional regulation (Van Herwegen, 2024) were adopted alongside periodic reassessments. Integrating teacher, caregiver, and learner self-reports captured less visible manifestations.
These initiatives aligned with the person-centred principles of the SEND Code of Practice (DfE & DoH, 2015) and Brookfield’s (2017) student lens of reflection, ensuring learners’ voices informed diagnostic and pedagogical decisions. Termly reviews combining qualitative and quantitative data on progress, engagement, and emotional well-being fostered a culture of distributed responsibility for inclusion. Such reflective leadership demonstrates how critical reflection can transform recognition systems and mitigate gendered bias.
Gendered Presentation and Educational Outcomes
Gender influences not only recognition but also the manifestation and consequences of SpLDs. Boys with dyslexia often exhibit overt decoding deficits, producing visible literacy challenges and lower attainment (Snowling, 2013). Similarly, boys with dyspraxia display poor handwriting and coordination, leading to frustration and disengagement (Cousins and Smyth, 2003).
Girls’ difficulties, however, tend to be more subtle. Dyslexic girls often struggle with sequencing and comprehension rather than decoding, while girls with dyspraxia face planning and organisational issues despite competent literacy (Hill and Brown, 2013; Quinn and Wagner, 2015). As these challenges rarely disrupt classroom routines, they often go unnoticed. Delayed recognition compounds educational disadvantage; late identification increases disengagement risk, particularly among learners marginalised by socio-economic or care-related factors (Stentiford et al., 2023).
Within residential care, disrupted schooling and inconsistent oversight further delay diagnosis (Sebba et al., 2015; Berridge, 2012). Hence, gendered presentation intersects with structural inequality, producing intersectional barriers (Crenshaw, 1989) that reinforce exclusionary outcomes.