Exam Pass Notes

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Use these notes to revise the key points before the assessment.

Memory spine: Notice, Slow, Simplify, Support, Record, Escalate

• Notice: look for barriers to communication, access, sensory comfort, choice, health or signs of distress.
• Slow: allow extra time; avoid rushing the person through unfamiliar tasks.
• Simplify: use plain language, give one step at a time and offer fewer choices.
• Support: involve companions appropriately while keeping the person central.
• Record: note helpful adjustments in the approved place and hand them over to colleagues.
• Escalate: report changes in health, safeguarding concerns, consent issues, distress or clinical risk promptly.

Learning disability basics

• A learning disability is lifelong, starts before adulthood and affects understanding, learning and everyday tasks.
• It differs from a specific learning difficulty, autism, dementia or mental illness, although these can co-exist.
• Support needs vary; do not assume dependence or independence from appearance or behaviour.
• A diagnosis or label does not remove the person's rights, preferences or ability to express views.

Communication and adjustments

• Use plain language, short explanations and visual prompts. Offer Easy Read materials where available and allow extra processing time.
• Check understanding by asking the person to explain or demonstrate, not by relying on a quick yes, nod or smile.
• Reasonable adjustments include quieter appointment times, specific seating, reduced waiting, accessible information, familiar routines and recorded preferences.
• Passports and adjustment notes only help if staff consult and use them in practice.

Optical tasks and choices

• Explain pre-screening, measurements, imaging, frame choice, collection and adjustments one step at a time.
• Ask permission before touch or close-contact tasks and stop if the person appears uncomfortable.
• Reduce choice overload by offering fewer frame or lens options at a time.
• Call a registrant for clinical advice, interpretation of results, urgency or risk concerns.

Carers, privacy and escalation

• Supporters can assist with communication and routine, but keep the patient at the centre of decision-making.
• Do not assume companions can receive all information or make decisions without consent or legal authority.
• Having a learning disability does not automatically mean the person lacks capacity to make decisions.
• Avoid diagnostic overshadowing: changes in behaviour, refusal or distress may indicate pain, fear, sensory overload, eye problems or safeguarding issues.