Proofreading is the final step before submitting a piece of writing. For neurodivergent students, it can also be one of the hardest. Dyslexia can make it difficult to spot errors your brain has auto-corrected. ADHD can make it hard to sustain the careful, slow attention the task requires. And after the effort of writing, your cognitive reserves are often already depleted.

This guide explains why proofreading matters and offers strategies that work well for neurodivergent learners.

Why proofread?

Proofreading is genuinely harder if you’re neurodivergent, and it’s worth being honest about that. The goal here isn’t to produce perfect writing. It’s to make sure the quality of your ideas isn’t obscured by surface errors that readers or markers might trip over.

• Impact - your arguments and ideas are what matter. Errors don’t undermine the ideas themselves, but they can distract the reader from them. Proofreading helps your work land the way you intended.

• Your ideas get the credit they deserve - markers are supposed to assess your thinking, not your typing. But surface errors can, in practice, make it harder for them to follow your argument. A clean draft gives your ideas the best chance of being read and rewarded on their own terms.

• Clarity - proofreading ensures your document communicates clearly, catching mistakes that can confuse readers. It also helps you avoid accidental academic malpractice by catching missed citations.

Submitting work you’ve checked carefully lets you feel confident in what you’ve handed in.

Proofreading strategies

Take a break

Distance yourself from the text before proofreading. After writing, your brain fills in what you meant to write rather than what you actually wrote. Take a few hours away, ideally overnight. When you do proofread, break it into 20-30-minute sessions. Sustained attention is one of the hardest things to maintain if you have ADHD or are fatigued, so shorter focused sessions work better than one long push.

Find a friend

Swapping work with a friend, even someone on a different course, can help. A reader who doesn’t know the work will spot where your meaning is unclear and see errors you’ve become blind to through familiarity. This is especially useful if reading your own writing back is difficult for you.

Use assistive technology

Spelling and grammar checkers are a legitimate tool, not a cheat. Grammarly and Microsoft Word’s Editor can catch a lot. You still need to review suggestions manually, as software won’t catch correctly spelt but misused words, or errors in names and facts.

Read it back aloud or use text-to-speech

Reading aloud forces you to slow down and process each word rather than skimming. It’s one of the most effective proofreading strategies for dyslexic students because it shifts reading from visual to auditory processing, making it easier to hear where something doesn’t sound right.

If reading aloud is difficult, use text-to-speech instead. Microsoft Word has a built-in Read Aloud function, and NaturalReader is a free option. Listening to your work read back to you can surface errors and awkward sentences you’d miss on screen.

Print it out

Reading on paper catches errors that screen reading misses. Print your work and mark it up with a pen. Some students find that printing on pastel-coloured paper reduces visual stress and makes reading easier. If you use coloured overlays for reading, the same principle applies here. Experiment to find what works for you.

Change the font

If printing isn’t an option, change your font before proofreading. A different font makes familiar text look new to your eyes and helps you read more carefully. Change it back before submitting.

One thing at a time

Trying to catch every type of error in a single read-through is hard for anyone, and harder still if your attention drifts or your working memory is stretched. Read through your work several times, focusing on one thing at a time:

• Spelling: typos and incorrect homophones

• Punctuation: sentence breaks, commas, apostrophes

• Grammar: consistent tense and subject-verb agreement

• Referencing: citations present and correctly formatted

Breaking it down this way reduces cognitive load and makes each pass more manageable.

The final stage

Do one last read from start to finish, focusing on overall flow. Edits often introduce new errors, so this final check matters.

Once you’re satisfied, submit. You’ve done the work.