Understanding Will - Part 1. What is he talking about?

This is the first in a series of blog posts that have helped Will develop learning and organizational strategies that have helped him succeed both academically and socially. A short introduction to this series of posts can be found here.

Will said:

I start to say something, maybe in answer to a question, to put forward an idea, but then I forget the rest of what I want to say. My mind suddenly goes blank so I repeat what I have already said or say something completely irrelevant.

What is going on in Will's brain?

1. Will has to encode and manipulate task relevant information, holding on to it whilst he processes it and transforms it into spoken words. This is a complex, cognitive activity and places high demands on his working memory.

2. Will finds it difficult to switch attentional focus whilst simultaneously and actively maintaining relevant information in his long-term memory. As he struggles to switch attention some information may become inaccessible and he "forgets" what he wants to say.

3. Will develops the automatic strategy of immediately voicing both his relevant and irrelevant thoughts to prevent "forgetting."

The impact:

• Will remains in the lower stages of attentional maturity and is unable to manipulate relevant information whilst keeping all the information in mind.

• He is forced to guess or to simply abandon tasks and struggles to demonstrate his knowledge and understanding orally.

Strategies that help Will learn:

(some are more suited to some curriculum areas than others)

• Give Will opportunities to familiarize himself with content prior to lessons. e.g. read focus texts ahead of lessons.

• Provide Will with a printed copy of key questions that will be asked prior to the session, indicating their order by a number or symbol.

• Provide Will with time to prepare and rehearse responses, create visual prompts, e.g. cue cards.

• Allow Will time to respond to a question. Allow at least 10 seconds for Will to process what is being asked and formulate a response before repeating the question or simplifying it to support him.

• Provide Will with opportunities to record his responses, e.g. on a Dictaphone, or to give his response to a learning partner to say.

• Allow Will to convey his ideas and understanding in other ways, e.g. through musical notation, drawings or diagrams, movement or gesture.

• Introduce processes and facts in a structured, cumulative and multi-sensory way, discussing/demonstrating their relevance to prior learning.

Will has been lucky, most of his teachers and lecturers have been more than willing to use these learning strategies, many of which have involved more lesson preparation on their part.

But we have had to be advocates for Will, ensuring that his educators know what help he needs to achieve his potential.

And now Will is older, he has developed self-esteem and has learnt how to be open about his learning differences and needs with lecturers and peers. He finds that being able to self-advocate helps others to understand and respect him as an individual.

And at home... We have all worked hard, although we do not always remember, to give Will processing time (time to understand the question we are asking or to process instructions). And just understanding that processing time is essential for Will, that he is not being purposefully defiant or awkward, has made the world of difference to our family life and more importantly, Will's.