Helping improve retention?

[Michelle T]

My DS is 11.5. He has ADHD, very poor visual processing, very poor working memory, issues with fine motor control, dysgraphia, poor visual/spatial processing. His receptive language is quite a bit better than his expressive.

 

So, having said all that.... his comprehension and retention are very poor. I have dealt with the comprehension by using materials that are lower grade level, and designed for special ed kids, but still struggle with his lousy retention.

 

Are there any tips I can teach him to remember information better? It drives me crazy to read him something, ask him about what I just read, and he has no idea. Or spend a month on a topic, and two months later, he doesn't even remember that he ever even heard of it, much less remember anything about it.

 

To complicate things, he is VERY resistant to anything involving art, games, lapbooking, or watching educational videos or computer programs. He hates any hands-on learning.

 

Is there any help for me?

Michelle T

[Pam H]

Michelle,

 

No help, but you just described my 12yo ds. :001_huh:

[Claire]

Have you considered using therapies designed to reduce deficits in visual processing, working memory, etc.? I am thinking of things such as occupational therapy, vision therapy, PACE or LearningRx, IdeaChain, that sort of thing. The ideal way of improving comprehension would be to start by reducing the underlying deficits as much as possible.

[Michelle T]

Have you considered using therapies designed to reduce deficits in visual processing, working memory, etc.? I am thinking of things such as occupational therapy, vision therapy, PACE or LearningRx, IdeaChain, that sort of thing. The ideal way of improving comprehension would be to start by reducing the underlying deficits as much as possible.

 

 

Yes, I am also going to look into cognitive improvement. But $$$$ is very tight, so I need programs that can be done at home.

 

In the meantime, I am hoping to find specific techniques for improving academic performance.

Michelle T

[Laurie4b]

I may not be able to completely answer right now, but if not, I'll try to come back later and finish.

 

1. Break down things into small enough chunks that he is successful at remembering. You say that it drives you crazy to read him something and he has no idea about what you just read. In that case, I'd break it down into the smallest chunk possible and make a "chain" of memory. Read a sentence, and ask him to summarize, then read 2 and ask him to summarize. Each time you add a new sentence, you're taxing his working memory a bit, but you will have just re-imprinted it with the info from before with the chain of summarizing. (Note: he can drop facts as he goes as long as he retains the main ideas.)

 

2. Check the environment to make sure it's optimal for his attention. Is he an ADHD kid who needs some movement in order to attend? (Many are). Let him sit on an exercise ball, or hold a fidget, or chew gum, or all of the above. If he gets visually distracted, you can use one of those trifold display boards as a screen. Some kids with ADHD actually pay better attention with a little white noise in the background. You may need to experiment, or your son may already know.

 

3. Preview material with him. If it's written, look at the title and any subtitles. Talk with him about what clues they contain about what will be important. This is something to look for when choosing curriculum for him. Material that contains clues as to what is important will be helpful. If you are presenting material orally only, preview for him the main ideas before you start. Then let him listen.

 

3. When you're reading, work with your son to figure out the way for him to retain key info. The "breaking it down into chunks and chaining" is one way. Other ways (which could be used in conjunction with the chaining) would be to 1) Let him have his own copy of what you are reading and allow him to underline key words, or put one of those "Post it" arrow thingees next to what is important. That way, he can see what you're reading, hear what you're reading, and highlight the key points. A very common accomodation for kids with active working memory problems is to allow them to write in their texts. You can teach him to do this lightly in pencil so that it can be erased. Or he can do it on a Post it note and leave it in the text. You teach him to write the key things AS he goes along.

 

4. Slow down to speed up. If he is having problems retaining, you will go faster if you present new material about 50% of the time and review about 50% of the time. I used to homeschool a foster dd with this issue. In math, I'd present new stuff MWF or TTH. On the alternate days, she'd do a review sheet of one of each type of problem we'd covered. That way, there was no more than 48 hours since she'd last seen it. If she got one wrong because she forgot how to do it (not just for a random error), I'd cover that more in depth again.

 

5. Use overteaching for drilling basic facts. You can use this for spelling, math facts, geog facts, whatever. In overteaching, a child is presented with the fact each day until he gets it right 5 days in a row. Once he gets it right 5 days in a row, he's presented with it 3 weeks in a row. Once he gets it right 3 weeks in a row, he is presented with it 3 months in a row. If, at ANY point in the process, he misses the fact, it goes back to day 1. Eventually, it will be in permanent memory.

 

There. I think I did finish. Hope this helps. Has your son been evaluated for nonverbal learning disability? You've described several markers for that and it is often mistaken for ADHD, especially early on. If, in addition to what you've described, there is a split in the verbal and spatial reasoning part of the IQ and the verbal is higher, and there are issues with social skills, that might be something to have evaluated. In that case, using lots of verbal mediation is necessary for retention.

[Michelle T]

I may not be able to completely answer right now, but if not, I'll try to come back later and finish.

 

There. I think I did finish. Hope this helps. Has your son been evaluated for nonverbal learning disability? You've described several markers for that and it is often mistaken for ADHD, especially early on. If, in addition to what you've described, there is a split in the verbal and spatial reasoning part of the IQ and the verbal is higher, and there are issues with social skills, that might be something to have evaluated. In that case, using lots of verbal mediation is necessary for retention.

 

Thanks, you've given me many helpful tips! I definitely think I'm going to have him write or underline important words in books. We do quite a bit of review already, so I'm sticking with that. I also do need to ask him to narrate what I read far more frequently, maybe every paragraph or so, rather than every chapter.

 

I use some curriculum that gives chapter summaries and important words up front, I'm going to stress reading that information first.

 

The educational psychologist did say that he could be considered to have NVLD, based on his high verbal scores and very low visual scores. He does have some social issues too. He does NOT have the good rote memory skills that most kids with NVLD have, which is why I always discounted that diagnosis for him. He is also quite ADHD, as is DH.

 

Thanks, all great information from everyone here!

Michelle T

[mcconnellboys]

Things we're using with good success with our teen son this past year include a good multi-vitamin with biotics; fish oil capsules; selenium; and B12 tabs.