Processing problems??

[Steffanyace]

Here is one of those things that just baffles me. We were reviewing states and capitals. i say the capital, and he gives the state. My conversation with ds today.

 

Me: Trenton (he knows this one well)

Ds: New Jersey

Me: Hartford

Ds: Conneticut

Me: Albany

Ds: New Jersey

Me: New Jersey only goes with Trenton. Albany.

Ds: New Jersey.

Me: Say Trenton New Jersey 5 times.

Ds: (says it five times)

Me: Albany

Ds: New Jersey

Me: Let's write it down 5 times.

 

 

Okay, is this normal? He is ADHD, so he gets mentally distracted. I'm pretty good at recognizing those moments. He genuinely is putting effort into answering (although it isn't 100% of his effort). He has these monents were I just explain something, and he can't retrieve the information. I know he gets it. It is times like this that i wonder if it is more than just immaturity. Could there be processing issues going on. I don't remember ever having those kind of issues in school.

[PeterPan]

Not sure it's a hard and fast rule, but yeah he probably has processing speed lower than his IQ. Should be in your test scores, if you dig around. If his diagnosis was by a ped and not a psych, then it would help you to get that fuller information from the testing. If you already had it, should be in the scores.

 

As far as the actual task, you have my head spinning and I don't have adhd. Jeffrey Freed (Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World) claims all adhd kids are right-brained and VSL. So for what it's worth, you're using what is probably his weakest modality (assuming no vision problems to hinder his VSL strengths) and doing it with info that has no context or connection to him at all. You'd probably get farther if you got football helmet pictures for all the football teams and memorized where they are. Teams usually play in the capitals. Then you'd have visual and something that meant something to him. Print the images kinda small and pin them on a map. Just sayin'.

[Faithr]

I get like this! I'll get the wrong answer stuck in my head! And then every time I have to go check to make sure because I just can't recall which answer was right. I think you might be reinforcing the wrong answer the way you are doing it. Instead of correcting him just say 'wrong' and keep going through the answers he knows. After he's done then ask him to look up what the right answer is himself. But when you keep trying to reinforce at the time when the brain is going blip, blip, blip it just frustrates the situation.

[AnIslandGirl]

When he got it wrong the first time I would have said something like, "Oops, it's New what?" pause to see if they self correct and if not, "Remember, it's Albany New York. Say or write it a few times so you remember."

[Steffanyace]

I asked my hubby since he is also ADD. He had the same problem learning issues. He would blank out on answers he knew and with the way he compartmentalizes information, he would recall the wrong answers even after being explained too. Could there be some benefit from auditory therapy with that, or is just the physiology of the brain from being ADD?

 

DS is definitely right brain, and I am left brained. It takes a lot of work on my part to see school from a right-brain point of view. I feel like a do a good job most of the time, but sometimes it just doesn't register with me until there is a problem. I've read a bunch of ADD books including Right-Brained Child in a Left-Brained World.

 

I did have ds tested by a psyc at the local university. I don't recall the processing being tested, but I will look again. He was high average on most everything. He was above average on some things and very superior in one area. I can't remember the name of that area, but it was the one were he had to redraw the picture. I'm pretty sure it was the visual-special. He was pretty tired by the end of the day when we did the testing, and I know he wasn't able to put a lot of effort into it like he is capable. Half way through testing we would not do school those days, and that made a big difference. We are also in the middle of vision therapy for eye tracking problems. I'd be curious what he would test if we had it to do over again.

 

I'll ask ds and see if he wants to do it another way. I think we will make some flash cards and see if that makes a difference too.

[LaughingCat]

When he got it wrong the first time I would have said something like, "Oops, it's New what?" pause to see if they self correct and if not, "Remember, it's Albany New York. Say or write it a few times so you remember."

I agree with this. I think you got stuck on trying to show him that logically New Jersey can't be the state for Albany because he already said it. All your helps/corrections were based on getting him to see that logic. But that's just a way self-check for whether you are right or not, not a way to find the correct answer - and if he's already struggling (tired/distracted) then giving more information that he needs to try and keep in working memory (i.e. states he's already said) is going to hurt not help.

 

Instead I would take the mistake to mean you need to work on getting stronger link in his head between Albany and New York, rather than trying to get him to use an alternate method for checking correctness. That said, I've gotten side-tracked on trying to teach ways to self-check like that when I'm really trying to test/train memory FAR too many times unfortunately.

[Steffanyace]

 

Instead I would take the mistake to mean you need to work on getting stronger link in his head between Albany and New York, rather than trying to get him to use an alternate method for checking correctness. That said, I've gotten side-tracked on trying to teach ways to self-check like that when I'm really trying to test/train memory FAR too many times unfortunately.

 

 

That's interesting that you say that. I have noticed that he glazes over if I give him too long of an explanation at times. I try to avoid it, but being left brained, it just comes out. I love the logical approach to things and have to remember it is not his style.

[geodob]

Given that he has strong visual-spatial thinking, perhaps he could learn them in a way suits him?

Where he learns how to locate states and capitals on a map.

So that when you ask him a state/ capital question?

That he can locate them on a mental map.

 

If he gets one wrong ? Rather than telling him the correct answer, have him find it on the map?

So that next you ask him, he recalls it on his mental map.