dyslexia and overlearning

[caedmyn]

Does the need for overlearning apply to life in general for a dyslexic (such as learning/remembering how to do q chore properly) or is it limited to academics?

[TheReader]

Based solely on my observations of my son, who also has other LDs, yes, he requires repetition or "overlearning" in all things, especially things that occur regularly but not frequently. For ex, what to do with an empty milk jug (does he put it in the trash, or recycling bin, and does he rinse it or not). Since this is something that happens sometimes, his brain doesn't hang onto the info. Similarly things like telling time, months of the year, days of the week, etc. 

Whether that's the dyslexia or the other stuff, I don't know. 

[PeterPan]

Or you could ask whether the executive function and language deficits of the dyslexia are affecting his ability to do those everyday tasks... For instance my ds has trouble with narrative language and sequencing and has trouble with tasks in life with sequencing. If a dc is requiring significant or unusual supports to do a task, then yes I would assume it goes back to some aspect of their disabilities and I would give those supports. In my ds' case, academics are sometimes easier than real life.

[kbutton]

I am going to say yes. I don't know many people with dyslexia that don't have ADHD, so it could be the ADHD thing cropping up that is so common with dyslexia vs. a dyslexic trait. 

 

[Heathermomster]

I say no...My son has been very good at teaching himself things he wants to know, and he has areas of giftedness.  EF makes things challenging, but he’s matured.  Is overlearning the same as growing up?

Edited March 20, 2019 by Heathermomster

[Pen]

Not to all things.  Not even to all academics. But yes to some nonacademics.  

ETA above is re my child.

every person with dyslexia is unique.

Edited March 21, 2019 by Pen

[Storygirl]

DD13 most likely also has undiagnosed ADHD. She is the only person I can base my answer on, and so I say yes, she needs more practice on chores than average. Part of this may be memory related, but I think more of it is due to EF and rushing through tasks. When called back to redo something so that it is correct, she CAN do the task. It is not that she has not learned how. But she does not do it adequately on a regular basis. A little example -- she puts items into the dishwasher any way that they land, instead of placing them properly, and she does this just about every time. When called back to correct it, she is able. She just did not apply the skill in the moment.

[SKL]

I don't think so.  The people in my family who have dyslexia also have areas where they were literally naturals.  Like playing music by ear, engineering / electronics, cooking....  They are good at math and great at science, despite having less education than many.

[hepatica]

For many tasks that certainly seems true for my dyslexic kids. I have also noticed that they can have mastery over something (like a piece of music, for example), but have trouble retrieving it from memory.  But, once they get started, it all comes completely back to them. It's weird in a neat and interesting way.

I recently watched this conference presentation by Laurie Cutting from Vanderbilt who studies the neurobiology of dyslexia. It gave me a whole new understanding of the role of executive function in learning disabilities. It's about an hour long conference presentation, but completely fascinating and enlightening. 

[Heathermomster]

I’m going to amend my original answer.  Chores... I had to manage my expectations and break tasks down. When my son worked with the CBT for executive functioning, the therapist explained that compromised working memory and processing speed affect my son’s ability to follow directions. These individuals require more time, brain maturity, and consistency.  Generally speaking, most kids love their parents and want to please them. Certain tasks are just very difficult for them, but they can learn over time with appropriate instruction.

When my DS was in the 6th grade, he turned very difficult, and I distinctly recall DH and I doubling down on him.  Son’s issues involved speaking unkindly and not acknowledging us when we spoke to him.  DH and I both noted the attitude change and worked with him for about 3 weeks before DS started complying again.

I mentally separate ability from attitude, which I consider a heart issue.  Heart issues affect every aspect of a person’s being.  

Anyways, I recommend you be mindful of their attitude, your attitude, and be consistent.  Yes, they might take far longer than you expect to learn a chore.  Maybe come up with a simple rewards system.  For my mental health and attitude, I started meeting friends for coffee on Thursday evenings when DS was about 13yo.  My eldest sibling, grandmother, and family pet died within 6 weeks of us starting to full time homeschool.  It was rough.  I also set aside 1 hour per week and spoke with a homeschooling friend by phone.  Now, I periodically meet 3 friends for Sat. morning breakfast.  DH fully supports my time out since he understands that I’m essentially alone in my head most of the week.

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2019 by Heathermomster

[MysteryJen]

My dsylexic dd2 does not have ADHD, but she is a slow processor, so learning to do something has to happen slowly or one piece at a time. But once it is learned, things are done well and with attention.

Interestingly, she hates lists. They "stress her out." I think because they involve reading and writing things down. She does better with talking out loud to her Google Home and manages things like that.

She does chores, is organized, and is a very good driver- but I never underestimate the effort involved with those things. Homework OR chores. Both cannot happen on the same day. Swim meets OR homework. Once I figured that out, life was easier with her.

[Heathermomster]

Amen to one task at a time.

For a time, I would give my son a list of chores to do.  Instead of completing one chore at a time, he would bounce between activities and ultimately get nothing done.  I had to work with him to stop that.  There is a term for that, and it’s called divided attention.   So absolutely, pick one task to be completed at a time .

[PeterPan]

Now see my dd is a whirling dervish and LOVES doing lots of things at once! To me that one thing at a time is more spectrumy. The shifting is your EF piece and the ability to shift. So when someone is resisting it and really uncomfortable handling multiple things at once and is actively saying leave me alone, I just do one thing at a time, that's different. 

In general, whether it's ADHD or ASD or not diagnosed as anything, the usual advice is structure. So you take the structure as high as they need it to succeed. If they need to see the steps of the task printed out on a paper with pictures, you give them the steps of the task on a paper as pictures. As they begin to do the task with the support, you can fade the support (pictures to words, words to alarms, etc.).

Edited March 22, 2019 by PeterPan