TEA4104 Lecture 10

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TEA4104 Lecture 10

• Cognitive Delay and
• Learning Difficulties

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Objectives Lecture 10

• Awareness of potential reasons for cognitive
  delay or learning difficulty
• Defining characteristics of major forms of
  learning challenge or delay
• Relating characteristics to differentiation of
  curriculum and pedagogy

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Cognitive Delay Impairment

• Related to genetically determined syndrome
• Delay from birth injury/other known cause
• Non-specific delay with unknown cause
• Environmental delay

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Environmental Developmental Delay Effect of
Context

• Significant difference between home setting and
  centre/school style and expectations
• Home experience developing different skills from
  those valued in centre/school
• Language and conceptual differences
• Socio-cultural difference as deficit

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Supporting Children with Environmental Delays

• Emphasize language (including first language)
  concepts
• Childrens experience as basis for learning
• Respect for home ideas and customs

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Intellectual Impairment

• Ascertainment category for Education Queensland
  contexts
• Child may attend specialised program in addition
  to inclusive program
• Significant levels of cognitive challenge, very
  slow progress requiring IEP.

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Down Syndrome

• Second most frequent cause of cognitive delay.
  Genetic basis for syndrome
• Low muscle tone, protruding tongue, short
  stature, clubbed fingers, eye appearance, often
  heart or respiratory conditions
• Challenges in motor skill, speech and language,
  memory and speed of learning.

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Fragile X Syndrome

• Leading known cause of cognitive delay
• Characteristic appearance develops in adults-
  long face prominent jaw/forehead/ ears short
  stature. Familial genetic issue.
• Degeneration in adaptive behaviours e.g hand
  flapping, rocking, unusual speech.
• Range of cognitive ability

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Differentiated Curriculum

• Individual aims expectations
• Analysis and skill sequencing
• Individual style
• Self care conduct
• Language concepts

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Analysing and Sequencing

• Try out an experience to analyse sub-skills
• Organise the sub-skills in order of occurrence in
  the experience
• Observe the child to assess ability
• Teach any sub-skills with which the child appears
  to have difficulty

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Assisting with Communication

• Augmentive and alternative forms of communication
  e.g icon boards, signing
• Short simple sentences, key words emphasized
• Focussing childs attention

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Other Issues in Curriculum

• Self care may need to be specifically taught with
  dolls, dressing boards, etc
• May need modeling of words to use in social
  situations ( e.g. key functional words)
• Structured self-correcting teaching materials as
  well as other play items
• Clearly defined purposes for experiences

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Modifying Teaching Strategies

• Structure in learning environment
• Small group work and peer modeling
• Visually concrete start and finish of tasks
• Limit array of materials at once

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Learning Difficulties

• Child overall development appears close to
  average in most respects, or may be above
• Specific areas of delay or challenge which create
  concerns in centre/school
• Literacies and numeracy concerns as core aspects
  of challenge at school

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Indicators in Young Children

• Very uneven development with no obvious reason
  such as home experience
• Delays in auditory processing, short term memory,
  language use
• Challenges in some visual perceptions
• Concentration, perseveration, conduct.
• Motor control and coordination issues

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Supporting Early Development

• Consistent limits, clear directions, positive
  reinforcement for approximations
• Give one direction at a time, repeat
  instructions, allow time to comply
• Use multiple modalities for learning, and
  concrete experiences.
• External support for specific areas e.g. OT

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Emphasis in Program for L.D.

• Locomotor, non-locomotor and manipulative areas
• Perceptual awareness esp. auditory visual
• Vocabulary , language comprehension, use i.e.
  language pragmatics

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Assessing LD and Planning Support Programs

• Teacher observations and profiling of childrens
  progress.
• Year 2 Net process in schools
• Appraisement process in Education Queensland
  schools
• External advice e.g. guidance

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Literacies Difficulties

• Comprehension of print and images
• Phonological processing
• Mismatch between childs learning needs and
  classroom style
• Poor teaching/learning experiences/strategies

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Support with Literacies

• Individually relevant reading material
• Assistance with sound-symbol connection
• Red-Text enhancement, visual cues,vocabulary,
  strategies (e.g. prediction).
• Write- Idea generation, text organisation,
  peer-editing, teacher modeling, think-aloud
• Reading Recovery, Support a Reader, Support a
  Writer progams

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Numeracy Difficulties

• Role of anxiety in numeracy problems
• Literacy issues in numeracy problems
• Systematic errors misunderstandings
• Insecure concepts e.g. number sense, words,
  meaning of symbols

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Supporting Numeracy

• Improve self confidence/ sense of success
• Work through childs cognitive style or preferred
  approach
• Clarify patterns in processes and quantities
• Clarify vocabulary and concepts
• Support- a - Maths Learner Number, Maths Recovery
  programs .

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Emotional Issues in Cognition

• Outlets for frustration e.g. rhythm, swing,
  water, movement.
• Positive reinforcement for small progress
• Achievable goals and experiences
• Child interests catered

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Family Concerns and Cognition

• Coordination with the home e.g. form of
  communication, expectations.
• Negative attitudes in centre/school
• Support in accessing pediatric and therapy (
  e.g. OT, speech language)
• Government services eg. Dept of Families
• Parent self-help groups