Does anyone have experience with this specific LD? After many false starts it have been determined that my son’s LD is that of “retrieval fluency” meaning he cannot cold recall stored information speedily. Multiple choice questions are no problem but tests are not always in that format. Cueing works but is not permitted on “real” tests (that is considered an unfair advantage). Is there any GOOD remediation? Giving him extra time only works if he is not told that the test is a “timed ” test to begin with - he will just guess to get completed in the alotted time and never consider asking for more time. I believe this will become more of an issues as he gets to the higher grades (he’s now in 3rd) and we’d like to do whatever we can to help him suceed. Despite this, he is working at grade level although much of his class is above grade level (private school). Thanks for any suggestions.
I tried a search for this topic on this board but didn’t get any hits.
Re: CAMS for retrieval fluency
My NLD son has retrieval problems too. A routine accomodation his teachers use is a word bank on tests. They do this for all the kids, not just him.
Karen
Re: CAMS for retrieval fluency
Beth, I don’t know if it is the same thing as word retrieval and I am not sure what a “word bank” is. The tests/assignments that he has significant trouble with usually require more than a one word answer, such as “How is the Iditerod different from the Rondy?” or “What was the origin of the Eskimo blanket toss?” (actual questions from recent assignment). He said that he didn’t know the answers but when I guided him through the questions by asking other questions, he was able to come up with the correct answers. * Are there any strategies that a child with this disability can learn to help “self-cue”? * His teacher, while a lovely women who is trying to be helpful, doesn’t quite get it and clearly doesn’t understand the amount of time and effort he has to put into completing such an assignment. He is essentially searching and sorting through piles of “unlabeled” information in an effort to find a specific “file” which he does recognize when he sees. Obviously I’m not always going to be able to help him. ?ideas?
Thanks!
Re: CAMS for retrieval fluency
Susan,
A word bank is a list of possible answers to questions. You are right. It won’t help with questions that are more analytical like compare and contrast.. You could insist though that in a testing situation that open ended questions like “What was the origin of the Eskimo blanket toss?” be grouped together with a word bank. Unless, and I am not sure from the question, the teacher is expecting a several sentence answer.
How old is your son? I seem to recall that he is in 3rd grade. My daughter had similar assignments in third grade (my son,at a less challenging school, thank God does not). She is not LD but had a very hard time with such assignments. I think it is hard for them to think in terms of comparisons. I tried to talk her through it and helped her make lists. Eventually she internalized the process.
If these are assignments at home in which he can use a book, I would teach him how to search for information in a text. I wouldn’t make him try to think of it on his own. In other words, teach him a structured approach for answering questions.
In third grade I think my daughter got study guides for tests. Can you get such things for your son? Then maybe you could make up some test questions to help him practice. I would think practice would help, although it won’t make the process as easy as for other kids. I suspect your son’s LD is making this process worse but such assignments are a challenge to most bright 3rd grade children.
Speech and language therapy can help kids learn to access their “files” more easily.
Beth
Re: CAMS for retrieval fluency
Beth,
Could you explain , briefly, how speech/language therapy is helpful? None of the professionals I’ve worked with here have suggested it. Thanks
Re: CAMS for retrieval fluency
Susan,
This might be the site that Robin is referring to. It also will help you see if we are talking about the same sort of problem. I haven’t heard the term “retrieval fluency” but rather word retrieval. But that might be because my son has been through language evaluations.
http://www.wordfinding.com/characteristics.html#top
We have also seen improvements with Neuronet therapy.
I also wonder if some of the exercises in the book Lanaguage Wise by the McGuinesses might not help. I haven’t used it yet but there is stuff in there using categories.
Beth
Re: CAMS for retrieval fluency
My son ( now in 5th grade) has word retrieval difficulties. His Speech teacher suggested that we play a lot of word recall games like old fashioned categories or now Scategories, Outburst, etc. Also that we play word games in the car like “I’m going on a camping trip and I’m taking….and each person has to remember what the other people said and then add something.
None of the games are easy for my son but they have clearly helped improve his word retrieval. It can’t hurt and if you vary the games and play them as a family, it can even be fun!
Academically I have seen the word finding issue most impacting my son’s writing where it shows up as simple word choices and not much elaboration. This too can be improved through writing exercises.
My son doesn’t have trouble with taking tests as he has a good visual memory and studies for tests by reviewing the material and rewriting it, if necessary, to retain it. Extra time on tests hasn’t proven useful as he hates to be “different”.
Good luck!
Re: CAMS for retrieval fluency
Debbie,
Thanks for the tips. I can see how these games would be useful and, of course, they are not “studying” so they should be fun. My son has a similar problem with written expression and we are starting a writing exercise program that was suggested. Hoping for the best and thanks to all for their comments and suggestions.
Is this the same thing as word retrieval? I know one accomodation is a word bank when fill in the blank questions are used.
Beth