Our student in a court school is 16. She has a “severe deficit in auditory processing and sequential memory.” I know she does struggle with reading, maybe around 3rd grade (this needs more assessment) and math (maybe 5th, she is starting “order of operations”) . She is in a program for kids who experience extreme difficulty in their comprehensive high schools. (kid came to school with a weapon, sold drugs on campus, attendance problems, etc.) So she is in a classroom with one teacher and the same group of classmates all day. She also receives pull out RSP services weekly from myself.
What are the suggested interventions and strategies?
Thanks, John
Re: Teen Girl: Severe deficit in auditory processing & s
Anitya’s suggestions are good- I would add that oral reading, especially if you can get her to read the same passage a few times, so that she can achieve 90% or better accuracy, would be good too. You may want to write some of your own text for her to read- with older students, I found that I could write text that they were able to read without it looking like baby text- I could control the vocabulary so that it was challenging but fair.You might want to work with having her write and read her own pieces also (you scribe or coach her- however it needs to happen)- and pull the word analysis stuff from there. Be sequential in your presentation of Word Attack skills and it doesn’t matter where you GET the words.
In terms of supporting her processing deficits, provide lots of visual cues for information that she needs to listen to (posters, movies, slides, graphic organizers), speak more slowly than you might normally- rate of presentation can cause overload just as fast as quantity, cluster logical points together and present them sequentially, limit how much new stuff you present at one time, and make sure you activate whatever background knowledge she has about a given topic before you present new learning.
I assume that you have systems in place for supporting this child emotionally as much as she will allow? Arguably, her emotional stuff is a bigger impediment to her learning than any processing deficits she has. You have a difficult job-especially since you may not have her very long- good luck!
Robin
Re: Teen Girl: Severe deficit in auditory processing & s
Dear John
I am A Canadian University student studinying in the field of Disabilities and i too have a servere challenge in Auditory Difficulties and with memory difficulties……. From my own experiences i have found that i must use many different tools ……… such as note takers.or if you wish to call them scribes and i also recieve my information on tape…… when not in the classroom setting….. I also use specialised adaptive software in my computer, which does the reading for me, Its called the Kurtzwell system. as you know Central Auditory sound Processing Deficits…… can affect all areas of communication. Please feel free to contact me if you require any additional in formation at a greater deapth.
Respectfuly Daniel:
Student Disability Advocate
I think you need to work at the level of her disability. You can administer more testing. CTOPP (Comprehensive TEst of Phonological Processing) will assess more than one area, including rapid naming. INdeed, some of our students do have severe LDs in multiple areas. Then I recommend using letter tiles, etc. and starting at the basics, if necessary, to teach her to segment, sequence and blend sounds into words. Practice this daily, gradually increase difficulty. Model how this is done, do it together. IN time, with lots of help, students do improve (they may not become “normal”). I have had students make huge gains in this manner and I have also had students make more modest gains.