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Cognitive Functioning and Psychological Processing

Definitions, Areas of Impact, and Recommended Strategies/Accommodations

Fluid Reasoning
Fluid reasoning is the ability to think flexibly and problem solve. This area of reasoning is most reflective of what we consider to be general intelligence. Gifted
students often have strong fluid reasoning skills.
Specifically, fluid reasoning refers to the mental operations that an individual uses when faced with a relatively novel task that cannot be performed automatically.
Fluid Reasoning includes nonverbal reasoning, sequential and quantitative reasoning, and categorical reasoning.

Sequential reasoning- the ability to start with stated rules, premises, or condition and to engage in one or more steps to reach a solution to a problem.
Quantitative reasoning- the ability to inductively and deductively reason with concepts involving mathematical relations and properties.

Areas of Difficulty/Academic Impact

General

Difficulty understanding relationships between new concepts

Difficulty generalizing or making connections between new material and
acquired knowledge
Limited problem solving skills in new and everyday situations
Difficulties seeing the big picture and how things relate to each other
Problems understanding and evaluating opinions/views of others
Problems troubleshooting and figuring out how things works

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General Strategies

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Explicitly teach multiple approaches to solving problems

Define relationships and connections between ideas in a concrete way
Provide analogies that the student can relate to
Provide opportunities to sort, classify, and categorize
Use teacher demonstrations with a think-aloud procedure followed by
guided practice with feedback
Make use of graphic organizers to assist in unifying information and
breaking information apart
Teach problem-solving strategies
Use cooperative groups and reciprocal teaching to help with perspective
taking and exposure to different problem solving methods
Integrate visual and verbal information to enhance learning
Use a problem solving planner that sequences the questions that need to

be asked when approaching a problem

Math

Math Strategies
Problems with a variety of concepts including number sense, estimation,
fractions, integers, etc.
Difficulty in applying math skills in different areas.
Difficulty with determining the best solution to a word problem
Difficulty representing a problem in an equation
Difficulty representing numbers or problems in a variety of ways

Reading/Reading Comprehension

Poor inferential/predictive skills while reading

Weak ability to grasp the main idea
Struggles with evaluating a writers point of view and purpose

Writing

Struggles with the establishment of a purpose and perspective when

writing
Difficulty organizing thoughts in a manner that will effectively
communicate ideas
Weaknesses within creative writing

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Model problem solving through talking aloud

Teach math mnemonic strategies that specifically identify the steps for
solving problems
Teach patterns and relationships such as skip-counting or patterns on
100s chart to help learn multiplication facts
Attach number-line to desk to help with number sense and pattern
recognition
Specifically teach the way a number or problem can be represented
Provide manipulatives in order to help make information concrete and less
abstract
Have students explain their strategies when problem solving to expand
solving options
Require the student to show their work

Reading/Reading Comprehension Strategies

Use graphic organizers to help summarize information

Model self-monitoring skills while reading, demonstrating how to stop and
ask oneself if material/words have been understood
Teach cues for identifying main ideas such as looking for transition words

Writing Strategies

Use graphic organizers to help sequence information for effective

communication
Model brainstorming for generation of ideas
Explicitly teach about genres and writing to an audience
Present models of good writing with guidance in determining why the

Difficulty taking the perspective of ones audience

writing was effective for its purpose

Accommodations

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Provide an outline of content to be covered in the lesson.

Adjust difficulty in level of materials to childs ability level Concepts
should be thoroughly explained with numerous examples.
Allot sufficient time for review and practice, as well as time to share and
discuss ideas.

Verbal Reasoning and Knowledge

(Crystallized Intelligence)
Verbal reasoning and knowledge generally reflects ones vocabulary and overall knowledge of the world. A variety of experiences and exposure to education
influences development in this area.
Specifically, verbal reasoning and knowledge refers to the breadth and depth of a persons acquired knowledge of a culture and the effective application of this
knowledge. It includes vocabulary development, verbal reasoning, language skills as well as the ability to listen, comprehend, and express oral communication.
Novel reasoning and problem solving; ability to reason, form concepts, and solve problems that often include novel information or procedures. It is basic
reasoning processes that depend minimally on learning and acculturation.
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General

General Strategies

Lack of background information to relate new material across subject

areas
Weak vocabulary that will impact listening and comprehension skills
Difficulty remembering facts due to lack of ability to relate the new
information to background knowledge
Gaps in skills across areas due to knowledge and acquisition being
dependent on exposure to information or specific curriculum
Difficulty drawing inferences
Problems finding main idea of passages
May provide off topic or "random" responses to questions
Difficulty generalizing ideas and vocabulary to new concepts
Difficulties with oral expression, including word retrieval and
organization of thoughts
Difficulty using precise language to effectively communicate ideas

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Repeat skills and vocabulary

Use mnemonics to help retrieve knowledge
Pre-teach vocabulary
Use a quick vocabulary book or reference wall
Relate information to prior knowledge
Chunk information
Create a language and experience rich environment (e.g., label items in the
house, name sights on the road, talk through activities, etc.)
Systematically teach new vocabulary
Teach key verbs, such as those in the GCCC, that appear in questions (e.g.,
demonstrate, analyze, synthesize)
Provide specific vocabulary instruction such as the meaning of common
prefixes, suffices, and root words
Incorporate interests and prior knowledge areas into instructional activities
When presenting directions and discussing concepts, use vocabulary that is

understood by the individual

Math

Math Strategies
Weaknesses in learning and identifying math vocabulary
Difficulty with word problems in general depending on the complexity
of language used
Difficulty determining operations in word problems
Problems understanding the relationships between number symbols
and words
Difficulty retrieving math facts due to the weaknesses in automatizing
the relationship between numbers and words

Reading/Reading Comprehension

Limited vocabulary will impact comprehension in a variety of ways

including inferencing, summarizing, grasping main idea, etc
Weak reading fluency because of poor word retrieval
Poor comprehension due to limited vocabulary and integration of
verbal concepts
May respond inappropriately by providing an answer that does not
match the question

Writing

Poor vocabulary can result in redundant word use during writing

Difficulty using expressive language
Limited content due to lack of exposure to various resources and
experiences

Teach math vocabulary

Convert story problems to visual representation
Teach synonyms for math vocabulary (e.g. sum = add = plus)

Reading/Reading Comprehension Strategies

Pre-teach vocabulary
Read for different purposes (including pleasure reading)

Writing Strategies

Use word bank

Use graphic organizers
Model brainstorm activities

Accommodations

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Provide copies of notes (During lecture to follow along or after class to

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

supplement student notes)

Provide outline or cloze notes for students to fill in.
Preferential seating to enhance monitoring of comprehension
Check in with the student to ensure comprehension of task demands
Use organizers when writing or reading to help expressive skills and
comprehension
Provide study guides
May need extended time for reading or writing tasks
Rephrase instructions or questions
Allow "think time" when responding to questions
Use visual aids (e.g., story maps, formulas, etc.)
Highlight key words or facts
Ensure that test items do not include vocabulary which has not been or is not
familiar to the student
Provide resources (create a language/vocabulary book) from which the
student can draw information for discussion or written expression
Provide oral communication that is individualized, clear, concise language,
and vocabulary that is comprehensible

Memory
Memory is the ability to store and recall information. Memory includes long-term, short-term and working memory.
Short-term Memory- The ability to recall information after a few seconds.
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General

General Strategies

Difficulty remembering multi-step verbal directions

Problems remembering a series of information
Difficulty with the initial mastery of material
Difficulty with vocabulary development
Problems copying information
Weaknesses in transferring information from source to source
Difficulty answering questions directly from text
Problems writing dictated information

Deliver information in smaller units or portions

Use multimodal presentation of information (visual, tactile, and auditory)
Use stepwise approach to studying
Use rehearsal strategies (e.g., rhymes, acronyms, anagrams, associations)
Model re-telling, paraphrasing, and summarizing
Use lists, notes, checklist, or memory plans
Teach chunking strategies

Accommodations

Allow the use of a number line or calculator

Provide copy of notes and outlines for notes
Write on tests or materials to eliminate transfer errors
Use repetition of instructions and information

Working Memory- Ability to temporarily store and perform a set of cognitive operations on information that requires divided attention and the management of
limited capacity of short-term memory. It is a conscious process that involves the manipulation of information. Working memory is one of the most fundamental
processes in learning.

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Through working memory, one connects input to output, as well as prior knowledge to new information. It thus affects one's ability to encode new information into
long-term memory in all areas.

Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General

Difficulty following multi-step directions

Failure to use strategies while studying
Difficulty paraphrasing and summarizing information
Difficulty with vocabulary development

Math

Difficulty with multi-step problems

Weaknesses with keeping track of steps within math problems (e.g.,,. long
division, equations)
Difficulties with mental math

Math Strategies

Reading/Reading Comprehension

Difficulty remembering sounds/words when decoding resulting in poor

reading fluency
Weak reading comprehension due to poor decoding skills which limit
overall memory resources
Low fluency due to poor monitoring of the context of words

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Provide a stepwise plan to follow during multiple-step problem solving or

procedures (e.g.,. during regrouping, division)
Verbalize while solving problems and summarize at strategic points
Teach use of a number line or calculator
Use mnemonic techniques (e.g. PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponents,
Multiply, Divide, Add, and Subtract for order of operations)
Provide visual model of multi-step problem
Explicitly teach a problem solving model (e.g., QDPAC: Question, Data,
Procedure, Answer, Check)
Use visual organizers

Reading/Reading Comprehension Strategies

Encourage automatization of sound-symbol associations

Build sight word vocabulary
During reading comprehension tasks, use active reading techniques such
as underlining, using a highlighter, re-reading, marking important parts,
writing on margins of books, using sticky notes while reading, reading to a

Problems with simultaneously remembering a comprehension question

and integrating information from the passage

Writing

Difficulty tracking what the student is writing

Problems organizing thoughts in writing
Problems integrating organization and grammar
Difficulties sequencing ideas

tape recorder and listening to what was read

Review prior knowledge before teaching new information
Check for comprehension at strategic points
Have students take turns making/asking questions and responding to
questions about material being taught
Use graphic organizers
Model self-monitoring for comprehension

Writing Strategies

Use graphic organizers

Have word bank available
Use a tape recorder to record ideas prior to writing them
Teach self-monitoring for organization and grammar
Assistive technology draft builder, co-writer

Accommodations

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Allow for use of a calculator, written formulas, or math fact list to decrease
the students need to rely on mental computations
Have fewer problems to complete, focusing on accuracy
Allow the use of a word processor for easier editing
Provide visual/written output of lectures so that the student can follow
along and take additional notes
Allow students to create a cheat sheet to be used during various
assessments
Attention cues, simplify directions & explanations; concept maps, color
code, parallel assignments, books on tape, copy of notes, written and
verbal assignments and directions

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Long-Term Memory and Retrieval

Memory is the ability to store and recall information. Memory includes short-term, long term, and working memory.
Ability to store information and fluently retrieve new or previously acquired information from long-term memory. Includes the ability to absorb newly presented
information and to demonstrate subsequent acquisition of such information.
Long-Term Memory- The ability to take and store a variety of information (ideas, names, concepts) in ones mind, then later retrieve it quickly and easily using
association.
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General

General Strategies

Perform poorly when reviewing past material

Perform poorly when asked to complete a variety of problems on several
different concepts
Cant easily retrieve needed information from long-term memory
Forgets steps in algorithms such as long division, and have a hard time
when solving multi-step word problems
Have difficulties placing information in short-term memory and thus have
problems later retrieving if from long-term memory
Weaknesses in transferring information from source to source
Have difficulties in matters related to time
Might do well on daily quizzes, but has difficulty passing chapter exams
containing these materials
Difficulty remembering the writing process
They understand new information in class, but are uncertain how to
proceed once they leave class

Provide over-learning
Provide review and repetition
Provide immediate feedback
Teach memory aids-Use rehearsal strategies (e.g., rhymes, acronyms,
anagrams, associations)
Provide a list of steps that will help organize behavior and facilitate recall
Use lists, notes, checklists, or memory plans
Teach chunking strategies
Teach mnemonic strategies
Provide multi-sensory learning
Use visual, kinesthetic, vocal, and auditory channels as appropriate
Provide context and meaning-based instruction
Limit the number of new facts, words, and concepts in one session

Accommodations

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Limit the amount of information to be learned during an instructional

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Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

session
Provide reference sheets
A calculator during math computation
Employ test formats that require recognition in favor of test formats that
require recall
Emphasize concepts understood instead of memory for rote information in
grading rubrics
Provide source of external memory
Check to ensure that the student has retained sufficient information to work
independently

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Visual Processing
Visual processing refers to the manipulation and memory of what we seenot actual vision but problems in the processing of visual information by the brain
Visual processing is the ability to generate, perceive, analyze, synthesize, store, retrieve, manipulate, transform, and think with visual patterns. Visual processing
includes understanding spatial relations, perceptual integration, spatial perception, figure-ground discrimination, and visual discrimination.
Visual discrimination- the ability to differentiate objects based on their individual characteristics.
Perceptual integration (part/whole relationship)- perceiving or integrating the relationship between an object or symbol in its entirety and the component parts
which make it up.
A variety of skills associated with academics require spatial understanding of quantity, direction, interval, shape, location, size, direction of movement, sequence,
and scale. These include: mathematics, spelling, punctuation and capitalization, mapping, understanding time, drawing, copying, ordering, changing point of view,
and handwriting.

Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General

General Strategies

Difficulty misunderstanding or confusing written symbols

Problems with being easily distracted by competing visual information
Difficulty judging distances (e.g., bumping into things, placing objects too
close to an edge)
Difficulty with fluidity of movement (e.g., getting out of the way of a moving
ball, knocking things over)
Trouble differentiating colors or similarly shaped letters and numbers
Difficulty identifying information from pictures, charts, graphs, maps, etc.
Weaknesses organizing information from different sources into one cohesive
document
Difficulty finding specific information on a printed page (e.g., getting a number
out of the phone book)

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Provide activities designed to develop discrimination of visual

features (e.g., Where's Wally?, find the odd one out, find the hidden
object, circle the same word in a text, word searches, find words with
beginning with "t", ending with "ing" or containing "ou)
Give examples and point out the important details of visual
information
Teach the cognitive-behavioral interventions of private speech (refer
to SLP for suggestions)
Partially cover a picture and ask the student to identify the whole
Encourage the student to verbalize what he/she has seen (e.g.,
remembering routes around school may be easier if he/she has a
verbal description in his head)

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Problems remembering directions to a location

Weaknesses in recalling non-verbal experiences
Difficulty remembering an item, picture, symbol once it has been removed
from view
Problems remembering the orientation of numbers or letters
Difficulty perceiving words and numbers as separate units
Problems with directionality in reading and math
Confusion of similarly shaped letters, such as b/d/p/q.
Difficulty ignoring irrelevant stimuli
Difficulty putting parts together to form a whole e.g. maps, three dimensional
objects
Reversals when writing

Math

Difficulty sequencing ideas

Weaknesses in organizing and solving math problems
Trouble with mathematical concepts related to understanding of size
Problems perceiving numbers as separate units
Problems telling time
Difficulty with geometry
Problems understanding fractions and part to whole relationships
Difficulty perceiving individual numbers accurately
Difficulty with regrouping or performing operations with multiple digits

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Model visual memory skills by showing the student a picture or card

and asking them to remember what is on it. Remove it from view and
ask for a detailed description of it or ask specific questions about the
picture.

Math Strategies

Teach student to verbalize the math problem

Use graph paper to aid in aligning numbers
Color coding

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Reading Strategies

Reading/ Reading Comprehension

Difficulty finding and retaining important information in reading assignments or

tests
Difficulty reading with speed and precision
Problems blending letters into words visually
Problems perceiving individual letters or words accurately
Weaknesses in noticing all the relevant words in a question, identifying key words
or developing "skim and scan" skills
Although they may be able to read the individual letters they may struggle to put
letters together to form words
Problems skipping lines of text
Difficulty tracking from left to right
Difficulty tracking (keep your space) while reading

Writing

Trouble staying within margins or on lines

Problems copying from the board or books
Difficulty writing neatly and quickly
Difficulty with spacing
Difficulty organizing written work
Weaknesses in labeling diagrams
Problems recognizing spelling patterns

Teach student common visual patterns within words (e.g, prefixes and
suffixes)
Teach student to key in on headings within texts

Writing Strategies

Teach proof-reading strategies (e.g., COPS) or use a proof-reading

buddy
Before writing letters or essays, create an outline to simplify and organize
ideas
Color code

Accommodations:

Use books, worksheets and other materials with enlarged print

Allow student to write answers on the same sheet of paper as the questions or offer opportunities for student to explain answers orally
Provide a tape recorder to supplement note-taking
Reduce the amount of visual information on a page

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

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Use color-coding of materials

Provide repeated exposures to printed visuals
Provide graph paper for math problems to help with aligning problems
Color code important information
Read written directions aloud
Provide paper for writing that has darker or raised lines to make the boundaries more distinct

Use a tracking tool as a reading guide (to keep focus on one line at a time) and a highlighter (immediately emphasize important information)
Template to isolate sentences or paragraphs in text; color overlays; minimize the number of written problems, orally assess student, copy of notes, use larger font
on smart board; preferred seating, increase white space on paper, larger font; concept maps; verbal & written directions
Spatial perception- refers to the ability to accurately perceive objects in space with reference to other objects. It is the ability to discriminate right from left, top to
bottom, and so on.

Lose their place while working on a worksheet or when reading a text

Hinders their ability to write in a straight line across the paper

Impact the directional aspects of mathematics such as the ability to solve problems involving single-digit addition (up-down), regrouping (left-right), the
alignment of numbers, or using a number line

May have trouble with the concept of fractions as well as writing them, writing decimals, and find it hard to discern differences in size or shape.

Figure ground-. is the ability to identify an object from a background of other objects.

These students lose their place on a page

Mix up parts of different problems

Have difficulty reading a calculator

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

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Difficulty reading multi-digit numbers

Difficulty copying symbols correctly

Visual discrimination- the ability to discern similarities and differences when comparing letters, numbers, and other objects. This includes distinguishing

among common objects and symbols, color, form, shape, pattern, size, and position, as well as the ability to recognize an object as distinct from its surrounding
environment.

Can cause students to have trouble identifying symbol

Difficulty gaining information from pictures, charts, graphs

Difficulty using visually presented material in a productive way Trouble reading text, worksheets, or tests with too much information on one page

Slow processing speed

The may not be able to tell the difference between a quarter and a nickel, the numbers 6 and 9, and the small hand on a clock and the large one

These issues can result in interference with many mathematics skills such as measurement, estimation, problem solving, and geometry.

Overall: Difficulties reading out loud; loses their place in the text; will combine unrelated parts of sentences; copies problems or assignments incorrectly
from the board; difficulty when taking math quizzes and tests often uses information from one problem coupled with information from another
problem on the same page to answer a questions; when setting up a number problem, they will often misalign numbers;

Reversals- two types student reverses digits or letters, creating a mirror image of a single digit, and the second when a student reverses the digits of a twodigit number.

Can cause problems with regrouping and transposing digits or letters.

Auditory Processing

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

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Ability to perceive, analyze, and synthesize patterns among auditory stimuli, and to discriminate subtle nuances in patterns of sound and speech when presented
under distorted conditions. It does not apply to what is received by the eardrum, or to deafness, or being hard of hearing. Auditory processing includes
phonological awareness, resistance to auditory stimulus distortion, and memory for sounds.
Phonological Awareness- Ability to break apart and blend sounds in words.
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact
General

Difficulty understanding what is said

Articulation errors
Inability to hear different sounds in words would affect reading and
spelling-Difficulty making out the teachers voice against the background
noise from other students and difficulty discriminating between sounds of
spoke number in class
Difficulty paying attention in class
Difficulty hearing the teacher when other students are shuffling their
papers, opening their notebooks, or making other noises
Difficulty remembering an assignment or task when told to orally
Oral drills are challenging for these students
Difficulty learning vocabulary presented orally
Slow processing speed

Reading/Reading Comprehension

Inability to hear different sounds in words affects ones ability to assign

sounds to letters (decoding)
Difficulties with Phonological Awareness activities-rhyming, alliteration,
imitation, songs

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

Strategies

Expose children to sounds, music, rhythms and language

Read aloud to the child
Read books that use a lot of rhyming words
Provide opportunities to explore and manipulate sounds, words, and
language
Use decodable texts for daily practice
Listen to books on tape
Assistive technology for electronic reader (read out loud, start to finish,
Bookshare)

Reading/Reading Comprehension Strategies

Provide Elkonin boxes (boxes that have the shape of letters for students to
fill in)
Emphasize sound-symbol associations in teaching decoding and spelling
Use explicit, systematic, synthetic phonics instruction
Use a whisper box to allow the student to hear their own reading
Use direct phonics instruction

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Example Programs: Fundations; Just Words; Road to the

Code; Read,Write,Type; Wilson Reading; Explode the Code; Language!;
REWARDS multisyllabic words; multisyllabic words
Writing

Writing Strategies

Difficulty assigning sounds to letters hinders the development of accurate

spelling
Difficulty with any type of dictation across all subject areas

Provide drill and practice for memorizing the spelling of words

Use Cover, Copy, and Compare strategies

Teach spelling using word groups and sorts

Math

Difficulty with using ordinal numbers

Accommodations

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Allow the student to use books on tape/assistive technology/electronic

reader, start to finish, book share
Check for comprehension after group directions are given
Provide a well-managed classroom with control of extraneous activities that
create auditory distractions and competing background noise
Preferential seating that supports monitoring of student comprehension
Provide a peer assistant or buddy to provide information when the student
did not understand an oral communication
Provide a modified spelling list
Use computer spell check
Provide student guides for listening activities
Provides assistance with note taking
Accompany oral information with visual materials
Read tests aloud to the student
Place marker or visual template
Use slow rate of speech, appropriate language/vocabulary, copy of notes,
attention cues, mnemonics, extra time, tape recorder, provide both written

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and verbal directions, simplify directions, concept maps, frequent feedback

Resistance to Auditory Stimulus Distortion- Ability to understand speech and language that has been distorted or masked in one or more ways.
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact
General

Difficulty filtering out background noise

Problems understanding directions in lunch room, hallway, and
playground
Difficulty in group work when more than one person is talking

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

Accommodations

Provide a quiet environment

Allow only one person to speak at a time
Require student to repeat directions back to you

Memory for Sounds- Ability to remember tones, patterns, and voices for short periods of time
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact
General

Difficulty remembering words and sounds within words

Poor spelling
Difficulty learning math facts due to impairment in the ability to remember
and retrieve information stored in a verbal format

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General Strategies

Use multimodal presentation of information (visual, tactile, and auditory)

Use rehearsal strategies (e.g., rhymes, acronyms, anagrams, associations)
Model re-telling, paraphrasing, and summarizing
Use lists, notes, checklist, or memory plans
Teach chunking strategies

Accommodations

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Allow the use of a number line or calculator

Provide copy of notes
Write on tests or materials to eliminate transfer errors
Use constant repetition of instructions and information
Deliver information in smaller units or portions

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Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

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Long-Term Storage
Long-term storage refers to the ability to remember information and procedures that are used at some point after they are immediately taught.

Ability to store information and fluently retrieve new or previously acquired information from long-term memory. Includes the ability to absorb newly presented
information and to demonstrate subsequent acquisition of such information.
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General

General Strategies

Difficulty storing (encoding) and retrieving information

Difficulty retaining and retrieving information over time
Weak performance on classroom examinations
Problems with idea production, ideational fluency, associative fluency, and
generation of a response
Difficulty relating and linking information together
Slow acquisition of new skills

Math

Frequent review of information/facts

Pair new concepts or information to be learned with meaningful stimuli or
overlearned material
Use mnemonic devices
Associate information with prior experiences and known information

Math Strategies
Poor recall of basic math facts
Poor recall of mathematical procedures

Reading/Reading comprehension

Weaknesses remembering letter-sound associations

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Encourage use of a number line

Teach mnemonics for math procedures
Teach multiple strategies for calculating math facts
Teach Touch Math
Encourage the repetition of math facts through flashcards and computer
programs

Reading/Reading Comprehension Strategies

Help the student associate information with prior experiences and known

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Difficulty relating material to previous knowledge, impairing reading

comprehension
Recall of sight words

Writing

information
Focus on overlearning sight words

Writing Strategies
Poor memory for spelling
Difficulty coming up with ideas for writing

Provide topic lists to aid pre-writing brainstorming activities

Use structured organizers to aid in connecting multiple ideas
Help the student associate information with prior experiences and known
information

Accommodations:

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Provide extended time on tests and completion of classroom tasks

Present questions prior to expecting a response
Give student cheat sheet of frequently used equations
Provide a word bank rather than require free recall of information

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Processing Speed
Processing Speed is how quickly one can perform cognitive tasks.
Ability to fluently and automatically perform cognitive tasks, especially when under pressure to maintain focused attention and concentration. Processing speed
may include decision speed, rapid naming, and psychomotor speed.
Psychomotor speed: movements of the body associated with mental activity
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General

General Strategies

Slow in completing classwork and tests

Incomplete homework or tests
Difficulty working quickly and efficiently
Slower work rate
Difficulty responding to questions due to lag time
Lacks automaticity of rote information
Poor work completion
Difficulty scanning and quickly determining important information on a
page
Slow decision making skills due to inability to free working memory

Math Strategies

Math

Allow time to respond orally or prepare student with question before calling
on them
Self-monitoring strategies that focus students to set goals and rate their
success related to timely completion of tasks
Explicitly teach student to increase speed and use concrete measures of
progress using charts and graphs

Difficulty working problems quickly on paper

Slow mental math skills
Low fluency related to math facts

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Use repetition of facts

Use computerized math programs that focus on increasing the automaticity
of math facts
Practice with math facts using flashcards and incremental rehearsal of facts

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Use speed drills

Reading/Reading Comprehension

Poor reading fluency due to slow rapid naming skills

Slow word retrieval
Slow response time
Weak reading fluency impacts comprehension of text

Writing

Slow writing skills (motorically)

Struggles to quickly organize and complete written tasks
Low writing output
Resistance to writing tasks

Reading/Reading Comprehension Strategies

Model fluent reading by reading aloud
Use choral reading
Practice with sight words using flashcards and incremental rehearsal of
facts
Use repeated reading of texts (3-5 times)
Encourage rereading of a text until speed criteria is met
Encourage a student to read two sentences/paragraphs and have the
following student read the last sentence/paragraph read along with a new
one
Utilize speed drills
Preview reading materials
Use books on tape to address fluency weaknesses
Example programs: Read Naturally, Great Leaps, Quick Reads, Read
out Loud, Start to Finish
Writing Strategies

Use short speed drills that emphasize output over grammar, spelling, and
punctuation

Speech Recognition software

Accommodations:

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Access to word processor

Provide books on tape
Provide oral directions
Provide copies of notes, formatted which only key words need to be added

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Note: Cognitive Efficiency has to do with both Processing Speed and Working
memory and will determine how much and how efficiently a student will process
information and thus learn it.

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Provide extended time

Reduce quantity of work in favor of quality
Shorten or chunk assignments (e.g., odds or evens, fold paper in half, etc.)
Use a timer to increase self-monitoring of output and speed of completion
Reduce and structure the amount of copying required from a book or board
Provide high-interest books on students reading level
Provide resource folder

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Executive Functioning
Executive functioning includes the brain-based functions that involve mental control and self-regulation. Executive functions area analogous to a maestro of an
orchestra, while the rest of the cognitive processes comprise the band itself.
Executive functioning guides the management of our internal resources in order to achieve a goal. Cognitive components of executive functioning include
attention control, cognitive flexibility, planning, goal setting, inhibition, and self-monitoring. Executive processing involves controlling or self-directing our cognitive
resources and processing.
Inhibition- the ability to resist impulses and to stop ones behavior at the appropriate time.
Attention Control- The ability to maintain attention to a situation or task in spite of distractibility, fatigue, or boredom. Difficulty maintaining concentration. Typical
symptoms involve developmentally inappropriate levels of attention (predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, combineinattention,
hyperactivity-impulsivity
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact
General
Struggles with wasting time doing small project and fails to do big
project
Difficulty determining what material to record during note-taking
Failure to complete tasks
Engagement in distracted behaviors
Inability to attend in stimulating environment
Difficulty organizing and completing work correctly
Writing is disorganized
May give the impression that they are not listening or has not heard
what has been said
Work is often messy and performed carelessly and impulsively
Difficulty maintaining attention to essential instruction

Students may actually be attending to too many things at once

Difficulty maintaining attention to steps in algorithms or problem
Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General Strategies

Use an incentive system to encourage student to remain on-task

Use an If-Then plan to encourage student to remain focused on nonpreferred task
Teach student to use accommodations independently
Self-monitoring checklists
direct instruction of organization strategies

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solving

Accommodations

Provide structured organizers for breaking projects into smaller parts

Provide outlines for note taking
Use a timer and encourage student to complete activity within time allotted
Plan students schedule so that activities requiring the most focused
concentration are during periods of the day that child is most focused
Provide quiet location for student to work
Attention cues, structured environment, color code, clear transitions,
conferencing, check in check out, positive reinforcement

Cognitive Flexibility- The ability to think flexibly and be able to alternate attention to solve a complex or novel task (Selective Attention).
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact
General

Difficulty making transitions between tasks or within tasks

Difficulty coping with unforeseen events
Problems with perseverating on the same idea

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General Strategies

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Try to teach frameworks for walking through new situations and changes.
This includes teaching self-talk as well as determining when to seek
external assistance.
Model a range of ways of approaching a single task or situation
Teach brainstorming techniques
Provide a place for self-calming during stressful times and teach selfsoothing techniques
Create visual cues for routines and schedules
Highlight changes and help the individual build a bridge from what he/she
knows to what he/she does not know
Provide additional support during transitions when new concepts, tasks, or
environments are introduced
Think alouds to model

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Math

Problems changing approach to a problem

Difficulties changing from one math operation to another

Writing

Difficulty changing topic

Problems brainstorming creative ideas
Accommodations

Allow additional time to adjust to changes

Create consistent and predictable environments as much as possible

Planning- Ability to evaluate a task and plan a strategy to solve a problem and reach an answer.
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General

General Strategies

Difficulty completing tasks in a timely manner

Problems starting tasks without fully understanding what is required
Problems starting projects/tasks without necessary materials

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Break down tasks into component parts and provide a checklist for each
component
Plan out the project with a clear first step to provide an entry point for
getting started
Work with the student to create a very specific list of the steps needed to
complete the project and to plan the time line for completion of each step
Teach the student to enter steps into an agenda book as daily tasks
Offer organizational frameworks in advance that help students organize
new material in their heads
Model problem-solving skills think alouds
Walk through the planning process with the student and help him/her plan
an approach to the task at hand think alouds
Review assignments and model the planning process by talking it through

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out loud Gradually switch to having the student lay out the plan while you
take a coaching role helping only as much as needed

Computer software that is available: Inspiration, Kidspiration, MindJet,

MindManager
Math

Problems sequencing math steps

Reading/Reading Comprehension

Problems previewing reading material

Writing:

Struggles with disorganized and non-sequential writing

Difficulty making logical argument
Poor paragraph formation

Writing Strategies

Develop templates for repetitive procedures such as compare and contrast

guides for papers
Use visual maps for brainstorming and organizing

Accommodations:

Provide a packet about projects with a checklist of the steps and when they
are due

Goal Setting- Ability to identify a goal and follow through to the completion of the goal.
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

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General

Individual seems future-blind (i.e., not working towards the future)

Difficulty setting mini-goals

General Strategies

Break down tasks into component parts and provide a checklist for each
component
Plan out the project with a clear first step to provide an entry point for
getting started
Work with the student to create a very specific list of the steps needed to
complete the project and to plan the time line for completion of each step
Teach the student to enter steps into an agenda book as daily tasks
Offer organizational frameworks in advance that help students organize
new material in their heads
Model problem-solving skills think alouds
Walk through the planning process with the student and help him/her plan
an approach to the task at hand
Review assignments and model the planning process by talking it through
out loud; gradually switch to having the student lay out the plan while you
take a coaching role helping only as much as needed
Provide external structure and feedback in a sensitive and developmentally
appropriate manner
Teach the use of tools and techniques to improve monitoring such as
checklists for repetitive tasks
Highlight the process of self-review and analysis of behavior
Provide checklists to help the student monitory his/her performance
Have student set a goal and rate their performance

Inhibition- The ability to stop and think before acting and to resist the urge to respond to distracters. This ability allows one the time to evaluate a situation and
how his/her behavior might affect it.
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General

General Strategies

Difficulty with distractibility and or impulsiveness

Problems picking smaller, immediate reward over larger, delayed reward

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Provide external reinforcement for appropriate behavior and choices

Minimize distracters (e.g., handing out multiple page exercises one at a

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Difficulty speaking before thinking

time)
Teach Stop and Think strategies
Cue the student as to expected behaviors and review class rules for each
school environment

Accommodations

Restrict access to settings or situations in which the child can get in trouble

Metacognition/Self-Monitoring- The ability to stand back and take a birds eye view of one-self in a situation, includes the ability to assess one's performance
and progress towards a goal.

Cognition and Metacognition Deficits:

Cognition as it refers to understanding is the ability to comprehend what you see and hear, and to infer information from social cues and body language.
Metacognition emphasizes self-awareness of how one approaches a task in order to plan and monitor progress (thinking about your thinking)
Do not recognize that they are failing to understand what they are reading
Difficulty selecting the main idea
Difficulty summarizing
Lack of strategies to use when planning, writing and revising written expression

Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

General

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General Strategies

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Provide external structure and feedback in a sensitive and developmentally

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Difficulty analyzing errors in order to improve future performance

Poor self-checking to insure that each step is completed
Problems with monitoring pace to determine if goal will be met on time
Problems checking work before submitting it
Difficulty completing tasks in given time

Lack awareness of basic skills

Lack awareness of strategies and resources to complete tasks
Trouble selecting appropriate strategies to solve problems
Difficulties identifying and selecting appropriate strategies
Difficulties organizing information
Difficulty monitoring problem-solving processes
Difficulty evaluating problems for accuracy
Difficulty generalizing strategies to new situations
Not able to adjust reading styles to accommodate the difficulty of the text

appropriate manner
Teach the use of tools and techniques to improve monitoring such as
checklists for repetitive tasks
Highlight the process of self-review and analysis of behavior
Provide checklists to help the student monitory his/her performance
Have student set a goal and rate their performance
Thinks alouds to model
Concept maps
Self-monitor
Conferencing
Positive reinforcement

Math Strategies

Teach students to check answers by using the opposite operation

Teach students to check answers using estimation
Teach students to use a problem-solving strategy (e.g., QDPAC)

Reading/Reading Comprehension Strategies

Teach reading self-monitoring strategies (e.g., SQ3R, Click or Clunk)

Writing Strategies

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Teach student to use a proofreading strategy (e.g., COPS)

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Initiation- The ability to begin projects without undue procrastination, in an efficient or timely fashion. The ability to begin or start a task.
Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General

General Strategies

Difficulty starting an assignment or project

Poor use of class time
Poor planning of when to start a task and starting it promptly at
predetermined time Difficulty starting an assignment or project
Difficulty planning when to start a task and starting it promptly at
predetermined time

Have student specify when he/she will begin task

Teach self-talk strategies (e.g., I need to start working now.)
Use an incentive system to reinforce independent initiation of tasks
Create a visual cue to prompt the student to start working
Note start and stop times when tasks are assigned/completed

Organization- The ability to arrange or place things according to a system

Area of Difficulty/Academic Impact
General
Failure to have needed supplies

Recommended Strategies and Accommodations

General Strategies

Math

Problems organizing math problems

Writing

Disorganized and non-sequential writing

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

Provide external structure and feedback in a sensitive and developmentally

appropriate manner
Highlight the process of self-review and analysis of behavior
Have student set a goal and rate their performance
Use of graphic organizers

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Difficulty making logical argument

Accommodations

Provide a second set of books

Create an organization system for student
Provide an adult to check in regarding organization
Self-monitoring checklist
Use of graph paper for math problems

Motor

Motor motor skill deficiencies interfere with the ability to use and coordinate large and small body muscles in order to move and manipulate objects.

Work often looks sloppy as if it was completed quickly and without much effort

Inability to write clearly interferes with accuracy so written work may not reflect understanding

Difficulties writing in small spaces

Become fatigued after writing

Pace, neatness, and copying are problematic

Accommodations/General Strategies: minimize number of written problems, orally assess student, provide copy of notes, graph paper, extra time, tape
recorder, increase white space, assistive technology- speech recognition software

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

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Expressive Language

Expressive Language- The production of language that is understood by and meaningful to others

Inability to complete rapid oral drills

Difficulty counting

Difficulty explaining their thoughts orally

Difficulty explaining how to complete a problem orally

Uses incorrect grammar or syntax

Lacks specificity

Jumps from topic to topic

Has limited use of vocabulary

Difficulty finding the right word to communicate

Uses social language poorly

Is afraid to ask questions

Has difficulty discussing abstract, temporal, or spatial concepts

Often does not provide enough information to the listener

Accommodations/General Strategies: concrete or pictorial representations, minimize number of written problems and/or written assignments, provide
copy of notes, extra time, increase white space, require written and verbal communication, assistive tech draft builder, co-writer
Receptive Language

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

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Receptive Language- The ability to understand what is meant by spoken communication.

Difficulty relating words to meaning (connecting vocabulary words with an understanding of a mathematical concepts such as first and greater than)

Difficulty with words that have multiple meanings

Difficulty with writing notes or problems from dictation

Difficulty following oral directions

Difficulty solving word problems

Become confused when irrelevant information is included in word problems

Difficulty reading due to lack of comprehension of vocabulary

Does not respond to questions appropriately

Cannot think abstractly or comprehend abstractions as idioms

Cannot retain information presented verbally

Cannot recall sequences of ideas presented orally

May confuse the sounds of letters that are similar

Has difficulty understanding humor or figurative language

Has difficulty comprehending compound and complex sentences

Has difficulty comprehending concepts showing quantity, function, comparative size, and temporal and spatial relationships

Accommodations/General Strategies: concrete or pictorial representations, slow rate of speech, use of appropriate language/vocabulary, structured
environment, variety in lessons, mnemonics, extra time, tape recorder, written and verbal assignments and directions, copy of notes, simplify directions

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012

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and explanations; analogies, concept maps, written and verbal communication, frequent feedback, color coded

Information taken from Cobb County and adapted by MCS 2012