Summer 2007
To: Dyslexia Remediation Specialists, Candidates and Guests!
From: Joan M. Smith, Ed.D.

News from EDU-Therapeutics:

Role Playing Good Strategies Creates Good Skills

Jenny is very inattentive in class. She always seems to be doing something but it is rarely what her teacher has assigned. She likes to organize her desk, sort her papers, assist her neighbors with the assignment, or embellish her paper, book cover, or desk with drawings. She is incredibly talented in the creative arts and a wonderful child to know. Except she does not get her own work done and has a great deal of homework from her unfinished daily assignments every night. Her parents have used many strategies to improve her efforts but none have worked.

Jenny attends the Learning Center. She was initially identified as having attention deficit disorder by her school. She does have a high level of inattention and a very rapid response speed. During her one-on-one sessions Jenny likes to take control. Her behavior during therapy mirrors her behavior in the classroom. Jenny has an agenda and she is attentive to her agenda. Her academic skills are quite strong and easily would support success in the classroom.

In order to interrupt this behavior pattern which is creating problems for Jenny, her teacher, and family the strategy of roll playing was initiated. Jenny's clinician initiated a discussion about what a good student looks like. She loves to provide opinions and had many ideas which they listed on the white board. Very shortly, Jenny's list included things like: listens to the teacher, writes down assignments, starts as soon as the assignment is given, looks at the paper until it is finished, ignores interruptions in the class, works quickly...and many more.

Her clinician then copied the list and put it in her folder and asked her to illustrate the first item. Before she was provided with the pens to draw, the clinician had her show what listening to the teacher looked like. Jenny demonstrated it. The clinician copied her body language and intent gaze. Then Jenny drew the illustration for her list. Jenny was asked if she wanted to illustrate any of the other strategies on her list and she choose two. These she took home and illustrated and returned at her next session. This was all her choice and she choose to follow through.

During her next session a ten minute game was started of playing student. Jenny was asked to be the teacher and show the clinician (her student) three ways to be attentive. Jenny choose having the student listen to her, having the student write down the assignment she gave, and starting it right away. Her student required considerable prompting and instruction but Jenny persevered to get the assignment done and the student gradually became more cooperative. After the game Jenny and her clinician talked about what had worked and what strategies were best.

Next Jenny was given the role of student. The clinician - teacher had her leave the room and then the teacher greeted her at the door to the room. The teacher pretended to have other students in the class and gave everyone an assignment of three problems in math. Jenny watched the teacher, listened, and started her problems right away. She was the first one done!

After the exercise, Jenny and her clinician talked about what strategies Jenny was using from her list and she wanted to illustrate the scene which she did at home. Before leaving her session, the clinician told her that when she arrived next time the role play would start as she walked in the door so she would be prepared to be greeted by the teacher.

During the role play sessions, the clinician would occasionally step out of the teacher role and give observations to Jenny such as: You are really focused on what the teacher is saying. I see you listening to all the instructions very carefully. You are working very quickly and accurately just like you planned. By verbalizing Jenny's strategy and reinforcing her behavior the patterns began to be part of her choices for performing.

The next challenge was to transfer Jenny's focused behavior into her classroom. Her teacher agreed to attend one of the sessions at the Learning Center to assist with this. Jenny was advised ahead of time that her teacher would be greeting her when she arrived the next time.

The clinician met with the teacher prior to the session preparing for Jenny's arrival. By imitating the clinician's behavior of greeting Jenny at the door and having the assignment ready Jenny knew what would be expected of her. She immediately used her new strategies and listened to the teacher and immediately started to work. Her teacher was cautioned not to be too astounded and maintained the role play for the ten minute work session! It was very important that the teacher not berate Jenny with statements like I knew you could do that. Why don=t you do this in class or other would, should, could statements. Instead the teacher was coached to ask Jenny What strategies did you use today for this session? Jenny proudly told the teacher all of the strategies and showed her the list and her illustrations. Then, the magic moment had arrived. The clinician asked Jenny which of these strategies she would like to use in her classroom. Jenny was very empowered to respond and choose most of the items on the list. The teacher told Jenny that she would be there to support her if she had any questions and that when Jenny was using a strategy and the teacher noticed it she would wink at her. That brought smiles all around and a sense of team work.

Jenny's use of the strategies she choose changed her classroom behavior. Her teacher asked her to share some of them with another student who had similar issues and Jenny actually started coaching the other student with the same role playing techniques.

STRATEGIES FOR LAW SCHOOL OR ADVANCED STUDIES

It is my pleasure to work with adults in a therapeutic setting. During the last three year I have had several individuals who are or want to be lawyers. The effort of passing law school exams and studying with the intensity required for success is probably one of the most rigorous of all professional fields. Individuals who have been very successful in their university work often find that they are unable to maintain their grades to pass the classes in law schools.

Our efforts have usually begun with the administration of a full learning disability and attention assessment. The WAIS, TOVA, Woodcock Johnson Academic and Cognitive Batteries, and Nelson Denny Reading tests are administered as a basic battery. The students are consistently quite bright and strong in vocabulary. Consistently, they have difficulty with Passage Comprehension and Speed on the ND. They often have a delay in their response speed or an impulsive attention issue.

It is consistently amazing that they find they were able to complete a B.A. degree with relative ease and then feel they have walked into a wall with the reading and testing in law school. The amazing part is that they frequently have considerable difficulty with reading speed and comprehension. Obviously, law school increases the demands and pacing and the difficulties rise to the surface.

The other common factor is that these very intelligent individuals begin to doubt their abilities. They manifest anxiety symptoms, testing panic, become unable to concentrate while studying, and blank when confronted with testing questions. They have usually referred themselves for anxiety symptoms and medication before we see them.

My goals in therapy are usually three fold: 1) Reduce anxiety to gain access to inner language, 2) Increase reading comprehension, 3) Establish confidence. When we are anxious our inner language is occupied with awfulizing statements -A I=ll never get this. I can=t think of the answer. I=m going to flunk out of this class. I am so stupid. ...etc.@ When our inner language is occupied we are unable to access information from our studies and to think logically and sequentially. It is, therefore, essential to have access to inner language for accessing information and formulating answers. The exercises I use for relieving anxiety include: Infinity Walk exercises (Deborah Sunbeck), breathing exercises, arguing with your thoughts (As soon as a negative thought is heard, they are taught to say." No, I am concentrating on...". whatever the topic or question is. I have them start by doing that during therapy so I can reinforce them for redirecting their thought patterns.) And we discuss their eating patterns and consumption of protein for breakfast, lunch and study periods and consumption of plenty of good water and reduction of any caffeine or high sugars in the diet.

Increasing comprehension is fun and easy. I use the Mind Benders from Critical Thinking Press for the beginning and then as soon as possible move to the Logic Problems published by Penny Press. (The ones from Dell tend to be too difficult and do not allow you to build skills and confidence.) Learning to do these problems requires retention of information, integration of clues, and visual mapping of information. These are essentially the most important elements of comprehension.

These exercises and a few study hints like mind-mapping, charting, and using inner language skills all begin to be reflected in established confidence. The accommodations from law schools for which students are eligible often include: increased time on test and opportunity to be tested in a quiet, private space. Anytime a student is eligible for more time on a test they must be given a private space to be tested. Giving additional time but having someone sit in a group and try to maintain concentration while everyone is getting up and walking out and being left behind is so distracting and disconcerting that it is useless.

I recently received the following comments on this efficacy of program:

I was preparing to take the Ethics exam and was denied accommodations. I went ahead and took the exam without accommodations - it was my third time - I passed (with even a bit of wiggle room)!! So that was a relief!

I was waiting on my midterm exam grades (after having taken them with extra-time) and did much better and then took my final exams in May and did quite well. The extra time has made a world of difference for me.

Last month, I graduated and had the requisite G.P.A. to be in "good standing".

I hope everything has been going well with you and your great clinic. I would not have gotten through this last year without your help. I am grateful.

This series of exercises and programming is very effective for mature students who are preparing for exams - MFT, C-Best, or other state exams. It is a pleasure to work with adults and nurturing to our therapeutic selves.

To receive additional information contact us at:

joan_smith@comcast.net

800 50-LEARN • (800) 505-3276

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