Case 3Nonverbal Learning Disability vs Anxious Achiever |
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Problem Areas |
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| *misunderstanding of questions and directions *follows rules and routines rigidly often without understanding them (dependence on authority) *anxious especially when there is no prescribed routine or formula to follow *attempts to memorize verbatim rather than understand, especially in math: |
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1.05
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³2 x 5 is 10, put down the zero, carry the one.
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| When questioned, S was able to say that 1.05 was about 1, .2 was about 1/2 (this was accepted) and said that 1/2 of 1 would be less than 1. When challenged about his answer that was greater than 1, S answered with greater faith in the algorithm than in the numbers: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ³If it doesnıt say 2, then I didnıt show that I got the answer.² | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *lack of integrative theme in writing *fragmented and overly literal: failure to get jokes; credit for detail despite failure to grasp the idea: |
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Reading Passage (Gray Oral Reading Test - 4) |
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| Many American farm workers have been aided by the efforts of a shy, patient man named Cesar Chavez. As a youth, Cesar traveled from one farm to another picking crops as they ripened. Since his family had no permanent home, Cesar had attended thirty-seven different schools by the time he reached the seventh grade. As he grew older, he became increasingly concerned about the poverty and suffering of the farm workers. He began speaking to groups of workers about their need for safer housing and better health care. He convinced the grape pickers in California to join together and strike for better pay and working conditions. A strong believer in nonviolence, he led many peaceful protest marches and organized the first successful farm workersı union in the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fragmented, Literal Summary |
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| Chavez, his family didnıt have a permanent house so they kept walking. Every time he walked by farms he picked crops. By the seventh grade, he already went to 37 schools. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Passing the Test while Failing Comprehension |
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Passed Items based on Detail |
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| 3. Which sentence does not belong in this paragraph correct a. Cesar gave up his regular job in order to help the workers. b. Cesar educated the public about the problems of farm workers. c. Many of the workers lived on one-room shacks with not plumbing. d. Cesar was in favor of using weapons when necessary. |
4. How do you think Cesar felt about going to so many different different schools correct a. it was exciting to travel so much b. It was hard to learn things, make friends c. it was an interesting experience d. it was a good way to get a broad education |
5. How do you think Cesar felt when the union was a success correct a. proud b. discouraged c. astonished d. depressed |
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Failed Items based on Central Meaning |
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| 1. Cesarıs family was A a. prominent b. poor c. in bad health d. cheerful |
2. What did the farm workers learn from Cesar? D a. cooperation b. better farming techniques c. English d. patience |
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Areas of Strength |
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| *Working memory, i.e., effortful memory required for disconnected information *linear, verbal, analysis, i.e, aggregation of information one piece at a time *Word Attack and Spelling *Rule following *syntax, technical aspects of writing *phonological processing |
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Diagnosis
Nonverbal Learning Disabilty |
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Instruction |
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| *withold rules, routines, formulas *use problems, situations that are a stretch from what's been taught explicitly *provide the answer, ask for different ways that it might have been derived *use verbal strength to encourage one-sentence, bottom-line statements of the central points *provide hands on experience with material feedback *take notes on a paper divided in half vertically; main points on the left, supporting detail on the right; no detail should be written down unless it is aligned with a main idea *approach to outlining for wriiting: 1) write one sentence statement of theme; 2) write a title; 3) write section headings *teach basic meaning before resorting to procedures, especially in math *participate in a pragmatic communication program with support of speech and language clinician |
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