Steve Butnik’s article Understanding, Diagnosing, and Coping with Slow Processing Speed offers an overview of ideas but also focuses on the fact that sometimes slow learning is a result of something undiagnosed. That said, if you are simply teaching the child in front of you, it shouldn’t really matter what their diagnosis is, you just need to adapt teaching to meet their needs.

Type of Problem: Activation

Examples of Interventions for Activation:

Investigate the cause. For example, see if the student:

• Is engrossed in another activity
• Is confused about what to do
• Has missed the instructions
• Is anxious about failing

Type of problem: Emotional factors (i.e, “It’s too much …”)

Examples of Interventions for Emotional factors:

• Encourage
• Support
• Provide help getting started

Type of Problem: Cognitive factors (i.e., “I don’t even know where to begin.”)

Examples of Intervention for Cognitive factors:

• Develop a plan
• Break a task down into smaller chunks
• Use graphc organisers

Type of Problem: Focus / attention

Examples of Intervention for Focus / Attention:

• Reduce distractions
• Provide white noise
• Recognise on-task behaviour
• Prompt the student when he/she drifts
• Provide incentives for completion of work

Type of Problem: Working memory

Examples of Intervention for Working memory:

• Repeat directions
• Encourage questions
• Give gentle reminders
• Provide templates of completed work, written copies of directions, word banks, etc.

Type of Problem: Handwriting

Examples of Interventions for Handwriting:

• Determine if Dysgraphia is present
• Give advance copies of teacher notes
• Provide access to word processing and/or speech-to-text software (such as Dragon’s Naturally Speaking)
• Have another student share copies of notes

Nicola Jones-Ford wrote an interesting article which outlines different ways to identify students as well as some strategies to support them. This, however, refers to slow processing rather than just learning at a slower pace.

Hawthorne School District, California, have created a very simple document outlining who slower paced learners are as well as some easy strategies to follow. These approached would by no means inhibit others in the classroom from making progress, so may be very useful. Microsoft Word – STRATEGIES FOR SLOW LEARNERS.docx

View and/or download the full Cognition and Learning Needs Toolkit