6-1 Discussion: Cognitive Deficits

If an elementary school student is having difficulty learning math, what are the possible cognitive issues that could be interfering with the student’s learning? For each cognitive issue you identify, what other deficits might also be observed? Focus on possible cognitive deficits while providing examples to support your thinking. As you respond to your classmates, think about examples of classroom learning difficulties you have seen during your own schooling.

To complete this assignment, review the Discussion Rubric document.

AFTER COMPLETING THE INITIAL POST, PLEASE ALSO RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING TWO STUDENTS REGARDING THE SAME TOPIC!

STUDENT ONE:

If an elementary school student is having difficulty learning math, what are the possible cognitive issues that could be interfering with the student’s learning? For each cognitive issue you identify, what other deficits might also be observed? Focus on possible cognitive deficits while providing examples to support your thinking.

Working memory is a problem that many have been faced with. Sometimes a person can read something repeatedly and not be able to tell what they just read. According to (Swanson, Jerman & Zheng, 2008) we store verbal information in the phonological loop for a brief period. If a child is having a hard time in math with word problems, their academic performance may be low. Not being able to comprehend what you are reading or having trouble remembering what you read can cause cognitive deficits. One deficit that can be caused is attention deficits. This can make the child stop reading and start staring off into space and thinking about other things. Decision making is another deficit that can arise. Problem solving is another cognitive deficit that if not addressed when the child is young can present a problem as they get older. In the aforementioned study, it was shown that there is evidence between working memory and problem solving.

References

Swanson, H. Lee, Jerman, Olga, & Zheng, Xinhua. (2008) Growth in working memory and mathematical problem solving in children at risk and not at risk for serious math diffciculties. Journal of Educational Psychology 100(2) 343-379. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu10.1037/0022-0663….

STUDENT TWO:

An elementary school student was struggling with math the cognitive issues that could be interfering are visual spatial processing and working memory. Visual spatial processing gives us the ability to process stimuli in order to identify relationships between objects. If the child has a problem with visual spatial problems in addition to mathematics they would have deficits in things like reading, writing, identifying objects and their own space which could cause them to bump into things. Children with visual spatial problems often time have a dyslexia diagnosis.

If a child has working memory problems they would struggle with everyday life skills. Working memory is part of our executive functioning and helps us organize things so we can draw from them as the information is needed. Consequently this would cause deficits such as remembering simple instructions, processing information that is required to be successful in an academic setting and the inability to pay attention. Often time children with working memory issues have and ADD/ADHD diagnosis. According to the study done by Swanson, Jerman, & Zheng, did concluded that the growth of working memory can indicate cognitive difficulties that would result in poor academic performance.

Swanson, H. L., Jerman, O., & Zheng, X. (2008). Growth in working memory and mathematical problem solving in children at risk and not at risk for serious math difficulties. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(2), 343–379. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu

An elementary school student was struggling with math the cognitive issues that could be interfering are visual spatial processing and working memory. Visual spatial processing gives us the ability to process stimuli in order to identify relationships between objects. If the child has a problem with visual spatial problems in addition to mathematics they would have deficits in things like reading, writing, identifying objects and their own space which could cause them to bump into things. Children with visual spatial problems often time have a dyslexia diagnosis.

If a child has working memory problems they would struggle with everyday life skills. Working memory is part of our executive functioning and helps us organize things so we can draw from them as the information is needed. Consequently this would cause deficits such as remembering simple instructions, processing information that is required to be successful in an academic setting and the inability to pay attention. Often time children with working memory issues have and ADD/ADHD diagnosis. According to the study done by Swanson, Jerman, & Zheng, did concluded that the growth of working memory can indicate cognitive difficulties that would result in poor academic performance.

Swanson, H. L., Jerman, O., & Zheng, X. (2008). Growth in working memory and mathematical problem solving in children at risk and not at risk for serious math difficulties. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(2), 343–379. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu